The UFC’s return to Sao Paulo for the first time in nearly four years will go on with a couple fewer Brazilians than planned.
Two UFC Fight Night 231 bouts were canceled Friday following the event’s official weigh-ins, where four fighters missed their marks on their first attempts. Ultimately, three missed weight – which led to a pair of cancellations, the UFC announced.
Ismael Bonfim (19-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) was set to open the main card against Vinc Pichel (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at lightweight. Bonfim came in at 159.5 pounds and didn’t attempt to cut additional weight. Pichel missed on his first attempt, too, at 157 – but used his extra hour to get official at 155.5. After that, though, the fight was scrapped.
Bonfim, from Brazil, was set to fight a few bouts before his brother, Gabriel Bonfim, a welterweight who takes on Nicolas Dalby in the co-main event. Bonfim and Dalby each made weight.
On the prelims, Brazil’s Victor Hugo (24-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was set to make his UFC debut on less than three weeks’ notice against Daniel Marcos (15-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC). Marcos was 136 pounds, but Hugo came in at 138.5. He didn’t attempt to cut additional weight, and the bantamweight bout was scrapped after the weigh-ins.
With the changes, the UFC Fight Night 231 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)
- Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
- Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
- Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov
- Armen Petrosyan vs. Rodolfo Vieira
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Elves Brener vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky – 165-pound contract weight
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vitor Petrino
- Denise Gomes vs. Angela Hill
- Montserrat Conejo vs. Eduarda Moura – 119.5 catchweight (Moura missed weight)
- Marc Diakiese vs. Kaue Fernandes
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.
