The UFC Sao Paulo event, headlined by a fight between Derrick Lewis and Jailton Almeida, was a sold-out affair with an attendance of 10,792 people. However, despite the anticipation, the main event did not live up to the hype in terms of action, resulting in both fighters missing out on a UFC bonus.
Jailton Almeida emerged victorious in the main event, defeating Derrick Lewis via unanimous decision. Almeida dominated the fight, setting a UFC heavyweight record for control time. This victory marked Almeida's 15th straight win, including his first six in the UFC, and solidified his position as a bonafide UFC heavyweight contender. Almeida now boasts a perfect UFC record and moves to 4-0 in the promotion at heavyweight.
On the other hand, Derrick Lewis, who recently signed a new eight-fight promotional deal, stepped in on short notice after Curtis Blaydes was forced out due to injury. Despite giving up about 30 pounds against Almeida, Lewis was unable to fully engage before being taken down and controlled by Almeida.
In other highlights of the event, Nicolas Dalby and Gabriel Bonfim won the 'Fight of the Night' and received an additional $50,000 each. Elves Brener and Vito Petrino also received a 'Performance of the Night' bonus worth $50,000 for their respective fights.
The event also featured highlights of the careers of UFC athletes Tom Aspinall, Alex Pereira, and Jiří Procházka. Pereira's journey to the Middleweight Championship title after only three UFC fights was particularly noteworthy, as was Procházka's return to the ring after winning the Light Heavyweight title 18 months ago.