UFC announces next Fight Night event set for Brazil

UFC continues to fill out its late-year schedule with another event announcement.

The premier MMA promotion has a busy schedule in the latter stages of this year, with events in Australia, Canada, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, all practically back-to-back.

Fans might welcome this busier schedule, after the seemingly endless run of APEX events that have plagued recent years.

UFC announces Fight Night event for Rio de Janeiro in October

As announced by the UFC on July 31, the Octagon is returning to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a Fight Night event on October 11.

THE OCTAGON IS RETURNING TO RIO 🇧🇷

Register your interest for #UFCRio here 👉 https://t.co/fOZNmKuv4y pic.twitter.com/gtDuoWe72c
— UFC (@ufc) July 31, 2025

Four fights have been confirmed reported for the event, but no major contests have been announced just yet.

Heavyweight; Vitor Petrino vs. Thomas Petersen
Strawweight; Julia Polastri vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Flyweight; Lucas Rocha vs. Stewart Nicoll
Heavyweight; Jhonata Diniz vs. Mario Pinto

One would expect a Brazilian headliner. Such names stand out as Mauricio Ruffy, Renato Moicano, Michael Morales, or Gilbert Burns. The most likely of which would be Ruffy or Morales, both of whom are undefeated in the ranks of the UFC.

As for opponents, Ruffy has been teasing a fight with Benoit Saint-Denis, and Morales has been champing at the bit for a shot at No. 4-ranked welterweight Leon Edwards. However, in terms of marketability, Ruffy and Burns stand out the most, especially considering Ruffy's knockout over King Green, and the appeal of a Burns' retirement send-off.

Who do you think headlines UFC Rio?

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