UFC Fight Roundup: Bonfim brothers back in action in Sao Paulo on Nov. 4

26/09/2023 01:00

UFC 291: Bonfim v Giles — Gabriel Bonfim | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Fights come together fast these days, and if you blink, you can easily miss them. In Fight Roundup, we bring you the latest reported matchups to keep you up to date with what's on the horizon.

All bouts featured have been officially announced or confirmed with MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, and Damon Martin via sources with knowledge of the matchups.

UFC Fight Night: Bonfim v Saint Denis — Ismael Bonfim

Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel

The Bonfim brothers are coming home.

Gabriel and Ismael Bonfim are booked for UFC Sao Paulo, which takes place Nov. 4 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera. The younger Bonfim takes on Nicolas Dalby (22-4-1, 2 NC) in a welterweight bout, while Ismael fights lightweight veteran Vinc Pichel (14-3).

Eurosport was first to report these bouts.

Both brothers have fared well since being signed from the Contender Series, with Gabriel winning his first two UFC fights to improve his pro record to 15-0 and Ismael (19-4) debuting with a knockout of Terrance McKinney this past January. In his most recent outing, Ismael lost by first-round submission to Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Vegas 76.

Dalby has won three straight fights and looks to go 3-0 in 2023 after scoring decision wins over Muslim Salikhov and Warlley Alves earlier this year.

Pichel has gone 7-3 in the UFC since 2012. He hasn't fought since April 2022, when he saw a three-fight win streak snapped by Mark Madsen.

Gabriel Bonfim vs. Dalby was first reported by Eurosport, while MMA Junkie was first to report Ismael Bonfim vs. Pichel.

UFC Fight Night: Emmett v Topuria Ceremonial Weigh-in — Amanda Ribas

Amanda Ribas vs. Luana Pinheiro

Amanda Ribas returns to the strawweight division to fight Luana Pinheiro.

The two are set to fight in a 115-pound bout at UFC Vegas 82 on Nov. 18. MMA Hoje was first to report the matchup.

Ribas (11-4) has bounced between the strawweight and flyweight divisions over the past couple of years, scoring notable wins against Mackenzie Dern, Paige VanZant, Virna Jandiroba, and Viviane Araujo. However, she suffered a TKO loss to flyweight contender Maycee Barber this past June and now looks to get back on track against the streaking Pinheiro.

A 2020 Contender Series signing, Pinheiro (11-1) is 3-0 in the UFC so far, earning her the No. 14 spot in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. She defeated Michelle Waterson-Gomez via split decision at UFC 287 to record her ninth straight victory.

Drakkar Klose vs. Joe Solecki

Drakkar Klose is sneaking in a fight before the end of 2023.

The veteran lightweight fights Joe Solecki (13-3) at an upcoming UFC event on Dec. 2, with a location still to be determined. The bout was first reported by Eurosport.

After winning two fights in 2022, Klose (13-2-1) saw his campaign end on a down note when an ACL injury forced him out of a fight against Madsen that was to take place last October. He has won five of his past six fights with notable decision wins over Rafa Garcia, Bobby Green, and Lando Vannata.

Solekci has also won five of his past six UFC fights since being signed from the Contender Series in 2019. He rebounded from a split decision loss to Jared Gordon with wins over Carl Deaton and Alex da Silva.

UFC Fight Night: Wood v Fili — Nathaniel Wood

Nathaniel Wood vs. Muhammad Naimov
Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry

The upcoming UFC 294 pay-per-view lineup is complete with a pair of recently confirmed matchups.

Nathaniel Wood vs. Muhammad Naimov and Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry are set for UFC 294, which takes place Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi. Both bouts were first reported by MMA Junkie.

Wood (20-5) is 3-0 since moving from bantamweight to featherweight. The former Cage Warriors 135-pound champion is coming off of consecutive decision wins over Andre Fili, Charles Jourdain, and Charles Rosa.

Naimov (9-2) made his UFC debut on short notice this past June, stepping in for Guram Kutateladze and defeating Jamie Mullarkey in a lightweight bout via second-round TKO. He has won four straight fights and returns to featherweight to face Wood.

Basharat vs. Henry was originally to take place this past weekend at UFC Vegas 79, but Henry was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons and the bantamweight bout has been rescheduled for UFC 294. Basharat is 3-0 in the UFC and 14-0 as a pro, while Henry brings a 23-6 record into his fourth octagon outing.

UFC Fight Night: Sabatini v Almeida — Pat Sabatini

Pat Sabatini vs. Diego Lopes
Dennis Buzukja vs. Jamall Emmers

A pair of featherweight fights have been added to UFC 295.

Pat Sabatini faces Diego Lopes and Dennis Buzukja faces Jamall Emmers at the UFC's annual trip to Madison Square Garden in New York, which takes place on Nov. 11.

Sabatini vs. Lopes was first reported by ESPN Deportes, while Buzukja vs. Emmers was first reported by MMA Junkie.

A dark horse contender in the loaded 145-pound division, Sabatini (18-4) has won four out of five UFC fights and most recently scored an impressive submission win over Lucas Almeida. He's now tasked with holding off the hard-charging Diego Lopes (22-6), who impressed in his short-notice UFC debut with a hard-fought loss to Movsar Evloev before making short work of Gavin Tucker at UFC Nashville.

Buzukja (11-3) hopes to get a second chance to make a first impression after a rocky debut this past August that saw him miss weight as a short-notice replacement and then lose a decision to Sean Woodson. Prior to that loss, Buzukja had won seven straight fights.

Emmers (19-7) looks to end his 2023 campaign on a high note after splitting his first two fights of the year. He was submitted by heel hook in February and then bounced back with a unanimous nod over the previously 23-0 Khusein Askhabov.

UFC Vegas 80
UFC Vegas 81

The UFC returned to the APEX this past Saturday and the next two lineups for the venue are nearly set, with lightweights Grant Dawson and Bobby Green headlining UFC Vegas 80 on Oct. 7 and featherweights Edson Barboza and Sodiq Yusuff headlining UFC Vegas 81 on Oct. 14.

Check out the updated lineups for the upcoming cards (still to be finalized).