Fialho has already appeared in this space once before, and could honestly have landed here in advance of each of his first three trips into the Octagon.
The Portuguese welterweight, who takes on Jake Matthews this weekend, was highlighted ahead of his April 16 fight with Miguel Baeza, which he won by first-round stoppage, and then followed it up with a quick turnaround and second consecutive first-round finish against Cameron VanCamp three weeks later. Having debuted in the UFC in January with a short-notice loss to Michel Pereira, Fialho is poised to step into the Octagon for the fourth time this year in Singapore, giving him a very good chance of establishing a new record for number of appearances in a single year.
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What stands out about Fialho right now — besides the fact that he keeps making this three- and four-week returns — is his composure in the fray and the gnarly power he possesses in his hands. He showed in that debut outing against Pereira that he’s confident enough to stand with a surging contender and won the opening round before the Brazilian took control, and his wins over both Baeza and VanCamp came in bouts where Fialho took a couple good shots before landing his own telling blow.
Saturday’s matchup with Matthews is another step up in competition and his first pairing with someone that may not willfully stand and trade with him in the center of the cage. The Australian veteran — who is still only 27, despite debuting in the UFC eight years ago — is an excellent athlete and high-level grappler that has started to play to his strengths a little more in recent outings.
Fialho has already established himself as one to keep a close eye on in the welterweight division as a result of the torrid schedule he’s keeping and impressive performances he’s already submitted this year, but a win over Matthews would further elevate his profile. The Sanford MMA product looks like he could be a contender in the 170-pound weight class in the not too distant future, and he could further confirm that on Saturday.
