Gabriel Bonfim is coming off a finish of Randy Brown. |
Getty/UFC
There’s a significant gap in experience in
UFC Fight Night 278 headliner.
On one side is former welterweight champion Belal
Muhammad, a veteran of 20 fights in the UFC who is coming off a
two-fight losing streak. On the other side is Gabriel
Bonfim, a Brazilian talent nine years younger who is climbing
the rankings with a 6-1
UFC mark. This is the dynamic of Saturday’s featured bout at
the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Despite being the betting favorite (-200 to +150), Bonfim revealed
to Sherdog.com that he prepared for the most difficult fight of his
life.
“After he lost the belt wanting to prove himself standing up with
[Jack
Della Maddalena], I don’t believe he’ll come to strike with
me,” Bonfim said. “After all, one of his strengths is the cage
game. I think he’ll look for this game similar to what [Nicolas]
Dalby did. But I trained a lot to avoid his [grappling]. I think
Ian
Garry showed the way, breaking his game. The idea is to move
around, defend takedowns, use low kicks and connect with my hard
hands. My goal is always to knock him out.”
The 28-year-old Bonfim is coming off a beautiful knockout of
Randy
Brown in November that improved his professional record to
19-1. Prior to that win, Bonfim’s most notable victory was his
split-decision win over past title challenger Stephen
Thompson last July.
Close to the Belt
Bonfim revealed that his brother, Ismael
Bonfim, was a significant presence during his preparation for
Muhammad.
“My brother is getting ready to make his 170 debut,” Bonfim said.
“He helped me a lot in this camp.”
Bonfim believes a knockout win over Muhammad would propel him into
the Top 5 of the UFC rankings and put him one victory away from a
title shot.
“The division is all bunched up at the top,” Bonfim said. “Garry
beat Belal, and [he’s expected to] be the next to fight for the
title. I believe that if I win convincingly against a former
champion, who is currently ranked fifth, I should either have one
more fight or go straight for the title. Welterweight is probably
the most difficult category in the whole UFC. Any fight is just
like a title fight, so my focus now is 100% on Belal
Muhammad.”