Former UFC welterweight champion and Chicago native Belal Muhammad had no answers for Brazil’s Gabriel Bonfim, who secured his 20th win in 21 MMA fights by securing a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) win in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Bonfim (20-1) used crisp boxing to bloody and batter Muhammad’s nose throughout the 25-minute fight.
Through a translator, Bonfim showed respect to Muhammad (24-6, 1 NC) for his toughness and resolve, thanking him for a competitive fight.
“Our game plan, we put it (into) perfection, and it happened,” Bonfim said following the win.
Bonfim said he wants to remain “active,” teasing a possible fight with fellow former champion Jack Della Maddalena down the road.
Muhammad became the UFC welterweight titleholder in July 2024 against Leon Edwards at UFC 304, but he couldn’t capitalize on the championship momentum with back-to-back losses (and relinquishing his title) following the career-defining moment entering Saturday’s contest.
The middleweight co-main event saw an all-action striking affair between Brendan Allen of Brazil and Edmen Shahbazyan, which ended with Allen maintaining his top-five ranking. Allen (27-7) earned a unanimous decision win, taking the cards 30-27, 29-28, 30-27. Shahbazyan (16-6) had his three-fight winning streak halted, as he had not lost since August 2024.
In a back-and-forth lightweight affair, Australian Tom Nolan overcame Frenchman Fares Ziam by unanimous decision, taking the cards 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Nolan (11-1) extended his winning streak to five, dragging Ziam into a grueling fight primarily spent in numerous grappling exchanges while also mixing up strikes on the feet. Ziam (18-5) saw his six-fight unbeaten streak end, which had lasted since September 2022.
At bantamweight, Bryce Mitchell found an opening in the closing seconds of the third round to secure an arm-triangle submission win over Mexico’s Santiago Luna. Mitchell (19-4) has earned 10 wins by submission, handing Luna (8-1) his first loss as a professional. Mitchell remains unbeaten since moving to bantamweight after initially entering the promotion at featherweight. Luna accepted the fight on about a week’s notice, as Mitchell was initially slated to fight Victor Henry, who withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
Light heavyweight Iwo Baraniewski of Poland needed 1:25 to extend his first-round finishing streak to nine, utilizing consecutive leg kicks followed by ground-and-pound to secure a TKO of Australian Justin Tafa to begin the main card. Baraniewski (9-0) said he’s interested in a top-15 opponent and a quick turnaround for his next fight, while Tafa (7-6) has dropped three of his last four UFC appearances.
–Field Level Media
