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UFC Fight Night: Almeida v Lewis — Photo by Pedro Vilela/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Last night (Sat., Nov. 4, 2023), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. For a card that really fell apart — it lost half its main event and three more fights in the final 36 hours — UFC Sao Paulo still delivered some goods! It wasn’t the most high-profile evening of the year, but there were entertaining clashes hidden throughout the evening and at least a couple really standout performances.

Let’s take a look at UFC Sao Paulo’s best performances and techniques:

A Weird, Dominant Victory

Jailton Almeida didn’t show anything new in 25 minutes against Derrick Lewis.

All the usual tricks were on display. He threw kicks at range, feinted, then timed his desperation double well. Credit to the big man, when his shot is stuffed, he actually chain wrestles his way out of bad positions fairly well. He’s got a second, third, and fourth effort that is uncommon amongst big men.

His control on the floor is excellent. The problem is … he didn’t throw anything? Almeida has finished opponents via ground strikes before, so his complete hesitance to drop elbows or rip punches from mount was really bizarre. He definitely could have chipped away at Lewis and done serious damage in the crazy amount of minutes he held mount.

He looked quite limited, yet elite in what he does. He’s the type of fighter that will make some elite Heavyweights look really bad, and others will probably wipe the floor with him. It’s all about style match ups for Almeida, and in his defense, most Heavyweights cannot grapple at all.

If that’s the case, expect a submission or shutout.

Veteran Experience Wins The Day

Nicolas Dalby fought perfectly. He had to if he was going to upset Gabriel Bonfim, a bonafide prospect with plus skills in pretty much every area.

From the first bell, Dalby was sprinting. Unfortunately for him, Bonfim is really talented, so he was often sprinting into his opponent’s offense early on. Bonfim has some cracking counter punching, but it didn’t deter Dalby. Even when Dalby spent a couple minutes on bottom, forced to survive his foe’s nasty top game.

As soon as the bell sounded for the second round and Dalby was back on his feet, he was still pushing the gas pedal through the floor. Bonfim got him down a couple more times, but as soon as Dalby popped back up, the energy shift was obvious. Bonfim wanted a break, and Dalby took advantage in the clinch.

Dalby’s use of frames was lovely. He kept hanging on Bonfim’s head, hitting him with knees then switching to a forearm frame when Bonfim tried to pull away. He could keep kneeing or throw an elbow, and Bonfim couldn’t really answer. The Brazilian had to use a lot of energy to fully free himself from Dalby’s grasp, and then he could usually only manage one or two wild swings before Dalby grabbed him and started throwing knees again.

Dalby sent him to the floor immediately after a nasty left hook to the body — one last example of composure and veteran know-how.

Middleweight’s Craftiest Up-And-Comer

Caio Borralho isn’t always the most exciting fighter, but he once against demonstrated his well-rounded skill set and tactical abilities by defeating Abus Magomedov. In the process, he improved to 5-0 inside the Octagon.

Perhaps more than expected, this bout proved to be a striking showcase for Borralho. He’s known for his karate-style movement and offense, and early on, all that movement didn’t result in much offense for either man. However, there was intention behind Borralho’s strategy.

Magomedov fades as the fight wears on — it’s known. Borralho pretty much negated Magomedov’s early blitz, and he picked up a lot of reads in the process. By the second, he was connecting more often with his hard jabs and left hook entries. He bloodied the Russian a bit, and then in the third, sat him down with a body shot.

It didn’t produce the finish, but it yet again showed Borralho’s strategic skill against solid opposition. He’s more than deserving of a ranking, let alone a ranked opponent.

ONE PUNCH!

26-year-old Elves Brener is a whole lot of fun. A Charles Oliveira training partner, the Brazilian carries that typical Chute Boxe aggression into the cage that is so incredibly entertaining.

In this bout, he faced newcomer Kaynan Kruschewsky (15-1), a skilled veteran with plenty of high-level experience. Early on, Kruschewsky’s accurate counter punching gave Brener some pause, but it still didn’t take too long from Brener to find his opening. Midway through the first, he followed a right hand with a roll and huge left hook, and the latter punch connected hard.

That’s a great combo against an opponent looking to stand their ground and counter, as the attacking fighter is able to simultaneously move his head and whip a power punch. Consequently, Brener was able to roll his foe’s left hook counter and land his own huge left with all his weight behind it on an out-of-position opponent.

Kruschewsky hit the floor face-first.

Brener should definitely be looked at as a serious Lightweight prospect. He’s just 3-0 in the UFC, but defeating Zubaira Tukhugov and Guram Kutateladze already elevated him above the pack. Another big stoppage win should help push him forward, and it may be time for a Top 15 opponent next.

Big Power On The Prelims

Vitor Petrino (9-0) looks like a serious Light Heavyweight problem.

Modestas Bukauskas is a really solid 205-pounder. He’s well-rounded, experienced, and tough. Compared to Petrino, however, he just didn’t look dangerous at all. In the first round, Petrino’s snapping jab was thudding. Each time it hit Bukauskas, the Lithuanian veteran was knocked off-balance and unable to really fire back. Then, Petrino capped off the first round with a double along the fence that was just a raw display of physical strength — he threw his foe like a sack of potatoes.

Bukauskas knew something had to change, so he started the second with more aggression. He was jumping forward with his left hook, stepping in hard with the 1-2. It was a smart shift, but Petrino countered perfectly with a well-timed check hook that instantly put him to sleep.

The man has power and strength in spades, but he showed real composure tonight too.

Additional Thoughts

Eduarda Moura defeats Montserrat Ruiz via second-round TKO: Moura ran over Ruiz. She took her down almost immediately by utilizing a lovely butterfly sweep, then she pummeled her while passing guard, making great use of the gift wrap position in the process. Moura rocked her opponent on the feet too, making for a really strong and well-rounded debut from the undefeated prospect. It does have to be said, however, that she missed weight and was obviously far larger than her opponent — not a great look. All the same, Moura appears to be a serious prospect at Strawweight if she can tame the scale.

For complete UFC Sao Paulo: “Lewis vs. Almeida” results and play-by-play, click HERE!