UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts |
| Founded | November 4, 2023 |
| Headquarters | São Paulo , Brazil |
Area served | Global |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis—also identified as UFC Fight Night 231 and UFC on ESPN+ 89'—was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 4, 2023, at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera located in São Paulo, Brazil.
Background
This event represented the UFC's ninth appearance in São Paulo and its first return to the city since November 2019.
The originally scheduled headliner was a heavyweight clash featuring Curtis Blaydes against Jailton Almeida. Due to undisclosed circumstances, Blaydes withdrew, and former UFC Heavyweight Championship contender Derrick Lewis stepped in as his replacement.
A women's strawweight contest between Eduarda Moura and Kim So-yul was planned; however, Kim pulled out and was substituted by Montserrat Ruiz. Moura failed to make weight by 3.5 pounds, leading to the bout proceeding at catchweight. Consequently, Moura was penalized 30% of her fight purse, which was awarded to Ruiz.
A middleweight matchup between Caio Borralho and Nursulton Ruziboev was arranged, but after Ruziboev's withdrawal, Abusupiyan Magomedov took his place.
A bantamweight bout set to feature Daniel Santos versus Daniel Marcos saw Santos withdraw, with newcomer Victor Hugo stepping in. This fight was ultimately canceled after Hugo missed weight by 2.5 pounds.
A featherweight encounter between Lucas Alexander and David Onama was called off due to Onama sustaining an injury.
Ismael Bonfim exceeded the lightweight limit by 3.5 pounds, resulting in the cancellation of his fight against Vinc Pichel.
A middleweight bout between Rodolfo Vieira and Armen Petrosyan was abruptly canceled when Petrosyan became ill backstage shortly before the event.
Bonus awards
Four competitors received $50,000 bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Nicolas Dalby vs. Gabriel Bonfim
- Performance of the Night: Elves Brener and Vitor Petrino