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Among the Rio additions, heavyweight action will see Valter Walker (14-1), whose brother Johnny just had a triumphant night in Shanghai, take on one half of another UFC sibling duo in Mohammed Usman (11-4). Ricardo Ramos (17-7), meanwhile, will face Kaan Ofli (11-4-1) at featherweight.

In another promising booking, welterweight action has Gabriel Bonfim (18-1) paired up with Randy Brown (20-6). Lucas Almeida (15-4) gets Michael Aswell (10-3) in another featherweight addition to the UFC Rio card.

Thanks to the frankly barren landscape at heavyweight in the UFC, Valter Walker is already ranked #14 in the weight class. Usman (brother of ex-welterweight champ Kamaru) is not ranked. None of the remaining aforementioned fighters are currently ranked in their divisions, though for names like Brown, that’s more a matter of depth.

UFC Rio takes place on October 11, 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the Farmasi Arena. Charles Oliveira and Rafael Fiziev headline, with the following match-ups reported for the card to date:

• Charles Oliveira vs. Rafael Fiziev
• Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Montel Jackson
• Vicente Luque vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
• Jhonata Diniz vs. Mário Pinto
• Vitor Petrino vs. Thomas Petersen
• Jafel Filho vs. Clayton Carpenter
• Lucas Rocha vs. Stewart Nicoll
• Julia Polastri vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
• Beatriz Mesquita vs. Irina Alekseeva
• Lucas Almeida vs. Michael Aswell
• Valter Walker vs. Mohammed Usman
• Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown
• Ricardo Ramos vs. Kaan Ofli

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The preliminary card opener found Mohammed Usman, brother of former welterweight champ Kamaru, taking on Hamdy Abdelwahab. Usman, who had entered the promotion via The Ultimate Fighter 30, was looking to snap a two-fight skid; Abdelwahab was 4-0 with a No Contest due to a failed drug test to start the night.

Hamdy Abdelwahab opened the action with a couple of big leg kicks that had Usman clearly uncomfortable. Usman responded by throwing a wild overhand, but Abdelwahab landed another calf kick that tripped Usman up. Those kicks would be the story of the round, which played out on the feet. Almost certainly Abdelwahab’s round.

Abdelwahab was on the attack in round two, until an eye poke landed, halting his progress. After a brief pause, with Abdelwahab indicating he was good to continue, action resumed. Almost immediately, Abdelwahab connected with a jab to the head. Moments later, Usman landed a right hand that had Abdelwahab retreating, clearly feeling it. Another right hand followed moments later; Abdelwahab returned fire, but Usman was taking over the momentum. More right hands followed, Abdelwahab fired a left of his own, and things were starting to open up. They’d finish out the round without any further scares however.

Round three featured more back-and-forth on the feet, with Usman again more active than he had been in the first. He worked the body with jabs, and had the edge in output through the first half of the frame. When Usman changed levels, Abdelwahab swung hard, forcing Mohammed to bail on the takedown attempt, half-hearted as it was. In the final minute, Usman cracked Abdelwahab with another right hand, hurting him. Usman backed the larger man up to the fence, going on the attack, and though he couldn’t find the finish, that sequence may have just won him the round, and fight.

Official Result: Mohammed Usman def. Hamdy Abdelwahab by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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His opponent, Thoams Petersen, a 2023 Contender Series product, was also coming off of a loss. Petersen fell to Jamal Pouges by unanimous decision in his debut with the promotion earlier this year.

The fight began with both men starting off slower, as they looked to measure the distance on the outside. Usman struck first as he landed a solid jab that was returned by Petersen. Thomas tried to look to initiate grappling, and momentarily grabbed a front head lock before he released it. Usman continued to move his feet and landed some strikes on the outside. A couple minutes into the round, Petersen was able to land a couple of punches on a retreating Usman. Midway thru the round, Petersen landed a solid left hand and continued to move forward on Usman as he looked for his opening. Usman defended a takedown from Petersen but ended up eating a knee in the process. A few seconds later and Usman was on the backfoot again as Petersen landed a couple of strikes, grabbed a front headlock and landed a knee. With less than a minute left in the round, Thomas was still coming forward, making Usman look uncomfortable every time he landed a boxing combination.

To open the second round Usman got right back on the jab but was immediately backed up by a combination from Petersen. Another thudding left hand landed for Petersen as Usman’s head snapped back as a result. Usman continued to throw the jab as Petersen answered with a low kick. Usman kept moving and landing strikes and two minutes into the round, Petersen successfully landed a takedown. Midway thru the round after taking a little damage on the ground, Usman was able to complete a technical standup to return to his feet. Usman’s strikes looked more labored when he returned to the feet, but he continued to throw punches. Seconds before the end of the round, Usman grabbed a deep single leg but ultimately released it. The two heavyweights sparingly exchanged till the round expired.

To begin the final round, Petersen landed another huge strike. Usman threw a couple of single shots and was countered multiple times by Petersen. At this point in the fight, Petersen was parrying, blocking or slipping a lot of the jabs of Mohammed. Thomas continued to move forward and found more success with his boxing combinations. Mohammed kept working and landed a few thudding strikes of his own, though labored looking. And with a minute left in the fight, it looked like Usman was getting pieced up by Peterson. With seconds left in the fight Petersen landed a crucial takedown followed up by ground and pound.

Thomas Petersen ended the fight with a wild callout, asking to fight UFC legend, Chael Sonnen in his post-fight interview.

Official Result: Thomas Petersen def. Mohammed Usman by Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)

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After winning The Ultimate Fighter in the season thirty, Usman Won two straight UFC fights, making him a potential contender at heavyweight in the near future if he could get more wins. The same could be said for Parkin, with his undefeated 7-0 record including two in the UFC itself. Only one streak could continue and in the end it was the Manchester man who kept it alive, winning a close decision.

Usman caught Parkin early and staggered the Brit backwards to the fence, but he recovered well and survived the ensuing crazed onslaught from Mohammed. Most of the rest of the round was characterized by 50/50 striking exchanges, with Parkin mostly landing due to leg kicks. Usman had one explosive right hand but it merely snapped Mick’s head back. Though it was a close round, it seemed Mohammed had done more damage through one.

Parkin landed the first big right of the second round, though, clubbing Usman just behind the ear one minute in. However, it remained hard for either man to separate themselves from the other in their striking exchanges, though Usman did open a cut on the forehead of Mick at some point. Mohammed displayed good body punching, a new aspect to his game. They went into the third round potentially tied on the cards.

Usman got off to a strong start in the third round, with his work to Parkin’s body seeming to have slowed the Brit somewhat. Mick nevertheless stayed in the fight, holding his own against a heavily forward-pressing opponent. Usman’s big burst of energy slowed but he still seemed to be landing the bigger shots and throwing with more intensity during the latter half of the final round. Parkin did land one good calf kick that staggered Mohammed, but Usman bounced back and made Mick pay with his hands.

Mick did end strong with a few good punches and that must have been enough to sway the judges, as all three gave him the fight by a score of 29-28, preserving his undefeated record and ending Usman’s three-fight undefeated UFC run.

Official Result: Mick Parkin def. Mohammed Usman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Among a handful of newly announced bouts, British heavyweight Mick Parkin steps in to replace Chris Barnett, with the new pairing representing two of the top prospects in the division.

Usman (10-2) won The Ultimate Fighter 30 at heavyweight and has yet to taste defeat inside the octagon, defeating Jake Collier and Justin Tafa and knocking out Zac Pauga to claim the TUF crown. Usman, brother of former UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, has seen both his post-TUF fights go the distance.

Mick Parkin (8-0) has yet to taste defeat in his professional career period. The 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series product went 2-0 last year.

In addition to Usman vs. Parkin, Russian women’s bantamweight Dariya Zgeleznykova (8-1) also makes her debut on March 23, against the undefeated Montserrat Rendon of Mexico. With the division thinned out in recent years, Zgeleznykova offers some much needed fresh blood (as does Rendon, for that matter, who is 1-0 in the company so far).

The UFC’s March 23 event takes place at the Apex in Las Vegas with the following match-ups announced/reported:

• Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas
• Billy Quarantillo vs. Gabriel Miranda
• Mohammed Usman vs. Mick Parkin
• Kurt Holobaugh vs. Trey Ogden
• Ricardo Ramos vs. Julian Erosa
• Davey Grant vs. Cody Gibson
• Jarno Errens vs. Steven Nguyen
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Duško Todorović
• Fernando Padilla vs. Luis Pajuelo
• Karl Williams vs. Junior Tafa
• Montserrat Rendon vs. Darya Zheleznyakova

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Collier had formerly competed as a middleweight, and came into the fight at 256lbs, giving him a sizeable weight advantage over the 237lb Usman. Collier had also poked the bear a little, questioning Usman’s fighting ability in comparison to older brother (and former UFC welterweight champ) Kamaru Usman.

Early in the fight, Collier connected with a left that most certainly got Usman’s attention. That led Usman to thinking about a takedown; the pair wound up in a clinch, with Collier looking for a standing choke. Usman avoided that, but ate a knee before Collier took a coupe swings. Usman did fire back, catching Collier, and began landing his jab.

In the second half of the round, both men found success with their hands, trading punches in bunches. Collier’s own jab hit its mark more than once; Usman went to the body repeatedly, something that could pay dividends later in the fight. A fun start to the fight, and certainly active by heavyweight standards.

Usman took a big swing early in round two, but it was Collier clinching, looking to land a knee. Off the break, Usman jammed his fingers directly into the right eye of Collier, bringing an immediately halt to the action. Collier smashed his fists on the canvas in frustration, clearly in pain. After about four minutes and an exam by the doctor, Collier was allowed to continue— and he got back underway by chopping at Usman’s legs. Collier was showing blood from a cut by his left eye, but continued to press forward. Usman, however, was splitting the guard with his jab, and appeared to have settled in.

Round three opened with a Collier calf kick; he also hit the mark with his jab. Usman fired a right hand that was blocked, but the pair then exchanged jabs with both connecting. Usman then closed the distance looking for a takedown, taking Collier to the fence. He stayed on the attempt, grabbed a single leg up high, and eventually dumped Collier, dodging an upkick to get on top.

In a fight that was very likely tied coming into the third round, that takedown appeared to be key. Usman was in half-guard with two minutes to go. Usman looked to get busy and flirted with a kimura, and an arm-triangle choke, and Collier came back late with an arm-lock attempt of his own, but they would go the distance with Mohammed Usman finishing strong.

Official Result: Mohammed Usman def. Jake Collier by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Usman (9-2) went the distance with Tafa, securing a hard-fought unanimous decision victory. When the scores were being announced, the heavyweight was 100% confident he had the win in the bag.

“I feel like I got the job done all across the board,” Usman told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “It was a tough fight for me because of the eight months off from my first fight, and I had my surgery on my thumb.” Usman, brother of former UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, noted that he was in good shape for the fight, “but when you get in there, it’s different. The eight months away, I felt it.”

“It wasn’t that you were tired, it’s that when you mix that in with adrenaline, it’s almost like you’re powerless. So it was good. I’m glad I got the job done, that’s the number one thing.”

“The Motor” added that fights “aren’t always going to be pretty, but when you go out there and beat these guys that are really good guys, it’s a testament to my coaches and to everything we work for.”

In terms of a turnaround, Usman doesn’t want to stay down long, and is looking to fight again this summer. “We’re looking at August, August turnaround,” he stated. “I want to jump back in there. I don’t have no injuries, God willing. I feel good. Let’s go. Time waits for no one.”

Past August, he’s looking to get one more fight in to close out the year.

“We’re going to do two more fights this year. God willing, knock on wood we’re going to do two more fights this year. I’m healthy, I’m going to do one in August, and we’ll try to get one in December,” said Usman. “I’m very confident, and I’m very focused. And I want to get this done.”

The heavyweight noted that he’s still learning, and falling in love with the process. “Every fight ain’t gonna be pretty, every fight ain’t gonna be Guns N’ Roses, man. Especially when I’m in the UFC heavyweight division.”

Heavyweight, according to Usman, is different. “Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of weight classes, a lot of divisions, but at heavyweight, in the UFC, ain’t nothing pretty about what we do here man. I would love to go out and just wrestle and roll around and look good in front of these people. But it’s different when you have a guy who’s 260 pounds throwing a sledgehammer at you. That’s a whole different sport.”

“So yeah man, I want to fight two more times this year, and God willing, I’m going to go 3-0 this year, roll them over to my next year, then get into the top 15. Then start that climb. Everything’s on course to be exactly where we want.”

Watch our full interview with UFC heavyweight Mohammed Usman above.

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In other words, it was a family affair, plus a contrast in body types, with Tafa an undersized heavyweight who had previously fought at 205, and Usman a mountain of muscle.

A minute into the fight Usman shot in on the legs trying to take the kickboxer down. Tafa did a good job keeping Usman upright. Tafa was defending well but had trouble getting his back off the cage. Usman wasn’t doing much but was wearing on Tafa with his physical strength. A minute left and Tafa escaped and went to work. He landed on Usman which had Usman on skates for the last minute. Tafa was throwing extremely wild but landed a few big shots getting that round back. Wild ending to the round after a stale first four minutes.

In round two there was a quickly failed takedown from Usman. Tafa got back to work throwing his hands. Every time he landed Usman’s body language was very concerning. Usman was able to grab a hold of Tafa and get the takedown finally. Usman was heavy on top but wasn’t improving his position. Usman wasn’t doing anything to improve his position. On the other side, Tafa was just lost off his back and ended the round there.

In the final round, both fighters were visibly tired. After the second round, Usman went right after the takedown and eventually got it. More stalling from Usman on top but Tafa had no answer to get back to his feet. With a minute left Tafa did eventually get to his feet and did hurt Usman with an uppercut but ran out of time. They’d go to the scorecards, with all three judges seeing it the same.

Official Result: Mohammed Usman def. Junior Tafa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Junior “The Juggernaut” Tafa
Standing at six-foot-three
Fighting at 245 lbs (heavyweight)
26-years-old
Fighting out of Queensland, Australia
Training out of NTG Fight and Fitness
A pro record of 4-0
4 KO/TKOs

How will Tafa fare in the UFC:

Usually, prospects signing to the UFC with just four pro fights is a big mistake but at 185-265, it’s understandable. Tafa also has a ton of combat sports experience. Tafa fought in kickboxing most notably for three years competing in Glory. He also went 1-0 in both Boxing and Muay Thai. He’s the brother of UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa.

Tafa has the tools to be successful at heavyweight but is better suited at light heavyweight. He made his MMA debut at 205 so it’s something he can go back to. He’s only 4-0 and hasn’t even been in MMA for a full year. Obviously being so new to the sport he’s going to have some shortcomings. With takedown defense, it’s good in space but against the cage, he fails to fight the wrists or underhooks and gets taken down. He’s going to struggle in the UFC off his back with barely any jiu-jitsu.

Tafa is a dangerous striker. For the most part, his hands are sharp. I like the use of the uppercut in his combinations. Tafa is a volume striker that throws from both sides and goes after the body as well. He can get a bit overzealous with his forward pressure swinging wide and coming in recklessly. His chin has looked strong but I don’t like the way he’s getting pressed back and hit by low-budget heavyweights.

Right now I wouldn’t pick Tafa to beat any of the top 15 heavyweights. The bright side is he’s only 4-0 and just 26. With the right build, he could become at the very least a top-ten heavyweight. I think 205 is where he would have more success with fewer wrestling-based fighters. I do like the signing because Tafa is fun, a finisher, and has a lot of upside.

How he matches up with Usman:

I have a lot of concerns with Usman. Usman is a decent wrestler, but his overall takedown ability doesn’t match his look. He’s a big, muscular fighter but isn’t that great of a wrestler considering his build and who his brother is. If he gets Tafa down he’s likely dominating on top. Usman just lacks the technique to be confident he can complete a takedown. Tafa has a massive advantage on the feet and Usman doesn’t have great striking defense. Usman can sleep him with one punch as he did Zac Pauga who was also better technically. It’s a fight Tafa should win as Mo Usman is towards the bottom of the UFC heavyweight division.

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