Gabriel Bonfim and Nicolas Dalby squared off in a Welterweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., Nov. 4, 2023) at UFC Sao Paulo inside Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Bonfim landed right off the bat with a hard right hand. Dalby met him in the center and fired back, but the Brazilian held a clear speed advantage. His calf kick was landing hard immediately too. Dalby attacked a body lock takedown nicely, but Bonfim maintained his balance and broke free to the center.
Dalby pressed his opponent hard and landed an elbow. Bonfim’s kicks were nasty, and he was ripping to all targets. At the midway point of the round, Bonfim switched up the hectic pace with a well-timed body lock takedown of his own. He passed into side control quickly and then mount a moment later. His transitions were incredible, but Dalby defended well until the final seconds, when Bonfim landed some mean ground strikes.
Dalby looked to start the second fast but was thrown to his back immediately. He was able to work back up, but Bonfim sat him back down in an instant with a single leg dump. Dalby attempted to scramble up into a shot of his own, and after a scramble, it allowed him back to his feet! Dalby’s pressure was relentless, and halfway through the second, it seemed to be getting to Bonfim a bit.
He was still throwing back murderous counter punches though. Between those swings, Dalby was smashing his opponent with elbows and knees. Bonfim couldn’t back his opponent off with neither takedowns nor counters, and Dalby’s heavy connections were adding up. A left hook to the body seemed to take the remaining wind from Bonfim’s sails, and he collapsed to the floor.
How’s that for an underdog win! Dalby pushed an absolutely ridiculous pace and walked through serious fire to wear down a very skilled opponent. Bonfim’s technical ability is clearly excellent, but Dalby showed the benefit of experience to his younger foe in this contest.
That’s a great performance from Dalby, who has now won four straight inside the Octagon.
Result: Dalby via second-round knockout
For complete UFC Sao Paulo: “Lewis vs. Almeida” results and play-by-play, click HERE!