BREAKING: Lightweight fighters coming off losses set to faceoff at UFC Sao Paulo in November

The UFC has not visited Sao Paulo since 2019, but almost four years after that event, the promotion is heading back to the Brazilian city this November.

We know that the headliner for this event will see surging heavyweight prospect Jailton Almeida face his biggest test yet in the form of No.5 ranked Curtis Blaydes.

The winner of this bout could well find themselves in title contention, particularly if the landscape of the division shifts after champion Jon Jones’ upcoming title fight with Stipe Miocic.

Despite the event being almost two months away, the card is already filling up, largely with fighters based in Brazil.

Today, it has been revealed by MMAJunkie’s Nolan King that another bout pitting a Brazilian favourite against a visiting fighter will take place on the card.

This lightweight bout will reportedly see Ismael Bonfim face off with Vinc Pichel in what could be a pivotal fight for both men’s careers.

Bonfim is currently 1-1 in the UFC, and most recently suffered a defeat to Benoit Saint-Denis in July, submitting to a face crank late in the first round.

Prior to this, ‘Marreta’ had made an explosive octagon debut, knocking out Terrance McKinney with a flying knee.

Interestingly, Bonfim’s younger brother Gabriel is also set to compete on the card in a welterweight tilt against veteran Nicolas Dalby.

Pichel, meanwhile, has been part of the UFC’s roster since he appeared on the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2012.

‘From Hell’ has put together a solid record of 7-3 in the years that have followed, although he has not fought in well over a year since suffering a loss to Mark Madsen in April 2022.

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UFC Sao Paulo: Who else is fighting?

The UFC is set to visit Sao Paulo on November 4th, and with the announcement of Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel, the card now has 12 fights confirmed.

The biggest fight on tap is undoubtedly the heavyweight main event between Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida, but who else might star at this event?

Fans may want to keep a close eye on middleweight Caio Borralho, who is unbeaten in the octagon with a record of 4-0. ‘The Natural’ is scheduled to fight Nursulton Ruziboev, who debuted earlier this year with a win over Brunno Ferreira.

Other fights on the card include Rodolfo Vieira vs. Armen Petrosyan, Angela Hill vs. Denise Gomes and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov.