The event marked the promotion's 12th visit to Rio de Janeiro and first since UFC 283 in January 2023.[1]
A UFC Flyweight Championship bout between current champion Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg headlined the event.[2]
Former WEC Featherweight Champion and two-time UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo made his return in a bantamweight bout against Jonathan Martinez, after retiring in September 2022.[3]
A lightweight bout between Ismael Bonfim and Vinc Pichel is expected to take place at the event.[4] The pair was previously expected to meet at UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Lewis but the bout was scrapped after Bonfim missed weight.[5]
A middleweight bout between Michel Pereira and Makhmud Muradov was expected to take place at the event.[6] However, Muradov withdrew due to an infection.[7] He was replaced by Ihor Potieria, who is also scheduled to compete against Sharabutdin Magomedov at UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Chimaev on June 22.[8]
A featherweight bout between Jean Silva and William Gomis was scheduled for this event.[9] However, the bout was eventually cancelled due to Gomis suffering a weight cut related illness.[10]