André Lima vs Kevin Borjas

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
André Lima	0	33 of 79	41%	34 of 80	1 of 5	20%	0	0	0:17
Daniel Bárez	0	108 of 159	67%	161 of 220	2 of 2	100%	1	0	4:50

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Rev.	Ctrl
1	André Lima	0	26 of 50	52%	26 of 50	1 of 2	50%	0	0:17
Daniel Bárez	0	47 of 74	63%	48 of 75	0 of 0	---	0	0:11
2	André Lima	0	6 of 22	27%	6 of 22	0 of 2	0%	0	0:00
Daniel Bárez	0	56 of 77	72%	76 of 101	1 of 1	100%	0	1:57
3	André Lima	0	1 of 7	14%	2 of 8	0 of 1	0%	0	0:00
Daniel Bárez	0	5 of 8	62%	37 of 44	1 of 1	100%	1	2:42

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
André Lima	33 of 79	41%	21 of 66	8 of 9	4 of 4	32 of 77	1 of 2	0 of 0
Daniel Bárez	108 of 159	67%	59 of 99	23 of 27	26 of 33	90 of 140	16 of 17	2 of 2

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	André Lima	26 of 50	52%	17 of 40	5 of 6	4 of 4	26 of 50	0 of 0	0 of 0
Daniel Bárez	47 of 74	63%	21 of 45	12 of 13	14 of 16	47 of 74	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	André Lima	6 of 22	27%	3 of 19	3 of 3	0 of 0	5 of 20	1 of 2	0 of 0
Daniel Bárez	56 of 77	72%	36 of 50	11 of 14	9 of 13	39 of 59	16 of 17	1 of 1
3	André Lima	1 of 7	14%	1 of 7	0 of 0	0 of 0	1 of 7	0 of 0	0 of 0
Daniel Bárez	5 of 8	62%	2 of 4	0 of 0	3 of 4	4 of 7	0 of 0	1 of 1

Daniel Barez vs. Andre Lima
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lima (-355), Barez (+280)

Round 1
Keeping things pushing in a lengthy lineup, a classic matchup of Spain vs. Brazil will play out between flyweights. Entram Gym representative Barez (17-6, 1-1 UFC) is aiming to go on a run, while Lima (10-0, 3-0 UFC) won his pro debut in 2022 and never looked back. The two will be joined in the cage by Octagon ranger Kerry Hatley, who is ready for wherever this fight takes them. Fists are bumped before they are traded, and Lima winds up and slams his shin on the lead leg. He does this three more times, until Barez responds with one of his own. Barez steps in with a thudding right hand, but the leg kicks from “Mascote” are damage-dealing and frequently coming. Lima has already reddened up his foe’s leg as he continues assaulting it, and he keeps his guard up to parry a few punches. Lima flashes out a jab and follow with a straight right, and he continues battering the front leg. Lima cracks the Spanish fighter with a huge right, and Barez bends over and briefly reevaluates his life decisions leading up to this point. Meanwhile. Lima marches him down with accurate, clubbing punches, and Barez is taking them well but still hurt. Barez grabs hold of his advancing opponent in pursuit of a takedown, and when that fails, he somehow circles around to take the back. Barez looks for a choke while riding the back, but Lima shimmies him off and gets back to pummeling his front leg. Barez fires back with impunity, and Lima loads up on several body shots to back Barez up. Lima nails the ribcage with a mean-spirited right hand, and he dips and rips the liver with his other fist. Lima spins with a back kick, and Barez slips out of the way and wipes at his bloodied nose. Lima keeps on the with the aggression, walking through jabs to load up. Barez backpedals, absorbs a few more body shots, and one particularly nasty left to the liver drops his hands for a second. Barez tries to back his man off with a step-in knee, and Lima ignores it and unleashes a hellacious kick to the lead leg that is welted up and swollen after four minutes of punishment. As they keep trading, Lima pushes off and his thumb jams into Barez’ eye. Hatley calls time, and Barez takes 30 seconds to recover. On the restart, Lima gest right back to attacking the front calf, with strikes landing with thumps and not slaps. Barez shoots for a takedown, and Lima stonewalls him and jams him up against the fence until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Lima

Round 2
The fighters clap hands and immediately pick up where they left off. Barez sticks out his jabs early to keep Lima from coming at him, but that does not slow “Mascote” one iota. Lima hammers the front leg with kicks, and he mixes in head and body shots as Barez’ nose busts open again. Lima turns his hips into his leg kicks, thrashing Barez with these blows until Barez has to turn or lift his leg up gingerly to take some of the sting out of it. Lima is far from a one-trick pony, as he pounds on Barez’ torso with bad intentions. Barez punches back a few times, but Lima is firmly in the driver’s seat putting it to the Spaniard. Barez circles away after taking a painful leg kick, limping as he tries to escape. Lima is a steamroller of offense, chewing up Barez’ midsection while putting his leg through a veritable wood chipper. Barez wobbles as he backs off, and Lima has to stop to shut down a feeble takedown effort before beating on Barez some more. It is a varied attack of head, body and legs, and when Lima gets in close, he starts shredding Barez with vicious elbows. Hatley wans Lima to not strike behind the head, and Lima changes things up once more and trips Barez up to deposit him to the canvas. Lima postures up in the guard, landing ground-and-pound while blood continues to flow out of Barez’ nose. Barez is able to slow Lima by hanging on in the guard, and he is sucking wind with deep breaths until Lima puts his hand over Barez’ mouth. Lima grinds his elbow down and works on Barez until the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Lima
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-8 Lima
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-8 Lima

Round 3
Despite quite a shellacking, a swollen, bloodied and battered Barez is able to answer the bell and double high-five his opponent. Lima says hello with a hard leg kick, and he stays with the strike until Barez attempts to take him down. Lima not only stops it, but reverses him and tackles the Spanish fighter to his back. Barez closes up his guard, and Lima settles for occasional ground-and-pound that is not active enough for Hatley. Barez gets away with a borderline upkick as he throws his legs up for a triangle setup, and Lima stands up and then lowers himself back down in the guard. As Barez turns, Lima scrambles to claim his back, hooking his legs around the waist while fishing for a choke. Barez twists to his side, and
Lima actively pursues and eventually finds a rear-naked choke. The submission is instantly tight and partly a neck crank, a bit high on Lima’s right shoulder but gripped so tightly that Barez has no way out. Lima continues to crush on the windpipe until Barez says enough is enough and surrenders.
Hatley sees the tap and breaks them apart, and Lima walks off to celebrate with his team after earning his first career submission. “Mascote” is now a perfect 11-0 as a pro, and this performance will almost certainly put him as yet another talented flyweight to watch out for going forward.

The Official Result
Andre Lima
def.
Daniel Barez
R3 3:05 via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Mar 9, 2025 (6 days before fight)

André Lima

Angelo picks André Lima over Daniel Bárez. He acknowledges Lima is a solid striker but criticizes him for cheating (grabbing fence, inside gloves) and for struggling against Felipe dos Santos. He thinks Lima should win but cannot bet him at -280, citing better value elsewhere on the card.

"Andre is going to be the pick but I can't touch him at minus 280 can't do it there's way better value on this card in other places."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Mar 10, 2025 (5 days before fight)

André Lima

Big Brady picks André Lima, noting his skill advantage but criticizing his frequent cheating (cage grabbing, missing weight) and lack of urgency. He believes Lima is the better striker and has improved takedown defense and ground game, now a BJJ black belt. However, he worries Lima's low output and tendency to go to split decisions against lesser opponents could be an issue. He expects Lima to dictate where the fight takes place and win by decision.

Lima by decision

"I like lima here... give me lima by decision."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Aug 6, 2025 (fight day)

Cody picks Gabriella Fernandez, noting her experience and wins over decent competition. He acknowledges that Julia Stoliarenko has submission skills but believes Fernandez can avoid submissions and win on the feet or by decision. He is not confident in Stoliarenko's ability to get the fight to the ground.

"I still got Fernandez. I can't get behind Julie Stoenko. just not my kind of fighter. I just I really don't want to lose on something like a minus 300 Gabrielle Fernandez bet when I don't think she's really all …"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Vreeland Expert picked Jan 31, 2024 (409 days before fight)

Daniel does not make a clear pick for this fight. He discusses the matchup briefly but does not state a preference or bet.

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Mar 12, 2025 (3 days before fight)

André Lima

The host believes Lima is the overall better fighter with defensive grappling that will keep the fight in Muay Thai or allow him grappling success. He expects Lima to touch up Barz and eventually find a finish.

finish

"I believe Lima is the overall better fighter here I believe his defensive grappling will allow him to keep this in the Muay thaam or even enjoy some grappling success of his own but look for Lima to touch up …"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Aug 6, 2025 (fight day)

Paul also picks Fernandez, noting that Stoliarenko's submission wins have come against lower-level competition. He believes Fernandez has good takedown defense and can keep the fight standing. He is not tempted by the dog price on Stoliarenko.

"I won't be backing Stinko in this one."

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Lean picked Mar 14, 2025 (1 day before fight)

André Lima

The MMA Guru leans towards André Lima, calling him the more well-seasoned fighter with hidden kickboxing experience (10-12 matches). He notes Lima is undefeated (10-0) and a big dude for flyweight, with no massive weakness in his ground game. However, he warns that the UFC might favor Daniel Bárez because he's Spanish, so he advises watching for close controversial decisions. He acknowledges Bárez's grappling is a treat to watch but thinks Lima is more effective on the feet.

If it's a close fight, watch for swing in odds; UFC may favor Bárez due to Spanish talent push.

"I'm going to start with Andre lemur over Daniel Barz but I know the UFC are probably pull him for Daniel Barz because he's Spanish so keep an eye out if it's a close controversial fight"

THE MMA GURU

WIN vs Felipe dos Santos

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady · Sep 07, 2024

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
André Lima	0	38 of 76	50%	69 of 122	0 of 8	0%	0	0	0:41
Felipe dos Santos	0	18 of 37	48%	43 of 70	2 of 2	100%	2	0	9:00

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	André Lima	25 of 47	53%	30 of 53	0 of 6	0%	0	0:41
1	Felipe dos Santos	10 of 23	43%	13 of 26	0 of 0	---	0	0:47
2	André Lima	8 of 17	47%	16 of 28	0 of 1	0%	0	0:00
2	Felipe dos Santos	6 of 9	66%	20 of 30	1 of 1	100%	0	4:06
3	André Lima	5 of 12	41%	23 of 41	0 of 1	0%	0	0:00
3	Felipe dos Santos	2 of 5	40%	10 of 14	1 of 1	100%	2	4:07

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
André Lima	38 of 76	50%	14 of 45	14 of 19	10 of 12	33 of 68	5 of 7	0 of 1
Felipe dos Santos	18 of 37	48%	5 of 21	6 of 7	7 of 9	14 of 33	4 of 4	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	André Lima	25 of 47	53%	7 of 26	11 of 13	7 of 8	21 of 41	4 of 5	0 of 1
1	Felipe dos Santos	10 of 23	43%	2 of 13	1 of 1	7 of 9	9 of 22	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	André Lima	8 of 17	47%	4 of 11	3 of 4	1 of 2	7 of 15	1 of 2	0 of 0
2	Felipe dos Santos	6 of 9	66%	3 of 5	3 of 4	0 of 0	3 of 6	3 of 3	0 of 0
3	André Lima	5 of 12	41%	3 of 8	0 of 2	2 of 2	5 of 12	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Felipe dos Santos	2 of 5	40%	0 of 3	2 of 2	0 of 0	2 of 5	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Felipe dos Santos vs. Andre Lima
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lima (-180), dos Santos (+150)

Round 1
Two promising young flyweights will try to take that next step to put their name in the large hat of contenders in the talent-rich division. Out of the vaunted Chute Boxe Diego Lima camp, dos Santos (8-1, 1 NC; 1-1 UFC) has his hair dyed in the customary blonde for the team and is ready for blood. Fellow countryman Lima (9-0, 2-0 UFC), who sports a neat hat walking to the cage, will be standing in his way putting his unbeaten record on the line. Referee Chris Tognoni will do his best to keep up with the two speedsters, and he clocks them in as they clap hands. Lima takes center stage and switches stances, and he hops back from a front kick aimed at his chest. Dos Santos aims kick to the side, and he lets fly three more kicks to varied targets before jumping in with a jab. Lima scores with a low kick but immediately has to deal with a counter body kick, and he dings his countryman with a left hand. Lima thumps a kick down low, and he scores an overhand right. As he backs off, he signals that he was poked in the eye. Tognoni sees it and calls time, telling Lima to take his time to recover and not hurry things. Tognoni tells dos Santos to be careful, and after 40 seconds, Lima is good to go. They resume where they left off, with Lima slowly advancing while working the front leg with a kick. Dos Santos darts in, misses, whiffs with a wheel kick and counters a right hand with his own right hook. Lima misses with a low kick, and he sees a front kick brush off his chest. Lima stalks his foe down and wings an elbow, and dos Santos ducks and ties him up while looking for a single. Lima leans back from a head kick, and he lines up a left hand while simultaneously dodging a spinning elbow. Lima’s flexibility is solid as he bends his back to dodge strikes, and he stomps out with a kick to the knee. Lima skirts away from the offense flying his way, seeing it coming while working his own weapons. A leg kick from Lima forces dos Santos to lift his limb up several times preemptively, and dos Santos spins with a back kick that bounces off the guard. As they scramble, dos Santos grabs hold of Lima from behind and trips him to the ground. Lima grabs the fence when standing up, and dos Santos is unable to mat return him due to the foul. Dos Santos leans and knees his opponent in the thigh, and he lifts Lima up a few times to chuck him to the floor. Lima slides out the back door after the second slam, where he twists around to claim top position and assume half guard. Dos Santos works to his feet, and Tognoni warns Lima to stop grabbing the cage. Dos Santos blasts Lima with a spinning elbow, and they both fall to the floor as time expires.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 dos Santos

Round 2
The Brazilians are primed and ready to brawl, with dos Santos letting kicks go when not throwing hands, while Lima walks him down with punches in bunches. Dos Santos gets off a front kick and chains it into a flying knee, catching Lima cleanly and forcing Lima to tie him up. The two jockey for position against the fence, and dos Santos breaks free thanks to his knees. They both paw out right hands, and dos Santos goes over the top with a high kick. Dos Santos shoots for a takedown, and Lima overwhelms him and throws him down to the mat. Lima passes easily to full mount, and dos Santos is frantic to defend himself from anything that comes at him. Lima elects to remain tightly pressed down on his opponent and considers an arm-triangle choke. Dos Santos defends the first effort, and when Lima turns to get a better bite at the apple, dos Santos protects against that attempt as well. Lima drops down a few right hands on the ear, and he presses his hand on dos Santos’ face and draws a warning from Tognoni. Dos Santos scoots his way to the side of the cage, but Lima remains in mount, smothering him in the position. Dos Santos keeps bucking and pushes off the wall with his foot, and Lima keeps stuck to his opponent so nullifyingly that Tognoni asks for more activity. The horn sounds with Lima not doing any appreciable damage from this position after over three minutes of control.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Lima

Round 3
Lima offers a glove touch that is accepted, and dos Santos backpedals quickly to find an angle of attack. Lima proceeds to walk him down, blocking quick strikes and using his legs to check kicks. As they engage, Lima complains about something, and Tognoni confusedly pauses the fight. Lima tries to use Tognoni’s sleeve to wipe something on it, and Tognoni has the interpreter find out what the nature of the stoppage was. It turns out Lima needed to blow his nose, and Tognoni tells him he cannot do that and restarts the fight. It takes a few seconds for dos Santos to level change in pursuit of a takedown, and like before, Lima ends as the one on top. Dos Santos turns to give up his back when Lima moves to mount, and Lima gladly accepts this position and wraps his legs around the waist with a body lock. Dos Santos is warned for grabbing the glove, and once more it is proved that Dundasso is the greatest base for MMA, above wrestling or any other martial art. Lima shrugs off the foul and latches onto a rear-naked choke, and his forearm slides beneath the chin. While the submission would normally elicit the tap from 95% of the roster, dos Santos fights the grip and frees his neck from danger. Lima adjusts his grip and sneaks it under the chin once more, and dos Santos’ face turns a brilliant shade of red but he does not give up. “Lipe Detona” manages to survive a nearly completed RNC a second time, and he hand-fights to prevent another choke from getting set up. Dos Santos is otherwise shut down, forced to occasionally punch behind his own head, and he irritates Lima enough with these strikes to make Lima lay flat on his back. Lima raises his arms to celebrate that he is about to win, and dos Santos’ remaining swings go wide. The fight comes to a conclusion.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima (30-27 Lima)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima (30-27 Lima)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Lima (29-28 Lima)

The Official Result
Andre Lima def. Felipe dos Santos via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Sep 1, 2024 (6 days before fight)

Felipe dos Santos

Angelo picks Felipe dos Santos because he is a dangerous, aggressive fighter who is good everywhere, and he believes André Lima is overhyped after beating a weak opponent and winning by a bite. He notes that Felipe is a plus 165 underdog and he placed a half-unit bet when the odds opened at even money. He does not plan to double down despite the better odds.

Angelo placed a half-unit bet on Felipe dos Santos at even money when the odds first dropped.

"I like Felipe here everybody who watched my breakdown last week knows that I like Felipe"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Sep 5, 2024 (2 days before fight)

Felipe dos Santos

Big Brady picks Felipe dos Santos as the underdog to win by decision. He criticizes André Lima as a cheater and unimpressive, noting his close fights and split decision against Mitch Raposo. Brady believes dos Santos will make it a dogfight with volume advantage and sees a split decision. He also mentions a point deduction prop for Lima's cheating.

point deduction prop for André Lima

"I'm going to take the dog here and Felipe do Santos I think this one can go either way but one thing's for damn sure we're going to see Andre Lima grab the cage a couple we're going to see …"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Sep 4, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Felipe dos Santos

Cody picks dos Santos, arguing that Lima's cardio is suspect and he has missed weight multiple times. He notes dos Santos' performance against Manel Kape and his ability to get up from takedowns. He sees value at plus money and expects dos Santos to win.

"I'm in on Felipe do Santos as well"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Vreeland Expert Confident picked Sep 5, 2024 (2 days before fight)

André Lima

Daniel likes Lima's striking and Jiu-Jitsu, and thinks he is the better fighter. He acknowledges concerns about Lima's cardio but isn't convinced they're valid. He notes that dos Santos leaves openings for body shots, calf kicks, and takedowns. He picks Lima to win, though he's not sure if it will be a finish.

"I think that Andre Lima is better than this guy so I'm gonna go Andre Lima here to get a win."

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Lean picked Sep 4, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Felipe dos Santos

Dos Santos is an aggressive striker with a dangerous BJJ game, training with Charles Oliveira. Lima is undefeated but has shown defensive grappling vulnerabilities and has slowed in fights. Dos Santos can mix takedowns and pressure, potentially exposing Lima's back for a submission. The underdog pick is supported by a submission prop at +1300.

Felipe dos Santos by submission at +1300

"I think taking a little bit of a shot on dos Santos to win by submission at plus 1300 is not a bad way to go about it along with his plus 155 money line."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Sep 4, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Felipe dos Santos

Paul likes dos Santos at plus money, citing his striking volume and cardio advantage. He notes Lima's cardio issues and weight misses, while dos Santos has proven he can go three rounds and land significant strikes. He believes dos Santos can win by decision or late finish.

"I think it's a def decent look what's your take here yeah I actually got to santz as well"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Hesitant picked Sep 3, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Felipe dos Santos

The MMA Guru picks Felipe dos Santos as an underdog, calling it a 50/50 fight. He notes dos Santos is gritty, young (23), and difficult to put away, as seen in his fight with Manel Kape. He worries about André Lima's split decision win over Mitch Raposo, who missed weight and stepped in on short notice. He believes if the fight gets scrappy, dos Santos will take over.

underdog pick

"I'm going to go with Felipe dos Santos he's the underdog I'm a little bit of 50/50 on this... I'm going Felipe dos Santos getting this one done"

THE MMA GURU

WIN vs Mitch Raposo

Decision (split) (30–27, 28–29, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier · Jun 01, 2024

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
André Lima	0	32 of 76	42%	32 of 76	1 of 2	50%	0	0	0:09
Mitch Raposo	0	51 of 100	51%	52 of 101	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:09

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	André Lima	7 of 20	35%	7 of 20	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Mitch Raposo	17 of 29	58%	17 of 29	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	André Lima	8 of 24	33%	8 of 24	1 of 1	100%	0:09
2	Mitch Raposo	13 of 29	44%	13 of 29	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	André Lima	17 of 32	53%	17 of 32	0 of 1	0%	0:00
3	Mitch Raposo	21 of 42	50%	22 of 43	0 of 1	0%	0:09

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
André Lima	32 of 76	42%	20 of 58	12 of 18	0 of 0	32 of 76	0 of 0	0 of 0
Mitch Raposo	51 of 100	51%	14 of 47	7 of 12	30 of 41	49 of 98	2 of 2	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	André Lima	7 of 20	35%	6 of 17	1 of 3	0 of 0	7 of 20	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Mitch Raposo	17 of 29	58%	4 of 10	1 of 2	12 of 17	17 of 29	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	André Lima	8 of 24	33%	3 of 17	5 of 7	0 of 0	8 of 24	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Mitch Raposo	13 of 29	44%	3 of 11	2 of 5	8 of 13	13 of 29	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	André Lima	17 of 32	53%	11 of 24	6 of 8	0 of 0	17 of 32	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Mitch Raposo	21 of 42	50%	7 of 26	4 of 5	10 of 11	19 of 40	2 of 2	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Andre Lima (130: Missed Weight) vs. Mitch Raposo
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lima (-218), Raposo (+180)

Round 1
Just a little over a year ago, the promotion turned to an old favorite city it used to frequent back in the mid-2010s, putting on an interesting title fight with a non-title five-rounder in the co-headliner spot. The UFC swings back again in relative short order, deciding to post up outside of New York City while still drawing plenty of eyeballs. As a note, this will be the first event to feature the newly designed gloves, ones that were touted to reduce eye pokes. A dozen bouts with plenty of ranking’s significance from women’s 135 pounds all the way up to pound-for-pound consideration will play out, but the first of 12 has zero relevance in that metric because it comes at an unplanned catchweight. Raposo (9-1, 0-0 UFC) and his shiny new contract will contend with the heavy Lima (8-0, 1-0 UFC), who appears to still be reeling from his “Charlie Bit Me” incident against Igor da Silva in March. Referee Herb Dean will make sure no chomping happens this time around, and the fight begins with a glove touch. Lima moves to the center of the cage, walking Raposo down, and he sits down on a heavy calf kick that immediately forces a stance switch. Raposo finds a way in and dives forward with two punches, and Lima bats them away and chops at the calf hard while chants of “USA” rain down against him. Lima goes for another kick low down to the calf, and each time he has struck it, Raposo has changed stances. Raposo replies with a rapid-fire combination to keep Lima honest, but Lima does not pay it much mind as he attacks the front leg once more. Raposo lashes out with a pair of punches, and Lima’s composure never wavers and instead pounds the front leg twice after a stance switch from the Massachusetts native. Raposo strides forward to throw hands, and Lima intercepts him with a crisp knee up the middle. When Raposo settles down, Lima blasts his front leg, and Raposo shakes his leg out in response. Lima keeps battering either lead leg that is presented to him, and Raposo tries to check one by turning his shin in, and the sound of the shins clacking together echoes in the cage. Raposo circles his way into punch strings, but his general lack of offense prompts a clapping of Dean to fight more. Lima nails the lead when once more, prompting Raposo to let go with hands to the body. Lima turns his hips into a particularly harsh leg kick, and Raposo spins all the way around to get his bearings. Lima pushes off with his fingers outstretched, grazing Raposo’s eye, and Raposo waves Dean off and unloads a right hand that catches the Brazilian standing still. Lima lets loose with two high kicks that bounce off the guard, and he is warned for his fingers pointed towards his foe’s face. Lima keeps working on the front legs of his opponent, allowing Raposo to change his stance so he can smack the other. This continues until the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Lima

Round 2
The fighters clap hands to lead off the second round, and Raposo is much more active to get going. A few series of punches come from the American, with quick hands largely targeting the body. Lima no-sells the punches and continues stalking Raposo down, where he chambers and releases a head kick that slams into the guard. Lima attempts another step-in knee, and he parries the oncoming punches when Raposo tries to close the distance. Lima drills the front calf with a kick, and Raposo backpedals and considers a stance switch but would rather present his left leg. Raposo comes up short on a haymaker, and Lima allows him to fall off-balance so he can work the leg again. Raposo targets the body with punches, and Lima switches up to attack the inside of his adversary’s legs with ruthless kicks. Lima cuts Raposo off, and Raposo tries to drive him back with a trio of punches that all get blocked. Lima slams his shin into Raposo’s calf, and he pushes out his finger and swipes Raposo in the eye. Dean calls time and issues Lima a hard warning, and Lima gives an apology. They restart, and Raposo reaches him with a left hand. Lima comes back at him with low kicks, and Dean once more admonishes the Brazilian for his fingers pointed out. Lima fakes a kick, and Raposo jumps away with a major reaction. Lima pokes his man in the eye, and Raposo steps back and wipes his eye. A confused moment for both fighters results in Dean telling Lima to be careful, and they restart again. Raposo shoots for a takedown and hits it, and Lima blatantly grabs the cage to pull himself back up to his feet. Lima chases Raposo down and kicks him a few more times before the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Lima

Round 3
The fighters tap hands together to get going, and Raposo gives chase early to throw hands. Raposo swipes out with overhand rights, and Lima calmly backs him off with a straight right hand in response. Lima gets off a low kick, and he fires a second one off to the ribs. Lima reaches out with a right hand and a front kick to the solar plexus, and he springs away from a double jab. The Brazilian fearlessly stalks forward, setting up a heavy body kick and seemingly unconcerned about anything Raposo gives back. The two men trade body shots, and Lima follows one with a kick down at the base of the calf. Lima plants a second kick down low, and Raposo’s punch salvo ricochets off the raised guard. Lima splits the guard with a left hand, and Raposo walks through it and gives one single blow back. Lima slaps the front leg with yet another kick, and a second is checked. Raposo slips in a left hand, but it is one-and-done before he backpedals. Lima measures a straight left hand, and Raposo stands him up with an uppercut and a left hand. Raposo ducks and connects with a left hand, and Lima frazzles him with two leg kicks that briefly put him down. Raposo bounces up and away from a sweeping body kick, and Lima manages to find him with a sharp jab. Raposo tries to attempt a takedown, only for Lima to toss him aside and push him to the wall. Lima gets off one knee before they split up, and he chases after Raposo until the fight wraps.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima (30-27 Lima)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lima (30-27 Lima)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Lima (30-27 Lima)

The Official Result
Andre Lima def. Mitch Raposo via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Hesitant picked May 26, 2024 (6 days before fight)

André Lima

Angelo acknowledges that Mitch Raposo is skilled and could win with a full camp, but the short notice, distractions from friends/family, and the step up in competition lead him to pick André Lima. He notes the odds are too far gone for him to bet. He respects Raposo's abilities but feels the circumstances favor Lima.

Jacob has a bet on this fight (premium member only)

"I am not picking him to win I think the short notice matters... Andre Lima is also good so I'm going to pick Andre LMA to win because of the short notice Factor here"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Lean picked May 31, 2024 (1 day before fight)

Mitch Raposo

Big Brady thinks Mitch Raposo is live as a dog, with a path to get the fight to the mat via takedowns. He notes André Lima's takedown defense is a major concern. However, Raposo is on short notice, which worries him. He expects a close fight if it goes the distance.

Mitch Raposo wins by decision or submission

"mitoso 7,600 just another dog I think is is live here"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked May 29, 2024 (3 days before fight)

André Lima

Cody picks Lima, criticizing Raposo's level of competition and short-notice fight. He notes Raposo is a career bridesmaid who lost on The Ultimate Fighter and Contender Series. Cody believes Lima's size, strength, and kickboxing will be too much. He expects Lima to win by decision or late TKO, and mentions Raposo's takedowns may not be effective against Lima's scrambling.

"Raposo is a career bridesmaid... he's taking this fight on little over a week's notice... Lima is bigger, stronger... I got to go with Lima."

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Vreeland Expert Confident picked May 28, 2024 (4 days before fight)

André Lima

Daniel praises Lima's striking, athleticism, and takedown defense. He dismisses Raposo's regional wins as against cans and notes Raposo's short notice. He expects Lima to get a finish.

"I think that Andre Lima is gonna get his first official UFC finish"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked May 27, 2024 (5 days before fight)

Mitch Raposo

The host believes Raposo's pace, pressure, and wrestling will overwhelm Lima, who has cardio issues. Raposo's calf kicking and improved striking give him confidence, and his gas tank should allow him to grind out a win via control time and damage. Lima's power is a threat early, but Raposo's durability and wrestling volume should carry him to a decision victory.

"I like him as an underdog to kick off the card here at plus 185 getting a win in his UFC debut."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked May 29, 2024 (3 days before fight)

André Lima

Paul picks Lima, noting his technical kickboxing and size advantage. He mentions Lima's win over Igor Severino (by DQ due to bite) and believes Lima's striking will be too much for Raposo. Paul notes Raposo is taking the fight on short notice and has struggled to get over the hump. He expects Lima to win by decision or late finish.

"Andre Lima has tight technical kickboxing... he's a Brazilian kickboxing champion... I got to go with Lima to get the job done."

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked May 27, 2024 (5 days before fight)

André Lima

The MMA Guru picks André Lima regardless of opponent, noting that Lima has good takedown defense and fundamentally correct grappling defense. He mentions that Lima's opponent (either Mitch Raposo or a short-notice replacement) is not a threat, and that Lima's kickboxing background will prevail. He also points out that the opponent looked mediocre on Road to UFC.

"I'm picking Andre lemur regardless of who shows up against him"

THE MMA GURU

WIN vs Igor Severino

DQ (biting) R2 2:52 · UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas · Mar 23, 2024

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
André Lima	0	36 of 78	46%	40 of 85	5 of 9	55%	0	0	3:00
Igor Severino	0	30 of 58	51%	38 of 66	1 of 2	50%	2	0	0:24

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	André Lima	22 of 46	47%	24 of 48	4 of 6	66%	0	1:41
1	Igor Severino	16 of 37	43%	21 of 42	1 of 2	50%	2	0:24
2	André Lima	14 of 32	43%	16 of 37	1 of 3	33%	0	1:19
2	Igor Severino	14 of 21	66%	17 of 24	0 of 0	---	0	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
André Lima	36 of 78	46%	17 of 55	9 of 13	10 of 10	31 of 71	4 of 5	1 of 2
Igor Severino	30 of 58	51%	16 of 40	8 of 12	6 of 6	29 of 56	1 of 2	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	André Lima	22 of 46	47%	10 of 34	6 of 6	6 of 6	19 of 42	3 of 4	0 of 0
1	Igor Severino	16 of 37	43%	9 of 27	3 of 6	4 of 4	15 of 35	1 of 2	0 of 0
2	André Lima	14 of 32	43%	7 of 21	3 of 7	4 of 4	12 of 29	1 of 1	1 of 2
2	Igor Severino	14 of 21	66%	7 of 13	5 of 6	2 of 2	14 of 21	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Andre Lima vs. Igor da Silva
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lima (-180), da Silva (+150)

Round 1
From the heaviest men’s division to the lightest we go, as a pair of undefeated Brazilian flyweights try to retain their 0 while impressing the bosses. Da Silva (8-0, 0-0 UFC) will rep an offshoot of Chute Boxe, while knockout artist Lima (7-0, 0-0 UFC) aims for another fist-flying effort. Keeping his head on a swivel will be referee Chris Tognoni, who checks them in as they tap gloves. Lima starts off with a low kick, and he dodges a jab that flies back at him. Da Silva aims his own leg kick and dodges a front kick, and Lima follows after him with leg kicks. Da Silva responds with two big right hands and a knee to the body, and he shoots in for a single and sets Lima down on his seat. Lima springs back up without issue, and da Silva clings to him from behind and wrangles him down to the mat. Da Silva wraps an arm around the head and threatens with a choke, until Lima turns to the right direction and works back to his feet. Lima presses da Silva against the cage wall and scores a knee, and Tognoni issues a loud warning for fence grabs. Lima sweeps the leg, and when da Silva pops up, he jumps guard for a guillotine choke that is tight early. Da Silva wriggles out of the submission, and Lima transitions with his legs to lock down an omoplata. Lima blatantly grabs the fence to reposition himself, and he is warned once more. He then draws an immediate other warning when he pounds da Silva in the back of the head. Da Silva muscles his way back to his feet, and the two separate. Da Silva decides to punch his way into a takedown attempt, where he succeeds in taking Lima off his feet and dumping him to the mat. Lima gets back up, and he blocks a jump knee from da Silva that makes da Silva fall over. The two start trading viciously, and da Silva blasts his man in the face with a vertical elbow. Lima hits him back with his own, but he is wobbled and takes a moment to recover. Da Silva gives chase around the cage, trying to cut him off as they throw hands and kicks and elbows with bad intentions. An elbow from Lima grows an immediate mouse on da Silva’s forehead, but he pays it no mind as he jumps for a kick and hits the floor. Lima lets him back up, throws a high kick and gets taken down for it. He climbs to his feet at the bell, ending a wild round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Lima
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Lima

Round 2
The flyweights start off the round throwing hands, with Lima landing first with a clean one-two. Da Silva crowds him and lands several punches, and Lima connects on the swollen lump with a heavy right hand. Da Silva pushes off with his fingers outstretched as they brawl, and Tognoni pauses the fight to warn him. Lima begins first with several jabs, and da Silva rips the body with a right hand. Lima throws his own body shot, and he takes a right hand over the top. Lima parries a left, and da Silva crashes in and lands a pair of punches and a knee that bangs into his forehead. Lima takes the loud knee without issue, and he checks two kicks and makes da Silva stumble. Da Silva runs forward, where he completes a double-leg takedown. The guard of Lima is active as he starts looking for a submission or strikes from off his back. Lima pulls on the fence again as Tognoni shouts at him to knock it off, and he turns over as da Silva knees him in the thigh. Lima complains that da Silva is grabbing his glove or something, and he gets away with a fence grab in the process.
Tognoni calls time, and then has to call time again because they do not listen. Lima claims that da Silva bit him as he shows up bite marks on his elbow. Tognoni signals for the replay official to check it, and determines that it was a clear bite as he can see deep upper and lower marks that actually broke the skin. Da Silva said before the fight that he was hungry for his UFC debut, and apparently he meant that literally. Tognoni stops the fight,
and he disqualifies the formerly unbeaten da Silva for the clear and obvious foul. This might be the last time Igor da Silva is seen in the Octagon, and what a way to lose your undefeated record.

The Official Result
Andre Lima def. Igor da Silva R2 2:52 via Disqualification (Biting)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Lean picked Mar 17, 2024 (6 days before fight)

André Lima

Angelo leans towards André Lima because of his cleaner striking technique and solid takedown defense. He notes that Lima needs to keep the fight technical and not get sucked into a brawl, while Severino should try to brawl. However, he is surprised Lima is a 2-to-1 favorite and will not bet on this fight due to the risk of a UFC debut against an undefeated finisher.

"I am going to lean on the Lima side because of the Striking technique and the takedown defense but he needs to keep this fight clean and not get sucked in to a fire fight"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Lean picked Mar 19, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Igor Severino

Big Brady leans toward the underdog Igor Severino (referred to as eigor D Silva). He notes that Severino is more aggressive, has a killer instinct, and can wrestle. He thinks the line should be closer to a pick'em and that Severino's aggression and takedown ability will be key. He predicts a decision win for Severino.

"I'm kind of leaning the dog here in D Silva and I will pick D Silva to win this fight by decision"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Lean picked Mar 21, 2024 (2 days before fight)

Igor Severino

Cody picks Severino as an underdog, citing his youth, durability, and wrestling. He notes that Lima is more stationary and may struggle with Severino's pace and takedowns. Cody expects a close decision win for Severino.

"I like the dog here eigard de Silva sign me up."

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Vreeland Expert Confident picked Mar 20, 2024 (3 days before fight)

André Lima

Daniel Vreeland picks André Lima, citing his superior kickboxing and experience. He notes Lima has excellent striking, takedown defense, and the ability to get back up if taken down. He believes Severino is wilder and less polished, and Lima's grown-man strength will be a factor.

"I lean towards Andre Lima here"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Mar 19, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Igor Severino

Severino is aggressive, mixes striking and grappling well, and pushes a high pace. Lima is a cleaner technical striker but has cardio issues and tends to slow down. Severino will stay in Lima's face, mix levels, and likely outwork him. Lima may hurt him early, but Severino's pressure should be too much over three rounds.

"I lean the underdog in the spot... I think srino wins this on the scorecards and I think he's a damn good Underdog play as well."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked Mar 21, 2024 (2 days before fight)

Igor Severino

Paul agrees, noting Severino's wrestling and volume. He thinks Severino's ability to mix in takedowns will be the difference. Paul sees value in the plus money.

"I will go srino."

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Mar 19, 2024 (4 days before fight)

André Lima

The MMA Guru picks André Lima over Igor Severino, noting Severino's youth and lack of experience. He highlights Lima's kickboxing background and composure on the feet, expecting him to counter Severino's wild shots. He predicts a first-round TKO for Lima, as he believes Lima will stay patient and blast counters.

round one TKO

"I am going with Andre lemur over eigor seino... round one TK for Andre lemur"

THE MMA GURU

Kevin Borjas - Fight History

SCHED vs André Lima

UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Horiguchi · Jun 20, 2026

LOSS vs Imanol Rodriguez

KO R2 4:21 · UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Kavanagh · Feb 28, 2026

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Imanol Rodriguez	1	46 of 84	54%	55 of 93	1 of 3	33%	0	0	3:33
Kevin Borjas	2	22 of 52	42%	24 of 54	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Imanol Rodriguez	0	12 of 22	54%	21 of 31	1 of 1	100%	3:28
1	Kevin Borjas	2	12 of 23	52%	14 of 25	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Imanol Rodriguez	1	34 of 62	54%	34 of 62	0 of 2	0%	0:05
2	Kevin Borjas	0	10 of 29	34%	10 of 29	0 of 0	---	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Imanol Rodriguez	46 of 84	54%	35 of 67	7 of 11	4 of 6	30 of 63	2 of 4	14 of 17
Kevin Borjas	22 of 52	42%	17 of 45	3 of 5	2 of 2	20 of 49	2 of 3	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Imanol Rodriguez	12 of 22	54%	9 of 17	1 of 1	2 of 4	6 of 14	0 of 0	6 of 8
1	Kevin Borjas	12 of 23	52%	10 of 20	2 of 3	0 of 0	10 of 20	2 of 3	0 of 0
2	Imanol Rodriguez	34 of 62	54%	26 of 50	6 of 10	2 of 2	24 of 49	2 of 4	8 of 9
2	Kevin Borjas	10 of 29	34%	7 of 25	1 of 2	2 of 2	10 of 29	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Kevin Borjas vs. Imanol Rodriguez
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rodriguez (-400); Borjas (+325)

Round 1
Making his UFC debut with six finishes in six fights, Mexico’s Rodriguez (6-0, 0-0 UFC) is en fuego and plans on handing fellow slugger Borjas (10-4, 1-3 UFC) his fourth loss in five walks to the Octagon. Keeping tabs on the flyweights will be referee Raul Porrata, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice after the fighters share a fist bump.
The unbeaten speedster starts off the fight by firing off several quick punches and kicks that are so fast, Borjas cannot do anything but watch as he absorbs them. Rodriguez beats him to the punch and kick repeatedly, and the counters do not even start to come back at him yet because he is out of reach seconds after he connects. Borjas uncorks a bomb of a left hand when Rodriguez swings in the pocket and sends him flying, and Porrata is just about to run and stop the fight. Porrata peels back as Rodriguez bounces back to his feet, and Borjas rushes at him and drops the youngster again. Rodriguez miraculously gathers his thoughts and completes enough of a takedown to put Borjas on his back and start recovering.
Rodriguez slows himself down, preferring to maintain top position and strike with his elbows rather than looking for a finish and burning out his gas tank. Rodriguez holds on from half guard, and Porrata starts calling for more activity. Rodriguez keeps busy with ground-and-pound, and Borjas clings to his man off his back. Rodriguez postures up and drills Borjas with a flush elbow, and Borjas ties him up again in hopes of getting the standup he seeks. Rodriguez slashes down with more elbows, covering Borjas’ mouth with his free hand to further make life miserable. Rodriguez’ elbows keep drilling the Peruvian athlete in the dome, but they do not wound him externally. Rodriguez jumps into mount with seconds to go, and Borjas climbs up when the bell sounds. Rodriguez gets in Borjas’ face when the round ends, and Porrata has to separate them and send them back to their respective corners.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Borjas
Christian Stein scores the round: 10-9 Borjas
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Borjas

Round 2
The fighters clap hands to get going in the second stanza, with Rodriguez striking first with a low kick and missing on huge haymakers that follow. Borjas kicks him back, and he is checked. Rodriguez darts in behind a left hook, and Borjas probes out with an intercepting jab. Borjas pump-fakes his hips as if to threaten with something, and this stifles Rodriguez from committing to much. Rodriguez pitches out single strikes at a time, and the two both offer front kicks. Rodriguez swings for the fences with a pair of punches, only for Borjas to be out of the way in time. Rodriguez swarms Borjas with a short flurry, and Borjas’ head movement keeps him relatively safe as he backpedals. When Rodriguez engages again, Borjas is ready in the pocket to trade back, resulting in Rodriguez pulling back a bit. The speed advantage is not nearly as significant, as Rodriguez runs forward and holds his left hand out to graze Borjas’ eye with his fingertips. Porrata calls time, and Borjas takes a few seconds to recover from what was a not-too-terrible eye poke.
Rodriguez punches his way into a frantic takedown shot, and he bangs into Borjas against the wall and is pushed back with a hard right hand. Rodriguez prods out his jab and shoots for a single, holding Borjas’ leg in the air and slugging him in the face with a trio of punches before disengaging. Borjas catches Rodriguez on the sides of the head with two punches, and Rodriguez freezes him with a shovel left uppercut. Rodriguez goes wild and falls over when swinging so hard, and he recovers to offer a spinning elbow that bounces off the guard.
Rodriguez digs a kick to the body and whips out a right hand that scrambles Borjas’ circuits. A stunned Borjas blinks a few times, but does not realize that he is as hurt as he actually is. Borjas’ spirit may be willing but his flesh is spongy and bruised. “El Gallo Negro” slumps to the floor, the fight having fully left his body, and he feebly holds his arms over his head to protect from the pounding he expects to come. Rodriguez lets him have it with a final barrage of standing-to-ground punches as Porrata rushes in to stop the fight
, and that makes it 7-0 for the youngster from Mexico. The crowd goes wild for their local fighter, who survived some adversity and made it out the other end with a knockout victory.

The Official Result
Imanol Rodriguez def. Kevin Borjas R2 4:21 via TKO (Punches)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Feb 22, 2026 (6 days before fight)

Imanol Rodriguez

Angelo picks Imanol Rodriguez, noting his fast, clean striking and one-punch knockout power. He highlights Rodriguez's heart and composure even in his loss, and believes he will win outright. He considers Rodriguez one of the safer larger favorites on the card.

"I got to go with the kid. I think he wins outright. ... I Rodriguez should win here. He's one of the only larger favorites on this card that you look at it and you're like, 'Yeah, we should absolutely …"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Feb 22, 2026 (6 days before fight)

Imanol Rodriguez

Big Brady picks Imanol Rodriguez, calling him a prospect to watch with impressive striking, volume, and forward pressure. He notes Kevin Borjas had a bizarre low-volume performance in his last fight and believes Rodriguez is better everywhere. He predicts a second-round knockout.

second round knockout

"Give me Emanuel Rodriguez to win this fight by second round knockout."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Feb 25, 2026 (3 days before fight)

Manuel Rodriguez

Cody picks Rodriguez but worries about his tendency to go all-out and gas at altitude. He notes Borjas's poor striking defense and the poor record of his gym. He took Rodriguez by KO at +130 as a prop.

Rodriguez by KO +130

"I have a little bit of money on even by KO plus 130. That's how I got invested into this."

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Feb 26, 2026 (2 days before fight)

Imanol Rodriguez

Connor agrees, calling Rodriguez a triple-A prospect who looks like a future title contender. He notes that Borjas has some counterpunching ability but will struggle to deal with Rodriguez's ferocious pressure and speed. Connor believes Rodriguez's combination of athleticism and technical skill will be too much for Borjas.

Rodriguez's pressure; Borjas's counter right hand; Rodriguez's potential

"I think he's ready for it. I think he has that kind of natural athleticism."

MMA Vivisection

Daniel Vreeland Expert picked Feb 20, 2024 (739 days before fight)

Daniel does not discuss this fight in the transcript.

Half the Battle

Diary of a Pro Gambler Expert picked Feb 28, 2026 (fight day)

The host believes Rodriguez is most likely to win but the odds are too wide at -454. He notes that Rodriguez is a grappler with good cardio, while Borjas is a volume striker who may fade at altitude. However, since Rodriguez is making his UFC debut and the odds are extreme, the host passes on betting.

"There's no doubt that Iman Rodriguez is most likely to win, but should he be a 1.22 minus 454 implied probability of 82% favorite over Kevin Borass in his UFC debut?"

Diary of a Pro Gambler

Lucrative James Expert Confident picked Feb 22, 2026 (6 days before fight)

Manuel Rodriguez

James is high on Rodriguez as a prospect, citing his impressive performance against Joseph Morales and his aggressive, powerful style. He believes Rodriguez's pressure and body work will break Borjas, who tends to fade under pace. James predicts a KO win for Rodriguez.

"I'm going to pick Iman Rodriguez here. I'm going to pick him via KO."

Lucrative MMA

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Feb 24, 2026 (4 days before fight)

Imanol Rodriguez

The host picks Imanol Rodriguez inside the distance, citing his wrestling background, finishing ability, and overall advantages. He believes Rodriguez will land big shots, change levels, and work to a dominant position on the ground. He considers Rodriguez a future title contender and recommends him as a parlay piece.

Parlay piece

"I'm going to take Rodriguez inside the distance and I really wouldn't mind him as a parlay piece either here."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Feb 25, 2026 (3 days before fight)

Manuel Rodriguez

Paul is high on Rodriguez's talent, speed, and power. He notes Borjas's durability but lack of offense and poor recent form. He expects Rodriguez to land big shots and win, though he cautions about the -450 price and Rodriguez's inexperience.

"I do have INol Rodriguez to get the job done. But when you look at a mega prospect, and this kid's a mega prospect, do you put him all the way at the top? No."

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Feb 28, 2026 (fight day)

Imanol Rodriguez

The MMA Guru picks Imanol Rodriguez, praising his boxing, head movement, and maturity. He notes that Rodriguez had a close split decision with Joseph Morales but showed good grappling, while Kevin Borjas only has a win over Ronaldo Rodriguez, who is not that good. He also mentions the Mexico City altitude advantage for Rodriguez.

"I'm going to go over Manuel Rodriguez. Good boxing, good head movement, good patience."

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Feb 26, 2026 (2 days before fight)

Imanol Rodriguez

Zane picks Rodriguez as a blue-chip prospect with elite athleticism and a well-rounded game. He notes that Borjas is too dependent on being the stronger or more technical fighter, and Rodriguez is both athletic and technical. Rodriguez's wrestling and aggressive striking will overwhelm Borjas, who has struggled against better athletes.

Rodriguez's athleticism; Borjas's struggles against better athletes; Rodriguez's wrestling threat

"Yeah, you got to pick him. Rodriguez is a big favorite..."

MMA Vivisection

LOSS vs Sumudaerji

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang · Aug 23, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Sumudaerji	0	73 of 129	56%	91 of 150	0 of 5	0%	0	0	0:17
Kevin Borjas	0	16 of 44	36%	23 of 51	0 of 5	0%	0	0	3:29

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Sumudaerji	17 of 35	48%	17 of 35	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Kevin Borjas	3 of 13	23%	3 of 13	0 of 1	0%	1:00
2	Sumudaerji	32 of 47	68%	36 of 51	0 of 3	0%	0:17
2	Kevin Borjas	9 of 20	45%	15 of 26	0 of 1	0%	0:49
3	Sumudaerji	24 of 47	51%	38 of 64	0 of 2	0%	0:00
3	Kevin Borjas	4 of 11	36%	5 of 12	0 of 3	0%	1:40

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Sumudaerji	73 of 129	56%	33 of 75	17 of 25	23 of 29	67 of 121	6 of 8	0 of 0
Kevin Borjas	16 of 44	36%	7 of 30	5 of 7	4 of 7	10 of 37	6 of 7	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Sumudaerji	17 of 35	48%	6 of 15	3 of 9	8 of 11	16 of 34	1 of 1	0 of 0
1	Kevin Borjas	3 of 13	23%	1 of 8	2 of 2	0 of 3	1 of 11	2 of 2	0 of 0
2	Sumudaerji	32 of 47	68%	14 of 25	7 of 8	11 of 14	30 of 44	2 of 3	0 of 0
2	Kevin Borjas	9 of 20	45%	4 of 14	2 of 3	3 of 3	7 of 17	2 of 3	0 of 0
3	Sumudaerji	24 of 47	51%	13 of 35	7 of 8	4 of 4	21 of 43	3 of 4	0 of 0
3	Kevin Borjas	4 of 11	36%	2 of 8	1 of 2	1 of 1	2 of 9	2 of 2	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Su Mudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas

Round 1
Flyweights Sumudaerji and Borjas face off under the watchful eye of referee Vitor Ribeiro. Borjas is orthodox, Sumudaerji southpaw. “The Tibetan Eagle” throws a lunging side kick to the midsection. He follows up with a solid inside kick to Borjas’ lead leg. Sumudaerji with a high kick that slaps off his opponent’s raised guard. A minute and a half in, Borjas has thrown next to no strikes. Sumudaerji flicks out a long jab. Ribeiro pauses the action and cautions Sumudaerji about extending his fingers. They go back to work and Sumudaerji lands a loud low kick. Borjas comes back with a jab that glances, then changes levels and runs his man all the way to the cage. Borjas locks his hands and tries to elevate the taller man, but Sumudaerji uses an overhook/underhook and his height advantage to keep his feet firmly under him. They break off the clinch and go back to work in the middle of the cage, where Borjas continues to struggle with the range against the much taller man. Sumudaerji backs Borjas off with a side kick to the midsection at the 10-second clapper, then a pair of spinning back kicks—one from each side—right before the horn. Neither lands with much impact, but the impression is that Sumudaerji is starting to get into a flow.
10-9 Mudaerji.

Round 2
Sumudaerji paws Borjas’ face with an open hand in the first real exchange of the round, leading the Peruvian to back away blinking. Referee Ribeiro reiterates his warning, this time making it a “hard” one, for whatever that’s worth, before letting them go back to work. Sumudaerji reaches out with long side kicks again, landing to Borjas’ body, where they do their damage, but just as importantly, keep Borjas from getting anywhere near punching range. Borjas surges forward, clinches and shoves the taller man to the fence, where he is unable either to secure a takedown or land any short-range offense. They separate and return to open space, but Sumudaerji is still very much in control of the action there. Borjas lowers his head again and drives Sumudaerji to the cage, but “The Tibetan Eagle” uses an underhook to force a stalemate there. They disengage once again and Sumudaerji goes right back to working the Peruvian’s legs and body with his kicks. Under a minute to go and Sumudaerji opens up with a spinning back kick that lands to the midsection. The horn sounds on another frustrating round for “El Gallo Negro.”
10-9 Mudaerji.

Round 3
Borjas comes out aggressively to enter the final frame, forcing the issue rather than be stranded on the outside for yet another five minutes. Sumudaerji responds with a reactive takedown attempt which goes nowhere, but perhaps gives Borjas something else to think about. Borjas continues on the front foot, backing Sumudaerji to the fence, where he briefly sits him down with a clean punch. The Tibetan smiles and motions that it was a slip, which seems to fit the visual evidence, and they return to kickboxing. Sumudaerji throws a spinning wheel kick that glances without damage, and Borjas collapses the distance, clinching and shoving him to the fence. The referee separates them after a few uneventful moments, and they meet once again near the center of the cage, where Sumudaerji has thus far been an unsolvable riddle. Borjas steps inside a spinning technique, nearly takes Sumudaerji’s back standing, but settles for pushing him to the fence yet again. Under a minute to go and Borjas’ corner is imploring him to do something big. He tries his best, but only succeeds in opening up an opportunity for his foe to land a big elbow. That turns out to be the last significant offense of the fight, as the horn sounds moments later on a methodical near shutout for the Chinese fighter.
10-9 Mudaerji (30-27 Mudaerji).

The Official Result
Su Mudaerji def. Kevin Borjas via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Aug 17, 2025 (6 days before fight)

Kevin Borjas

Angelo picks Kevin Borjas as the dog, calling him the better striker and more dangerous and durable. He notes that Sumudaerji is fast and accurate but lacks power. He suggests prop bets like win inside distance or plus 3.5 rounds, as he doesn't see Borjas getting stopped. He is confident in Borjas winning.

Suggests betting on Kevin Borjas win inside distance (decision no action) or plus 3.5 rounds.

"I'm going with the dog here. I think Kevin's the better striker and this is mostly going to be a striking matchup. Not only is Kevin the better striker, he's also the more dangerous of the two and the more …"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Lean picked Aug 21, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Kevin Borjas

Big Brady picks Kevin Borjas to win a damage-based decision, despite Sumudaerji being a good striker. He notes that Sumudaerji has been submitted six times and has looked rough recently, but Borjas is not a grappler. He believes Borjas has power and can land big shots, and that Sumudaerji is not a finisher at this level. He expects a close fight with Borjas having big moments.

Borjas by decision

"I'm going to take Borhos to to win the fight here by decision."

DFS by the Numbers

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Aug 21, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Kevin Borjas

Connor likes Borjas's game and thinks he will dictate the pace, forcing Sumudaerji to brawl. He notes that Sumudaerji tends to let opponents lead and then engages, but Borjas is a backfoot counter puncher who will likely start first. Connor worries about Borjas's defensive acumen and high chin, but believes Sumudaerji lacks knockout power, having only finished Malcolm Gordon in the UFC. He compares the fight to Sumudaerji's loss to Charles Johnson, where Johnson set the early pace and won.

"I really like borjas's game. I think sumudarji is a really interesting test for him."

MMA Vivisection

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Aug 21, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Sumudaerji

The host acknowledges Borjas looked his best last time, but thinks he will struggle against the superior striking of Sumudaerji. He expects Sumudaerji to keep Borjas at bay, avoid counter-strikes, pick him apart, and win on the scorecards.

"I think he's going to struggle against the superior striking of Sumodargi. Look for Sumodargi to keep Borhas at bay, avoid most of the counter-strikes of Boras, pick him apart, and win this fight on the scorecards."

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Aug 22, 2025 (1 day before fight)

Sumudaerji

The MMA Guru picks Sumudaerji to win by decision, citing his range and ability to make fights low-output. He believes Sumudaerji's length will be a problem for Kevin Borjas, who he describes as a one-two merchant. He notes that Borjas had a close fight with Ronaldo Rodriguez, and that Sumudaerji looked good against Charles Johnson. He expects a 30-27 schooling victory.

Sumudaerji by decision 30-27

"I'm going to go with Summedi. I think his range is going to be a problem for Kevin Bas... I think Sumaduji is going to rise to the occasion and beat Kevin Bouras."

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Aug 21, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Kevin Borjas

Zane agrees with Connor, noting that Borjas has shown good stuff in his fights and that Sumudaerji is a technical step up but not a huge one. He points out that Sumudaerji is tough but often starts fights going second, which could allow Borjas to take control. Zane also mentions that Borjas has never been knocked out and took shots from Ronaldo Rodriguez well, so Sumudaerji's lack of power is a factor.

"I think if he lets borjas start it then borjas is just gonna keep it."

MMA Vivisection

WIN vs Ronaldo Rodríguez

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Erceg · Mar 29, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Ronaldo Rodríguez	0	64 of 151	42%	64 of 151	1 of 5	20%	0	0	0:57
Kevin Borjas	1	83 of 141	58%	84 of 142	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:02

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Ronaldo Rodríguez	0	10 of 25	40%	10 of 25	1 of 3	33%	0:43
1	Kevin Borjas	1	17 of 31	54%	18 of 32	0 of 0	---	0:02
2	Ronaldo Rodríguez	0	17 of 42	40%	17 of 42	0 of 2	0%	0:14
2	Kevin Borjas	0	23 of 33	69%	23 of 33	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Ronaldo Rodríguez	0	37 of 84	44%	37 of 84	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Kevin Borjas	0	43 of 77	55%	43 of 77	0 of 0	---	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Ronaldo Rodríguez	64 of 151	42%	31 of 110	11 of 16	22 of 25	63 of 149	1 of 2	0 of 0
Kevin Borjas	83 of 141	58%	72 of 129	6 of 7	5 of 5	78 of 135	3 of 4	2 of 2

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Ronaldo Rodríguez	10 of 25	40%	4 of 16	2 of 3	4 of 6	10 of 25	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Kevin Borjas	17 of 31	54%	13 of 27	2 of 2	2 of 2	14 of 28	1 of 1	2 of 2
2	Ronaldo Rodríguez	17 of 42	40%	7 of 30	3 of 4	7 of 8	16 of 41	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Kevin Borjas	23 of 33	69%	20 of 30	2 of 2	1 of 1	22 of 31	1 of 2	0 of 0
3	Ronaldo Rodríguez	37 of 84	44%	20 of 64	6 of 9	11 of 11	37 of 83	0 of 1	0 of 0
3	Kevin Borjas	43 of 77	55%	39 of 72	2 of 3	2 of 2	42 of 76	1 of 1	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Kevin Borjas vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez (127: Missed Weight)
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rodriguez (-170), Borjas (+142)

Round 1
Due to some card rejiggering, the catchweight contest between Rodriguez (17-2, 2-0 UFC) and Borjas (9-3, 0-2 UFC) is currently the main card opener. The fight was originally booked at 125 pounds, but “Lazy Boy” could not help himself and exceeded the divisional cap by a pound. Despite their differences in momentum, this is one of the matches tonight with the closest betting line, with Rodriguez still the favored man of the two both in the building and on the books. The fighters are ready, and referee Herb Dean is ready too. The crowd is alive, and the fighters are as energized as it gets. They choose not to touch gloves, and take advantage of the amperage. Both fighters aim at one another without pulling the trigger, until about 45 second passes. Suddenly, Rodriguez spins with a wheel kick that glances off the target, and his second attack is a jumping switch kick. Rodriguez uses kicks to back Borjas off, and Borjas walks him down and smashes him square in the jaw and sets him down. Rodriguez reverse-somersaults to roll through the knockdown blow, and somehow appears not compromises at all and in fact waves Borjas on. Rodriguez lands a few times to get back at Borjas, and he walks the Peruvian fighter down looking for a way in. A Rodriguez spin kick slaps off the raised hands, and he presses forward calmly with his right hand ready to fire. When Borjas catches his foe’s leg, Rodriguez yanks his limb free and resets. Borjas just misses with a one-two, and Rodriguez gets in a low kick and ducks away from a counter right hand. Borjas connects with another overhand right, and Rodriguez responds with kicks. A fireball of a Borjas right hand torches Rodriguez and knocks him off his feet again, and like before, “Lazy Boy” returns right back upright and is again prepared to brawl. Borjas enters and fires off more strikes, only to be met with a crisp right hand that stuns him. Rodriguez shoots into a takedown attempt, and Borjas times a jump knee and clacks it off Rodriguez’ knee. Rodriguez lifts his foe’s leg up and attempts to slam it down to simultaneously go for a takedown and hyperextend the limb. On his second try, Rodriguez gets his foe down. Time expires before he can do anything with the position.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Borjas
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Borjas
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Borjas

Round 2
Rodriguez is the initial aggressor in the second round despite getting dropped twice. He tries a jumping kick that is well off the mark, and Borjas lets it soar way past him. Rodriguez chips at the front leg with a kick as he settles himself down, and he springs into action with a looping left and a body kick on the other side. Rodriguez slaps the front leg with another kick, and he gets caught with a few jabs but slings heavy leather. Rodriguez just misses with a front kick, and he swings a left hand that turns out to be a strange level change. Borjas is easily out of the way, and once more he has a jump knee waiting for the shot that he expects and eventually comes from Rodriguez. Borjas stands in the pocket and drills his man with a one-two, and Rodriguez reels and re-enters the melee while pointing at the floor for more of that. Borjas does not go for broke, and Rodriguez chases him around the Octagon and scores a leg kick. Rodriguez has a wheel kick partially connect, and he sprints at Borjas to attack more. Borjas escapes, but he does not avoid the low kick that comes. Borjas stands his man up with a clean right hand, and Rodriguez answers him with a front kick straight up the middle. Rodriguez gets popped when kicking the front leg, as Borjas is prepared with counters, especially the power right. Rodriguez spins and his heel bounces off the chest, and he chains a low kick into a jumping switch kick. Borjas slips and moves, and he times a right hand that drops Rodriguez to a knee. Rodriguez, steel in his noodle, rebounds and crashes the pocket for a single-leg entry. Borjas defends it by putting his back to the wall, and he keeps his guard up to block a spinning back fist right before the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Borjas
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Borjas
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Borjas

Round 3
Rodriguez runs out of his corner to attack with a big front kick to start things off, and Borjas easily deflects it. When Rodriguez engages, Borjas doubles up on a jab and rifles off his nasty right hand. Rodriguez keeps in the pocket throwing hands rather than backing off, resulting in Borjas ripping the body after. A right hand from the Peruvian fighter busts Rodriguez’ nose up, and Rodriguez chains a few punches together that get Borjas’ attention. Jabs are traded, and Borjas uses a right hand to break up a leg kick try. When Rodriguez throws, Borjas clacks him with his overhand right, a strike that seemingly cannot miss. Rodriguez jumps with a switch kick and then lands to toss out a wheel kick, but he is too close to do anything with it. This allows Borjas to plant his feet and blast him in the face with a mean right hand, and he seconds it with another that Rodriguez tries to absorb by leaning back. Rodriguez accepts that he will get jabbed as he starts loading up with more power, and he ducks and protects himself from a head kick that he nearly leaned into. Rodriguez gets stood up when throwing hands once more, and he lobs a low kick at his opponent. Borjas rolls with a punch and looses a few more, breaking up a combo with a head kick and then stifling Rodriguez with a second. Borjas checks a kick and points at Rodriguez, who came up gimpy from the shin-on-shin contact. Rodriguez bites down on his mouthpiece, blood streaming down his mouth, and he slings several failed wheel kicks and power strikes that do not connect. Rodriguez points to the mat to force a final brawl, and Borjas thinks twice and then decides to oblige him. Rodriguez clips him back, and he even has a cartwheel kick bounce off the Peruvian’s guard. Rodriguez pounds a leg kick home, and the two swing it out right to the final bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Borjas (30-27 Borjas)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Borjas (30-26 Borjas)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Borjas (30-27 Borjas)

The Official Result
Kevin Borjas def. Ronaldo Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

LOSS vs Alessandro Costa

TKO (punches) R2 1:35 · UFC 301: Pantoja vs. Erceg · May 04, 2024

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Alessandro Costa	1	46 of 86	53%	60 of 104	0 of 2	0%	0	0	0:43
Kevin Borjas	0	18 of 56	32%	18 of 56	0 of 2	0%	0	0	0:00

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Alessandro Costa	0	16 of 45	35%	16 of 45	0 of 2	0%	0:05
1	Kevin Borjas	0	15 of 38	39%	15 of 38	0 of 2	0%	0:00
2	Alessandro Costa	1	30 of 41	73%	44 of 59	0 of 0	---	0:38
2	Kevin Borjas	0	3 of 18	16%	3 of 18	0 of 0	---	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Alessandro Costa	46 of 86	53%	32 of 66	2 of 5	12 of 15	25 of 55	1 of 3	20 of 28
Kevin Borjas	18 of 56	32%	12 of 45	5 of 10	1 of 1	18 of 55	0 of 1	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Alessandro Costa	16 of 45	35%	9 of 33	2 of 4	5 of 8	15 of 41	1 of 3	0 of 1
1	Kevin Borjas	15 of 38	39%	10 of 31	4 of 6	1 of 1	15 of 37	0 of 1	0 of 0
2	Alessandro Costa	30 of 41	73%	23 of 33	0 of 1	7 of 7	10 of 14	0 of 0	20 of 27
2	Kevin Borjas	3 of 18	16%	2 of 14	1 of 4	0 of 0	3 of 18	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Kevin Borjas vs. Alessandro Costa
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Costa (-125), Borjas (+105)

Round 1
The UFC is back for its annual trip to Brazil, and it stacked the deck for the home nation by putting one Brazilian combatant against a foreigner in every bout. As a result, betting lines are lopsided towards the locals, with those from Brazil favored in 10 of the 13 fights. As most know, anything can and often does happen in MMA once the cage door closes, so it’s time to buckle up. The first of a baker’s dozen matchups comes in the flyweight division between two South American men that could both use a win. Costa (13-4, 1-2 UFC) has had the misfortune of facing two elite 125ers in his three walks to the Octagon thus far, while Borjas (9-2, 0-1 UFC) ran into the Burmese wall that was Josh Van in his promotional debut. The two will receive oversight from referee Joao Claudio Soares in this curtain jerker, and they get after it following a swift touch of gloves. The two flyweights measure one another early, trying to draw the other out with little more than movement and a pump-fake or two. Borjas paws out a range-finding jab, and Costa suddenly fires back with a one-two and a low kick. Costa surges ahead, stringing together a number of punches that bounce off and through the guard of his opponent. Costa whips a kick low to intercept Borjas coming in at him, and he stalks his man down. The Brazilian swarms forward, and Borjas shifts and rolls to avoid the damage. Costa changes levels for a takedown shot from a wide distance, and “El Gallo Negro” shucks it off before it turns into anything. Borjas paws out a few jabs, and he finds himself in a brief slugfest that gets his jaw jacked. Costa stands back to admire his work, and then blazes ahead to hammer his man with three punches on the side of the head and they crash heads together. A cut has opened up above Borjas’ ear, but he does not acknowledge it and tries to counter the advancing Costa with two flying knees. Costa shrugs them both off and lets his hand fly, and sporadic chants for “uh vai morrer” rain down from the fans. Costa takes the energy of the crowd and rifles off a jab that knocks Borjas off his feet, and he lets Borjas recover so that he can ring his bell with a pair of hooks. Borjas stumbles and gets back to his feet to leap in the air with a knee, and the round ends with Costa returning fire with his own flying knee that slams into the chest. Borjas throws his foe to the floor, and the round ends.
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Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Costa
Christian Stein scores the round: 10-9 Costa
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Costa

Round 2
The two men bump fists to open the round, and Costa gets right back to his advancing attack. Costa lays into his man with punches to the head, and he mixes up one to the body that appears to hurt the Peruvian. Costa sees and opening and unleashes a number of leg kicks that do serious damage and make Borjas limp. Borjas tries to tough it out, but Costa sweeps him off his feet with vicious low kicks. Costa chains a few punches together as Borjas backs himself against the fence, and he knocks Borjas to the ground again with a mighty calf kick. Seeing the finish might be around the corner, “Nono” leaps on top and drops jackhammering fists as Soares takes a close eye on the action. Borjas tries to scramble and nearly gives up his back, and as he turns over, Costa jumps on top of him into full mount.
Costa finishes the job with a long series of hammerfists and punches, and Soares has seen enough and waves off the fight to put Brazil on the board first.
This is an important win for the Brazilian, who evens his UFC record to .500 while also evening his distribution of knockouts to submissions at six apiece.

The Official Result
Alessandro Costa def. Kevin Borjas R2 1:35 via TKO (Punches)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Hesitant picked Apr 28, 2024 (6 days before fight)

Alessandro Costa

Angelo sees this as a 50/50 fight but leans Costa due to his wrestling advantage. He notes Costa's low volume striking and power, but believes Costa's takedowns will be the difference, similar to Borjas' loss to Joshua Van. He explicitly says he's not betting on it because he doesn't trust Costa.

"I am going to pick alisandra kosa to win this fight but only because of the wrestling"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Apr 30, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Alessandro Costa

Big Brady sees Costa as having more ways to win, including power on the feet and a grappling advantage. He notes Costa's BJJ black belt and slick ground game, though it hasn't been shown in the UFC yet. He predicts Costa will get the fight to the mat and secure a submission in the second round.

submission in round 2

"I'll take Costa to win this fight by second round submission."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked May 1, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Alessandro Costa

Cody picks Costa, citing his powerful low kicks, takedown defense, and durability. He notes Borjas is a brawler with poor cardio and takedown defense. Cody expects Costa to land heavy shots and grind out a win.

"Costa for me..."

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Vreeland Expert Confident picked May 1, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Alessandro Costa

Daniel Vreeland picks Costa, citing his experience against top competition (Albazi, Erceg), Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and home crowd advantage. He notes that Borjas has volume but less experience at the UFC level. He believes Costa's grappling is a key advantage and even took a small bet on Costa by submission at +550.

Costa by submission +550

"I do think that Costa gets the job done here probably uh and I even took a small shot on Costa by submission here"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked May 3, 2024 (1 day before fight)

Kevin Borjas

Borjas had a hot start in his UFC debut but blew his wad too early. He is expected to learn from that mistake and put on power striking pressure against Costa, eventually finding a knockout within two rounds.

knockout within two rounds

"I expect him to learn from that mistake this time around and put on the power striking pressure here against alisandra Costa and eventually find The Knockout within two rounds"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked May 1, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Alessandro Costa

Paul picks Costa, emphasizing his takedown defense and power. He notes Borjas leaves openings and has been taken down easily. Paul expects Costa to land damaging blows and win.

"I got to go with Costa to get the job done."

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Apr 30, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Alessandro Costa

The MMA Guru picks Alessandro Costa based on athleticism, speed, power, and strength, especially against the cage. He notes Costa's rough UFC run but highlights competitive rounds against top flyweights like Steve Erceg and Amir Albazi. He predicts a TKO in the second round, citing Costa's finishing potential and power advantage over the relatively unknown Kevin Borjas.

TKO in the second round

"I'm going to go with alesandro Costa getting this one done by TKO in the second round"

THE MMA GURU

LOSS vs Joshua Van

Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) R3 5:00 · UFC 295: Prochazka vs. Pereira · Nov 11, 2023

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Joshua Van	0	156 of 300	52%	165 of 311	2 of 4	50%	0	0	1:03
Kevin Borjas	0	75 of 197	38%	78 of 200	0 of 3	0%	0	1	0:21

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Joshua Van	20 of 42	47%	20 of 42	0 of 0	---	0	0:01
1	Kevin Borjas	23 of 58	39%	24 of 59	0 of 1	0%	0	0:13
2	Joshua Van	77 of 144	53%	77 of 144	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
2	Kevin Borjas	27 of 74	36%	27 of 74	0 of 1	0%	0	0:00
3	Joshua Van	59 of 114	51%	68 of 125	2 of 4	50%	0	1:02
3	Kevin Borjas	25 of 65	38%	27 of 67	0 of 1	0%	1	0:08

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Joshua Van	156 of 300	52%	92 of 227	49 of 57	15 of 16	153 of 295	3 of 5	0 of 0
Kevin Borjas	75 of 197	38%	54 of 170	9 of 12	12 of 15	73 of 193	1 of 2	1 of 2

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Joshua Van	20 of 42	47%	9 of 27	5 of 8	6 of 7	17 of 38	3 of 4	0 of 0
1	Kevin Borjas	23 of 58	39%	14 of 45	1 of 3	8 of 10	23 of 57	0 of 1	0 of 0
2	Joshua Van	77 of 144	53%	46 of 110	27 of 30	4 of 4	77 of 143	0 of 1	0 of 0
2	Kevin Borjas	27 of 74	36%	23 of 68	3 of 4	1 of 2	27 of 74	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Joshua Van	59 of 114	51%	37 of 90	17 of 19	5 of 5	59 of 114	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Kevin Borjas	25 of 65	38%	17 of 57	5 of 5	3 of 3	23 of 62	1 of 1	1 of 2

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Kevin Borjas vs. Joshua Van
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Van (-218), Borjas (+180)

Round 1
A pair of once-beaten whirling dervish flyweights will take center stage next in a fight that might not last terribly long. Both Van (8-1, 1-0 UFC) and Borjas (9-1, 0-0 UFC) celebrate one decision apiece, so referee Mike Beltran is ready to intervene at a moment’s notice given their respective paces. They do not bother touching gloves before going about their business. Van prods out early with a low kick as Borjas misses on range-finding jabs, but Borjas manages to find the target once or twice. Van jabs to the midsection, and Borjas turns his hips into a leg kick. When Van does not acknowledge it, Borjas kicks the same spot. This prompts Van to his own low kick, in which Borjas retaliates immediately with a front kick to the midsection. Borjas circles back, pops out a leg kick, and gets chin-checked with a sharp jab. Borjas replies with a solid strike, and both men are largely aiming single strikes at one another. They go tit-for-tat with jabs and leg kicks, with neither showing a large advantage, although Van puts a little more into his strikes that mostly go wide. Borjas pokes the midsection with the ball of his foot, and Van chambers and fires two stern calf kicks in a hurry. Borjas continues feeding Van a steady diet of frustrating jabs, although those and his kicks are largely all that connect until he jumps forward with a switch kick and tags Van with a right hand. Borjas spins with a wheel kick that grazes off the guard, and he rushes at his opponent and hurts Van with a right hand and sets the youngster on his seat. Van shakes out the cobwebs as Borjas crashes forward and drills him in the chest with a jump knee. Van ricochets off the fencing and looks for counters, but Borjas is able to evade the brunt of them and strike back. A number of jabs and hefty leg kicks find their home for “El Gallo Negro,” and he runs forward in pursuit of a left hook that Van narrowly evades. When Van resets, Borjas slams his shin on the calf of his foe. Borjas sticks and moves with his jab, and he sneaks a front kick in and is driven back with a left hook from the fighter born in Myanmar. Borjas races forward, the bridge of Van’s nose trickling blood, and he ties Van up in a clinch against the fence until the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Borjas
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Borjas
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Borjas

Round 2
The second round opens with the two testing one another, but the pace picks up in a hurry when Van starts to crowd his opponent. Borjas leans back and belts Van with a left hook, and Van bounces away and recovers. Borjas keeps on his bike as Van pursues him, picking away with jabs and leg kicks as Van closes in. Borjas changes levels, only to go up high with a big one-two, and Van sways and looks to loop two punches together in response. Van walks face-first into a jump knee and does not bat an eye, and Borjas whips a kick to the body to follow. Van embodies his “The Fearless” nickname by striding forward, unfazed, and he connects with a big right hand on the jaw. Van finds his range with a short combination that ends with a head kick, and he rips the body when Borjas looks to escape. Van marks up the Peruvian with a number of head and body shots, and he backs off to measure a spinning wheel kick that careens off the shoulder. Van digs two heavy shots to the body and goes up top, and he continues working the midsection with a litany of strikes. As Borjas drops his hand, Van boots him upside the face. Borjas steels himself and nails Van in the face with a right hand, and Van completely shrugs it off and continues his high-pressure approach. Borjas keeps away, not letting Van crowd or corner him, but Van is still able to find the liver with a left hand. Van sneaks in a number of jabs and lets Borjas overswing in a counter, and he eats a left hand and keeps right on plodding forward. Van continues to mix his strikes up to the head and body, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Van
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Van
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Van

Round 3
The two flyweights reach the final frame, and Van is ready to pick up right where he left off and sticks out a number of jabs in rapid succession. Van targets the lead leg when not jabbing, and Borjas responds with a right to the breadbasket and a clapping calf kick. Borjas sits down on counters, connecting cleanly with a few, but Van no-sells them and fires right back fearlessly. When Borjas swings hard, Van level changes and lifts Borjas up so he can slam him down. Borjas scrambles, allowing Van to drop back and pursue a leglock. Borjas is able to break the submission setup up so he can stand up, and they both so do. Van continues to press the pace, and he connects with numerous shots before attempting a single-leg takedown. The 22-year-old bails on it so he can open up with strikes to the head, which then allow him to work the body. The offense of Van continues to keep his foe guessing, and Borjas tries to retaliate and counter with step-in knees or other single powerful blows, but Van largely sees them coming and blocks or dodges them. Van jabs up high, punches the body and then kicks low to light up all targets like the dummy on “Three Ninjas.” Van shows no sign of slowing, flowing with offense and chaining strikes together. Borjas tags him with a jump knee, and Van takes a right hand on the chin that shakes him up. A rattled Van maintains the composure to get hold of a body lock and throw Borjas down to the mat, and he quickly steps over to half guard. From there, Van sneaks into side control and looks to maintain a crucifix that turns into a scarf hold with an armlock. Borjas brilliantly sweeps “The Fearless” and dumps him on his back, where he uses the position to take the back. As Van continues to move wildly, he gets back on top. Van rides out the round on top with a few ground strikes, concluding a thrilling 15-minute affair.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Van (29-28 Van)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Van (29-28 Van)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Van (29-28 Van)

The Official Result
Joshua Van def. Kevin Borjas via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Nov 5, 2023 (6 days before fight)

Joshua Van

Angelo picks Van, citing his patience, cardio, and grappling advantage. He thinks Van can avoid Borjas' combinations and use takedowns. He avoids betting due to the short odds and Van's youth, but believes Van is the more well-rounded fighter.

"Josh is going to be the pick here I'm going to avoid betting especially at the two to1 odds."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Nov 6, 2023 (5 days before fight)

Joshua Van

Big Brady picks Joshua Van to win by second-round knockout. He is impressed by Van's power for a flyweight and his slick submission game. He notes Borjas is willing to eat one to give one and has been hurt before, which is dangerous against a power puncher like Van. Brady trusts Van's durability and defensive soundness in what he expects to be a war.

Van by second-round knockout

"Give me Joshua Van to win this fight, I'll take him to win this fight by second round knockout."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Nov 8, 2023 (3 days before fight)

Joshua Van

Cody picks Van, impressed by his debut win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov on short notice. He notes Van's footwork, timing, and athleticism, and thinks he'll only improve with a full camp. He expects Van to outpoint Borjas with counters and maybe mix in takedowns.

"van full Camp getting older look good to me man so I gotta I got to go with him here"

Bookie Beatdown

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Nov 7, 2023 (4 days before fight)

Joshua Van

Van has a huge technical striking advantage over Borjas, being too slick and fast on the feet. Even if Borjas tries to take it to the ground, Van has improved takedown defense and submission ability off his back. Borjas has faced poor competition and this is too big a step up. Expects Van to run away with the fight and possibly find a finish later on.

"I like van here and I wouldn't even be surprised if van ends up finding a finish later on in this matchup"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Nov 8, 2023 (3 days before fight)

Joshua Van

Paul picks Van, noting his impressive performance against Zhumagulov and his cardio. He thinks Van's striking and movement will be too much for Borjas, who is making his UFC debut. He sees Van as a legitimate prospect.

"van was pretty impressive against Jus for a 21y old kid... I'm with you van is the pick for me"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Nov 6, 2023 (5 days before fight)

Joshua Van

The MMA Guru picks Joshua Van, impressed by his debut win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov. He notes Van's composed striking, good jab, low kicks, and Muay Thai style. He thinks Van is better than Kevin Borjas and will win with his striking technique.

"I'm gonna go with Joshua van I was really impressed with Joshua Van's debut... I just think his striking technique is going to be the difference in this fight"

THE MMA GURU

André Lima

Kevin Borjas

Career Averages - André Lima

Career Averages - Kevin Borjas

André Lima

Kevin Borjas

André Lima - Fight History

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Kevin Borjas - Fight History

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