Brazil is one of the countries that has had the most success with mixed martial arts. As a result, the country with a population of 212.6 million has become one of the most popular UFC destinations. And, in the 2025 season, the Dana White-led promotion hopes to return to the South American country. In fact, a top UFC star has already disclosed the mega-return date. So, when will the UFC make its return?

Speaking with @guicruzzz, ‘The Nightmare’ Carlos Prates shared the big news. The UFC welterweight revealed that Dana White is planning an event in Brazil, with a likely date of May 31st. Breaking the news, MMA news journalist @realkevink wrote on X, “🚨FIGHT LOCATION🚨 Carlos Prates told @guicruzzz he heard rumors of a UFC Brasília on May 31st.” It is worth noting that this would be the first time that the UFC has been there since March 2020.

Last time at UFC Brasília, the event was headlined by UFC lightweight championship challenger Kevin Lee and Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira. The fighter from the favelas managed to live up to the expectations of his home country fans as he defeated the challenger by making him submit to a guillotine choke in the third round of the fight. Right now, the responsibility to retain the titles on home soil would be on the shoulders of light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.

Both champions have successfully defended their title thrice, so the Brazilian fans would hope they continue their dream run in front of the home crowd. But while Alex Pereira is still looking for a challenger, with likely names including Jon Jones, Alexandre Pantoja too has chosen a possible opponent whom he might face when the Dana White-led promotion returns to Brazil. So, who is the mystery opponent?

Dana White may get an Alexandre Pantoja fight in Brazil

Alexandre Pantoja can say that he made it through most of the flyweight division. Proof of this is the main fight of UFC 310, where he had to defeat a newcomer from another organization to test himself against an unprecedented challenge until then. Successful, the athlete from Arraial do Cabo is already making plans for his next appearance in the most famous Octagon in the world. After seeing Demetrious Johnson publicly reject his challenge, the Brazilian champion already has another target in mind: Kai Kara-France.

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Pantoja cited the New Zealander as a worthy potential opponent for his next title defense. It is worth mentioning that the two already faced each other in the 24th edition of The Ultimate Fighter. On that occasion, in 2016, the Brazilian defeated Kara-France by unanimous decision of the judges and advanced to the next stage in the promotion’s reality show. Another potential opponent who emerged in recent days was Deiveson Figueiredo who has been eyeing a move back to flyweight after his loss to Petr Yan at this year’s UFC Macau event.

Figueiredo is one of the last men to beat Alexandre Pantoja in professional MMA. The former flyweight champion stressed that he would be interested in returning to his home category and fighting for a rematch against his compatriot. However, ‘Deus da Guerra,’ as he is known, moved up the ranks and fought his last four fights at bantamweight. So possibly the weight cut for flyweights could be an obstacle to progress in negotiations. What do you think? Who will Dana White choose as Pantoja’s next challenge? Let us know in the comments.