Gabriel
Bonfim did not request entry to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight elite. He demanded
it.
A potent jab and devastating leg kicks carried the Dana White’s
Contender Series graduate to a unanimous decision over Belal
Muhammad in the
UFC Fight Night 278 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. All three judges turned in 50-45 scorecards for Bonfim
(20-1, 7-1 UFC), who has emerged as a genuine threat at 170
pounds.
Muhammad (24-6, 15-6) was beaten to the punch over and over again.
Bonfim bloodied the bridge of the VFS Academy cornerstone’s nose
with repeated jabs, controlled the real estate from the center of
the cage and forced the former champion onto his back foot. He did
his best work in Round 3, where he snapped back Muhammad’s head
with a vicious three-two and later sent his mouthpiece flying with
a mean right cross. Bonfim dialed down his aggression across the
final 10 minutes but did more than enough to maintain his lead, all
while avoiding any Hail Mary shots from his adversary.
Meanwhile, former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Brendan
Allen stood his ground at 185 pounds and laid claim to a
unanimous decision over Edmen
Shahbazyan in their three-round middleweight co-main event.
Allen (27-7, 15-4 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 30-27 and
29-28 marks from the assigned judiciary.
Shahbazyan (16-6, 9-6 UFC) was a game underdog. The Xtreme Couture
standout pestered Allen with his jab, body-head combinations and
occasional leg kicks throughout the 15-minute encounter. Allen
landed more of the consequential strikes, routinely fired right
hands over the top, mixed in kicks and slashed away with
close-range elbow strikes, one of which opened a gnarly cut near
his opponent’s left eye. His offensive variety was a
differentiator.
The 30-year-old Allen has won three fights in a row.
Deeper into the draw, Team Compton Training Centre export Tom Nolan
sprang a mild upset and perhaps secured a place for himself in the
Top 15 with a unanimous decision over Fares Ziam
in their three-round lightweight showcase. All three cageside
judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Nolan (11-1, 5-1 UFC).
Ziam (18-5, 8-3 UFC) seemed to be a step behind the Aussie for much
of the match. Nolan kept the Frenchman at bay with a heavy dose of
kicks, held his own in the clinch, completed multiple takedowns and
paired intermittent ground-and-pound with suffocating top control.
Ziam rallied in the third round, where he executed two takedowns of
his own and even climbed to full mount at one point. However, the
finish the onetime Lyon Fighting Championship titleholder sought
never materialized.
Nolan, 26, finds himself on a five-fight winning streak.
Elsewhere, Barata MMA rep Bryce
Mitchell put away the previously unbeaten Santiago
Luna with an arm-triangle choke late in the third round of
their bantamweight attraction. A short-notice substitution for
Victor
Henry, Luna (8-1, 2-1 UFC)
conceded defeat 4:52 into Round 3.
The 31-year-old Mitchell (19-3, 10-3 UFC) leaned on takedowns and
scrambles, moved from one dominant position to the next and slowly
but surely broke the prospect’s spirit. He lured Luna into his
guard in the third round, extricated himself from an attempted
brabo choke and assumed top position. Mitchell ultimately scrambled
to the back, threatened with a face crank and floated back to full
mount. From there, he framed the arm-triangle, cleared the legs and
let his squeeze to the rest.
Mitchell has now secured more than half (10) of his 19 career
victories via submission.
Finally, burgeoning Aligatores Fight Club star Iwo
Baraniewski dismissed Junior Tafa
with a vicious low kick and follow-up punches in the first round of
their light heavyweight appetizer. A late-notice fill-in for
Billy
Elekana, Tafa (7-6, 3-6 UFC) succumbed to blows 1:25 into Round
1.
Baraniewski (9-0, 3-0 UFC) targeted his counterpart’s lower
extremities from the outset, engaged him in a brief clinch and
disengaged. He then blasted Tafa’s lead calf with a kick that spun
around “The Juggernaut” and deposited him on the canvas.
Baraniewski stepped forward, hovered above the shelled-up Kiwi and
let fly with standing-to-ground punches to prompt the stoppage.
The 27-year-old Baraniewski has finished all nine of his opponents
inside one round.
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