UFC São Paulo Gets Two Massive Changes
UFC São Paulo is going down in nearly a month, on November 4th, inside the Ginásio do Ibirapuera. Initially, the headliner was supposed to be a fierce Heavyweight clash between Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida, but now, it's shifted to a new fight.
Derrick Lewis Replaces Curtis Blaydes
The first major change to UFC São Paulo is that Curtis Blaydes will no longer be headlining the card. The Heavyweight veteran Derrick Lewis, who holds the record for most KOs in UFC history, will replace Blaydes on a month's notice to face Jailton Almeida in his home country.
Derrick Lewis is coming off a massive KO victory in his last fight, finishing Marcos Rogério de Lima inside a minute with a flying knee at UFC 291. On the other hand, Almeida is undefeated in the UFC and hasn't lost since 2018. He's coming off an impressive performance over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, easily submitting him in the first round.
For as long as it lasts, this fight should be fireworks, and it allows both Heavyweights to move into the highest ranks of the division should they come out victorious.
Abus Magomedov Steps In To Face Caio Borralho
Another short-notice replacement for this card comes from Abus Magomedov, who's replacing Nursulton Ruziboev. He will face UFC-undefeated Caio Borralho in his home country.
Magomedov is coming off a second-round TKO defeat to the Champion of the Middleweight division, Sean Strickland. Despite starting the fight strong, Magomedov would fade in the second round and could not handle Stricklands pressure. Now, he can redeem himself and bounce back into contendership.
Borralho is riding a fourteen-fight unbeaten streak heading into this matchup and is looking to move into the Middleweight rankings. He's coming off a bonus-winning performance, where he submitted Michał Oleksiejczuk in the second round with a rear naked choke.
The oddsmakers are always confident in Israel Adesanya.
— Verdict (@TournamentsMMA) April 5, 2023
He's lost 3 fights to Alex Pereira, but the oddsmakers still have him as a favorite heading into this weekend.#UFC287 pic.twitter.com/0MF4krsH1v
Neither of these bouts has official odds released yet.
Although the original matchups were fun, these are two great additions to the UFC São Paulo card. So, who do you have winning? As a member of the Verdict Community, let us know in the comments below.
