Friday, 22 May 2026. The Sagres Campo Pequeno in Lisbon lit up for a landmark night — WOW FC's large-scale debut in Portugal, the fifth edition of the promotion in 2026. Eleven professional bouts, a cage packed with energy, and three BDZ Management fighters ready to perform on the biggest stage of their careers so far.
Nights like this are why we do what we do. From weigh-ins to walkouts, from corner adjustments between rounds to the final bell, our team was there at every step. Here is our full account of what happened, what the performances revealed, and where each fighter goes from here.
The context: WOW FC arrives in Lisbon
WOW FC — The Way of Warriors Fight Club — is a Spanish MMA promotion that has grown rapidly across Western Europe, with shareholders including Ilia Topuria and Cristiano Ronaldo. Its previous event, WOW 29 in Valencia, drew over 14,000 spectators and set an attendance record for MMA in Western Europe. Bringing the promotion to Lisbon was a natural next step, and the Sagres Campo Pequeno provided an iconic backdrop for the occasion.
For Portuguese MMA, this was more than just another event. It was a signal that the country's fighters are operating on a stage that matters internationally — and our three athletes proved exactly that.
Zé Machado captures the WOW FC interim featherweight title
What happened
Zé Machado. 6-0. All finishes. Main event. Interim featherweight title. If you needed a sentence to summarise the night, that is it.
Zé Machado entered the cage against Henrique Barbosa, the Brazilian veteran with a 10-1 record coming into the fight, in a five-round championship bout at 145 lbs. From the opening bell, Machado brought his signature forward pressure — relentless, suffocating, controlled. He forced Barbosa onto the back foot almost immediately, mixing level changes with sharp combinations that disrupted any rhythm Barbosa tried to establish.
Round one ended with Machado firmly in control. In the second round, he escalated. After securing back mount — the most dominant position in MMA — he unleashed punches until the referee had seen enough. Stoppage at 3:18 of round two. TKO. A new champion is crowned.
What we learned
This performance confirmed several things we already knew but that the wider world needed to see. Machado is not simply a finisher — he is a problem-solver under pressure. Barbosa is a tough, experienced professional. The fact that Machado dismantled him without ever appearing in serious danger speaks to the technical maturity inside that cage.
The back mount finish is particularly telling. Securing that position against a 10-fight veteran requires more than athleticism — it requires timing, grip, positioning, and composure. Machado has all of it.
Zé trains out of Academia Unlimited in Barreiro, a gym that has quietly become one of the sharpest MMA environments in Portugal. The work they are doing there shows every single time he competes.
What comes next
At 6-0 with six finishes — including a regional interim title — Machado is no longer a prospect. He is a contender. The conversation now shifts to the full WOW FC featherweight championship, and beyond that, to the international promotions that scout exactly this kind of profile: undefeated, finishing machine, European champion, with personality.
We will be working hard to ensure the next step matches the level of this achievement. Machado is coming for something bigger. Follow Zé Machado's journey on his fighter profile.
Alex Rita faces adversity for the first time
What happened
Sport is not only glory. It is also the harder lessons — and on Friday night, Alex Rita had to absorb one of the toughest of all: a first professional loss.
Rita stepped into the cage against Vincenzo Bussolotti in the bantamweight division (135 lbs). Bussolotti came in as a 1-0 professional, but carried himself like someone who had trained for this specific moment. The Venezuelan-born fighter, based in Spain, did not dominate on the feet. The striking exchanges stayed close throughout, but his grappling phases proved decisive: he repeatedly forced Rita to defend takedowns and fight off control positions. In a tight contest across the rounds, the judges saw enough to award the decision to Bussolotti.
Record: 0-1.
What we learned
Here is what this loss showed us.
Bussolotti was good. Very good. He took away what Rita wanted, made the fight uncomfortable, and earned his victory. Decisions like this, against an opponent who outthought you on the night, are often more instructive than any win. They show the gaps. They reveal what needs work. They separate fighters who grow from fighters who stagnate.
What we also saw in Rita — and this matters as much as the result — was heart. He did not retreat. He competed until the final horn. At 0-1, with his first professional fight already behind him, he now has information that no gym session can give you.
Rita also trains at Academia Unlimited in Barreiro, which means he returns to a quality environment with coaches who understand how to rebuild and refocus after a setback.
What comes next
The plan has not changed. A loss this early in a career — particularly against a quality opponent — carries very little long-term weight if the response is right. The coming weeks will be about honest review: what worked, what did not, and what the training camp needs to address.
Alex Rita is 0-1. He is also still a professional MMA fighter with his best years ahead of him. The cage does not forget you if you refuse to forget it. View Alex Rita's profile.
Mario Ferreira grinds out a valuable decision win
What happened
If the main event was drama and the co-main was adversity, Mario Ferreira's flyweight (125 lbs) bout against Alejandro Manzorro was something equally important: craft.
Ferreira entered at 1-1 after a mixed start to his professional career, carrying with him the credibility of a 2024 IMMAF European Bronze medallist and two-time Portuguese national champion. Against Manzorro, who was making his professional debut after 22 amateur fights, what unfolded was a war from start to finish. Ferreira lost the opening round and took real damage, his face marked by the exchanges. Round by round he climbed back into the fight, raising the pressure, finding the timing, and finishing stronger than his opponent. The Lisbon crowd loved every second of it: for the people in the building, this was the fight of the night.
Ferreira controlled distance, used his wrestling intelligently, and never allowed Manzorro to dictate the terms of engagement. The judges saw it clearly: decision victory. Record moves to 2-1.
What we learned
Mario Ferreira fights smart. That sounds simple, but it is one of the rarest qualities in young professionals. Many fighters with amateur pedigree try to brawl their way through the early stages of their career and end up building bad habits. Ferreira does the opposite — he uses his technical foundation as a baseline and builds on it.
The win over Manzorro is not a flashy result, but it is a meaningful one. It bounces back from his previous loss, adds to his professional record, and most importantly, it demonstrates that he can produce his best on a major card with pressure on.
He trains out of K.O. Team in Portugal, and the preparation showed. Every position was earned, every transition was deliberate.
What comes next
At 2-1 with serious amateur credentials, Ferreira is at the stage where the choices made about opponents and timing will define the trajectory of the next two to three years. The goal is to keep building quality wins, sharpen the finishing instinct, and continue competing at this level of promotion.
The European flyweight scene has genuine depth, and Ferreira belongs in the conversation at the top of it. View Mario Ferreira's profile.
One night, three stories
Three fighters. Three very different outcomes. One shared experience that nobody who was in the Sagres Campo Pequeno that night will forget quickly.
At BDZ Management, nights like WOW FC 30 reinforce everything we believe about fighter development. You plan meticulously, you prepare relentlessly — and then the cage decides. Our job is to make sure that whatever the cage gives back, our fighters are ready for the next chapter.
Zé Machado is a champion. Alex Rita is learning. Mario Ferreira is building. All three are exactly where they need to be.
The work continues. It always does.