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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Rio
Laying Out The Lineup For Saturday’s Return To Rio De Janeiro, Brazil For UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot
By E. Spencer Kyte
Saturday evening, the UFC returns to Rio de Janeiro for the third consecutive year, bringing a 13-fight card to Farmasi Arena, headlined by one of the most beloved Brazilian competitors in the promotion’s history.
Former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira competes in his home nation for the first time in more than five years and makes his first UFC start in Rio, where he’ll square off with Polish standout Mateusz Gamrot in a compelling short-notice pairing with obviously top-of-the-division stakes attached. The rest of the card is an intoxicating mix of intriguing matchups, established names, and entertaining newcomers looking to find a way to stand out during a month that features twin pay-per-view events with some of the biggest names in the promotion.
It's “Brazil vs. The World” and sure to be soundtracked by a raucous partisan crowd. Here’s a look at the full slate in the latest instalment of the Fight-By-Fight Preview.
Artwork for UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot
Main Event: Charles Oliveira vs Mateusz Gamrot
Former champ Charles Oliveira looks to remain unbeaten in Brazil when he welcomes veteran standout Mateusz Gamrot to Rio in this fascinating main event pairing in the lightweight division.
“Do Bronx” went undefeated on his way up the regional ranks and has since posted six wins in as many UFC starts at home, earning seven bonuses along the way. He’s alternated wins and losses over his last six fights and enters here following his first-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 in June.
The 34-year-old Gamrot raised his hand to replace Rafael Fiziev when the talented striker was forced out of the main event with a knee injury. “Gamer” earned a unanimous decision win over Ludovit Klein earlier this year and touches down in Brazil having won four of his last five to cement his standing as a Top 10 talent in the 155-pound weight class.
Business is picking up in the lightweight ranks at the moment, and this is one of the matchups that will have an obvious impact on how things line up heading into the final couple of months of 2025. Oliveira has never lost consecutive bouts at lightweight, while Gamrot is looking to force his way into the title conversation with a win.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Montel Jackson
Deiveson Figueiredo and Montel Jackson face off in a co-main event pairing that has “changing of the guard” vibes.
The former flyweight champion Figueiredo began his bantamweight journey with three straight wins, but has subsequently lost two in a row, most recently falling to Cory Sandhagen due to injury in a bout where he struggled to find success. Now 37 years old, it’ll be interesting to see how “Deus Da Guerra” responds following his recent struggles and injury earlier this year as he steps in with an ascending talent.
Jackson has quietly had an outstanding run since earning a place on the roster with a win on the opening week of Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), posting a 9-2 mark overall. “Quik” has won six straight heading into this one and carries a considerable height and reach advantage over the comparatively diminutive Brazilian here.
Can Figueiredo rebound and right the ship, or will Jackson keep rolling and finally claim a secure place in the Top 15?
Vicente Luque vs Joel Alvarez
Dangerous finishers Vicente Luque and Joel Alvarez share the Octagon in an outstanding short-notice pairing that promises to be electric for as long as it lasts.
Luque returns to action looking to snap out of a funk that has seen him go 2-4 over his last six fights, having most recently suffered a second-round submission loss to Kevin Holland at UFC 316 in early June. The 33-year-old veteran was victorious in each of his two previous UFC appearances in Brazil, earning stoppage wins over Hector Urbina and Niko Price.
Alvarez steps in for Santiago Ponzinibbio and steps up to welterweight for the first time, arriving with a 22-3 overall record, a three-fight winning streak, and a 100-percent finishing rate. The Spaniard has the size and length for the division, standing six-foot-three with a 77-inch reach, so it will be interesting to see how he looks fighting up a division for the first time.
This is an intriguing pairing that carries a ton of questions, as Luque has fallen out of the rankings and Alvarez has been an ascending name at lightweight for quite some time. Both these men are proven finishers and action fighters, so expect them to meet in the middle and get after it from the word “Go,” only stopping when the round or the fight ends.
Jhonata Diniz vs Mario Pinto
Heavyweights with their eyes on the rankings face off here as Jhonata Diniz takes on fellow DWCS alum Mario Pinto.
A former kickboxer, Diniz graduated from the annual talent search series in 2023 and has a 3-1 record inside the Octagon since. Last time out, he earned a unanimous decision win over Alvin Hines in a bloody scrap to open UFC 317.
Pinto is part of the vaunted Class of ’24, having advanced record to 9-0 with his contract-winning effort at this time last year. He debuted in February, taking a few good shots in the opening round before rolling out and rolling through Austen Lane in the second, stopping the former NFL defensive linemen with a sharp right hook.
It never takes all that much to start making headway in the heavyweight ranks, and a big effort from either man in this one would put them on the doorstep of the Top 15 and potentially facing someone sporting a number next to their name next time out.
Ricardo Ramos vs Kaan Ofli
Veteran Ricardo Ramos competes in Brazil for the first time in nearly six years, welcoming TUF finalist Kaan Ofli to Farmasi Arena this weekend.
Ramos’ last appearance in his home country was his UFC featherweight debut, where he registered a first-round submission win over Luiz Eduardo Garagorri, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. He’s just 3-5 since, having dropped three of his last four, to fall to fall to 8-6 inside the Octagon and 17-7 overall.
Ofli advanced to the featherweight finale on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, defeating Nathan Fletcher and Roedie Roets before falling to Mairon Santos and landing the silver medal. He made his post-TUF debut in February, landing on the wrong side of the cards in a clash with Muhammad Naimov, and returns here searching for his first victory in 32 months.
Will Ramos impress in his return to Brazil, or can “Genghis” garner his first UFC win?
Lucas Almeida vs Michael Aswell
Featherweight action fighters Lucas Almeida and Michael Aswell open the main card in a bout that is expected to produce fireworks.
Almeida appeared on the fifth season of the Contender Series, losing to Daniel Zellhuber, but impressed enough to get a short-notice call-up soon after. He sparked former TUF winner Michael Trizano in his debut, but has gone 1-3 since, entering off a split decision loss to Danny Silva in March in a bout where he also missed weight.
Aswell had a similar journey to the Octagon, earning top marks for his battle with Bogdan Grad on Season 8 before getting a chance to compete in the Octagon earlier this year, battling hard in a losing effort against Bolaji Oki. It’ll be interesting to see how the 25-year-old “Texas Kid” looks with a full training camp and back down in his natural weight class here.
This profiles as one of those old school “let’s agree to stand and bang it out” battles we used to see from guys like Chris Lytle and Paul Taylor back in the day, where neither man has any real interest in grappling, opting instead to chase the Fight of the Night bonus, much to the satisfaction of the fans in attendance and watching at home.
Prelim Matchups
Jafel Filho vs Clayton Carpenter
The prelims wrap in the flyweight division as Jafel Filho and Clayton Carpenter share the Octagon at Farmasi Arena.
Filho has split his first four appearances under the UFC banner, bookending stoppage wins over Daniel Barez and Ode’ Osbourne with losses to Muhammad Mokaev and Allan Nascimento. Carpenter ended an extended hiatus last October with a technical submission win over Lucas Rocha, but landed on the wrong side of the cards in a step-up fight against Tagir Ulanbekov in January.
Vitor Petrino vs Thomas Petersen
Vitor Petrino and Thomas Petersen graduated from Dana White’s Contender Series in consecutive years and now meet here in a clash of heavyweight hopefuls.
After climbing into the rankings in the 205-pound weight class, consecutive losses prompted Petrino to relocate, with the Brazilian earning a first-round submission win over Austen Lane earlier this year in his heavyweight debut. Petersen punched his ticket to the UFC the year after Petrino and has gone 2-2 through his first four UFC appearances, entering off a unanimous decision win over Don’Tale Mayes in early May.
Bia Mesquita vs Irina Alekseeva
One of the best female Brazilian jiu jitsu competitors of all time makes her UFC debut as Bia Mesquita shares the Octagon with Irina Alekseeva in Rio.
A 10-time IBJJF world champion, Mesquita has made a smooth transition to MMA, posting a 5-0 record, earning stoppages in four of those bouts, including her LFA title win in June. Alekseeva earned an impressive submission finish over Stephanie Egger in her promotional debut but has suffered back-to-back decision losses to Melissa Mullins and Klaudia Sygula.
Lucas Rocha vs Stewart Nicoll
Lucas Rocha and Stewart Nicoll face off in a meeting of UFC sophomores looking to bounce back from defeats in their respective promotional debuts.
Rocha earned his spot with a second-round knockout win over Davi Bittencourt on Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series but was choked into a brief slumber by Carpenter last fall. A perfect 8-0 start with seven finishes earned Nicoll a chance to compete at UFC 305, where the 30-year-old Australian was submitted by DWCS grad Jesus Aguilar.
Valter Walker vs Mohammed Usman
Valter Walker and Mohammed Usman clash here in an intriguing heavyweight pairing early in the night.
After losing his promotional debut to Lukasz Brzeski, Walker has rattled off three-straight wins, all by heel hook, each of them finished with a different entry and execution. Usman snapped a two-fight skid last time out, landing on the right side of the cards in a clash with Hamdy Abdelwahab in Baku, Azerbaijan, back in June.
Julia Polastri vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Strawweights looking to get things moving in the right direction meet here as Julia Polastri shares the Octagon with divisional mainstay Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Despite landing on the wrong side of the results, Polastri showed grit and tenacity last time out, battling hard against Loopy Godinez. After putting together a feel-good four-fight winning streak a few years back, Kowalkiewicz enters this one having dropped back-to-back decisions to young Brazilians Iasmin Lucindo and Denise Gomes.
Luan Lacerda vs Saimon Oliveira
It’s an all-Brazilian battle to kick off the festivities at Farmasi Arena as Luan Lacerda returns to face off with Saimon Oliveira.
Fighting for the first time since the summer of ’23, Lacerda arrives looking to secure his first UFC victory after suffering losses to Cody Stamann and Da’Mon Blackshear in his first two appearances several years ago. The 34-year-old Oliveira is also still looking for his first win, going 0-3 to date inside the Octagon, most recently getting stopped by David Martinez in March in Mexico City.
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