Preview: UFC Fight Night 231 'Almeida vs. Lewis'

Lightweights

Ismael Bonfim (19-4) vs. Vinc Pichel (14-3)

Odds: Bonfim (-520), Pichel (+390)

His younger brother Gabriel is the more electric prospect, but Ismael Bonfim is a solid fighter to watch in his own right. The steadier of the two brothers, Bonfim held his ground and won a barnburner on the Contender Series last year, and was surprisingly the Bonfim with the highlight-reel finish when they made their debut on the same card in January, blasting Terrance McKinney with a flying knee. A July loss to Benoit Saint-Denis did raise a bit of worry for "Marreta" going forward; it likely says more about Saint-Denis's impressive level of dogged aggression than anything else, but Bonfim had few answers for a physically imposing wrestler. That makes this fight against Pichel a bit risky in terms of the stylistic matchup, since the Californian is at his best as a dedicated grinder. Pichel's career has constantly been derailed due to injuries - he's fought less than once per year on average over the course of an 11-year UFC career - but "From Hell" has proven surprisingly successful when he can make it to the cage. Owing to those injuries, there's not much dynamism left in Pichel's game, but he's both extremely durable and impressively strong, using those gifts to walk opponents down and work his way to a control-heavy win. Nearing his 41st birthday and with his injury history, there's the worry that Pichel might fall off coming into every fight, but he should be a tough out here if he shows up anywhere near his usual form. But with that said, this does look like a winnable fight for Bonfim, if only because he should be able to land some effective offense whenever these two aren't in close quarters; even if long stretches of this fight are a grind, it's easy to see Bonfim winning rounds based on a few big moments. The pick is Bonfim via decision.

Jump To »
Almeida vs. Lewis
Bonfim vs. Dalby
Nascimento vs. Mayes
Borralho vs. Magomedov
Vieira vs. Petrosyan
Bonfim vs. Pichel
The Prelims