Almost 30% of the UFC Rio card is made up of fighters from the LFA

The UFC returns to Brazil next Saturday, the 21st, for the 283rd edition, the first in the country after the pandemic, in Rio de Janeiro. In all, the card has 15 fights, including two title fights: Glover Teixeira faces Jamahal Hill for the light heavyweight title; and Deiveson Figueiredo tries to defend the flyweights in the tetralogy against Brandon Moreno.

Almost 30% of the card features athletes from the LFA, confirming the organization’s proposal to be the main MMA fighter development league on the planet. The fighters are: Brandon Moreno, Lauren Murphy, Brazilians Gregory Robocop, Thiago Moisés, Melquizael Costa, Luan Lacerda and brothers Ismael and Gabriel Bonfim. The last four fought for the LFA in Brazil last year.

That percentage of fighters who dropped out of the LFA on UFC cards is common in the US. The tendency is for this dominance to be repeated more often in Brazil, since the organization chaired globally by Ed Soares and Rafael Feijão in South America has been promoting constant events in the country.

The next edition will even take place a week after UFC Rio. The LFA 151, scheduled for Saturday, January 28, in the municipality of Cajamar, São Paulo, will put two belts up for grabs: José Delano and Gabriel “Mosquitinho” duel for the featherweight title; and Julia Polastri faces Brenda Gotting for the women’s strawweight.

Both UFC 283 and LFA 151 will be broadcast live with commentary in Portuguese throughout Brazil via UFC Fight Pass.