Gabriel Bonfim has officially entered the conversation at the top of the welterweight division.
If he wasn’t already apparent, Bonfim (20-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) solidified himself as a top contender as he swept muhammad/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Belal Muhammad (24-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC), winning every round from every judge, resulting in a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45). The bout headlined fight-night-278-muhammad-vs-bonfim/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">UFC Fight Night 278, which took place Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
Bonfim remained patient for much of the fight, landing the harder and more accurate shots. If evidence was needed of this being the case, Muhammad’s face served as that. By the end of the fight, his face was soaked, as he struggled to not only hit Bonfim, but also see his target.
Neither fighter was taken down or knocked down in the fight. It was more of a technical striking battle. The two fighters threw nearly the same amount of strikes, but Bonfim landed 18 percent more accurately with significant strikes – leading to the lopsided scorecards.
With the win, Bonfim adds the biggest name to his resume to date and extends his winning streak to five. His lone career loss was in November 2023 to Nicolas Dalby, who came-from-behind in rallying fashion to TKO the Brazilian.
“JDM, stay ready,” Bonfim said during his in-cage interview. “You’re next,” referring to the former UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena (18-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC).
In defeat, Muhammad slides into a three-fight skid. He lost the title to Della Maddalena in May 2025, then lost to Ian Machado Garry in November. Like Saturday’s bout, both of those losses were unanimous decisions.
Gabriel Bonfim def. Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
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