The UFC returns to Fortaleza, Brazil for the first time since 2013 with a fine card on Fox Sports 1 this Saturday, March 11.
In the main event, 20-year veteran Vitor Belfort tries to right the ship and retain his position at the top of the division against the surging Kelvin Gastelum, the 25-year-old former welterweight and The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner who is testing the waters at 185 pounds following multiple incidents of missing the 170-pound limit.
It’s a barn burner of a matchup that promises fireworks. With the future of the middleweight division up in the air, the bout has real implications for the title picture as well.
The rest of the card is about as good as a Fight Night event on FS1 can get these days. The co-main event features former light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua in a slobber-knocker of a fight with Gian Villante, but the best fight on the card may well be the 155-pound matchup between rising lightweights Edson Barboza and Beneil Dariush.
If that weren’t enough, the flyweight bout between prospect Ray Borg and veteran Jussier Formiga has Fight of the Night potential, as does the main-card opener featuring the rematch between Alex Oliveira and Tim Means.
Even the preliminary card features fights worthy of attention: Keep an eye on the lightweight fight between Francisco Trinaldo and Kevin Lee, along with the debuts of prospects Davi Ramos and Paulo Borrachinha.
Let’s take a look at each individual matchup.