Diego Silva and Marlon Vera will face each other in a grappling match at Hype FC in Sao Paulo, scheduled for the night of April 8-9. This bout will serve as the main event of the evening. The previously anticipated matchup between Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett will not take place at this event. The co-main event will feature Deiveson Figueiredo versus Adrian Rosas Jr., as announced earlier.
Bantamweight contender Marlon Vera and grappler Diego Silva are set to meet in a submission grappling main event at Hype FC in Sao Paulo on the night of April 8-9, organizers have confirmed.
Vera, known as "Chito," enters the grappling contest ranked seventh in the UFC bantamweight division with a professional MMA record of 23-12-1. The 33-year-old Ecuadorian out of Team Oyama fights out of a switch stance and stands five-foot-eight with a 70-inch reach. He averages 4.18 significant strikes per minute in MMA competition and has shown a willingness to mix disciplines throughout his career, averaging 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
The event had previously been expected to feature a matchup between lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan and sixth-ranked Paddy Pimblett. Pimblett, the 31-year-old Liverpool native known as "The Baddy," carries a 23-4-0 record and is one of the division's more active strikers, landing 5.49 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy. That pairing will not take place at this Sao Paulo card.
Rounding out the top of the bill, the co-main event pits former two-division UFC champion Deiveson Figueiredo against Adrian Rosas Jr. Figueiredo, nicknamed "Deus da Guerra," is 38 years old and hails from Brazil. He holds a record of 25-6-1, currently sits fifth in the bantamweight rankings, and brings a strong grappling base to the table, averaging 1.61 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 53 percent striking accuracy.
Why it matters
- Vera's appearance on a grappling card tests his submission game away from the MMA format
- Figueiredo vs. Rosas Jr. keeps one of bantamweight's most decorated veterans active on home soil
- The Tsarukyan-Pimblett lightweight matchup remains unscheduled following its removal from this event
