Gabriel Bonfim eyes UFC headliner: ‘Win over Belal Muhammad puts me in contention’

Gabriel Bonfim believes a victory over former champion Belal Muhammad can make him a legitimate UFC welterweight contender. The welterweight division has seen two title changes in the past 18 months, several contenders have emerged, and as UFC Fight Night prepares for another welterweight main event showdown, former champion Belal Muhammad, the division’s most consistent performer for most of the past five years, finds himself on a two-game losing streak and quickly losing ground in a crowded division.Opposite him is the marauding Brazilian Gabriel Bonfim, who is riding a four-game winning streak.Still, at UFC Apex, Bonfimo, who will be making his second straight main event appearance, has a lot riding on this fight if he wants to get into the conversation for that 170-pound title. Coming off his last fight — a statement knockout victory over veteran Randy Brown — it was a performance that suggested the former Dana White’s Contender Series winner was finally ready to make it to the big leagues.“I’m more focused, more dedicated and hungrier to become the champion of this division,” Bonfim told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview ahead of UFC Fight Night on June 7.Bonfim has never lacked confidence and a Brown victory would only strengthen that. Against former champion Muhammad, he will need all his confidence and more to prevail.What’s unique about Bonfi is that his recent run has showcased every facet of his game: knockout, submission and decision wins. During his early foray into MMA, he developed his skills significantly as he was primarily known as a submission specialist.“I believe I’ve shown that I’m a complete fighter. I can attack and I can grapple. I think I’ve proven to the division that I’m a versatile fighter and that my striking deserves respect,” Bonfim says when asked what he’s taking from Brown’s fight heading into his fight with Muhammad.While Muhammad is known for his pressure, relentless attacks and ability to disrupt even the best game plans by making fights uncomfortable, Muhammad likes to take opponents deep into matches and often emerges as the more determined fighter at the end of a long grind.Four of Muhammad’s five-round fights in the UFC have gone the distance, winning three times, while Bonfim has only gone the distance twice, both in three rounds.And despite Muhammad’s back-to-back losses to Ian Machado Garry and Jack Della Maddalena, Bonfi is taking little of the former champion lightly.“Belal Muhammad is very dangerous because he is a fighter who is always moving forward. He constantly applies pressure and likes to disrupt the game plans of his opponents. He likes to make things difficult and create chaos in the fight. This pressure is one of his greatest strengths.”And that’s exactly what the veteran Muhammad excels at – he builds pressure, doesn’t allow opponents to settle into their rhythm, and gradually takes over.But for Bonfim, this is where his three-month camp becomes crucial, focusing on the very aspects that make Muhammad such a dangerous business: locking up, wrestling, and his ability to control fights on the ground.“During this camp, we worked a lot on specific strategies for him. First of all, we focused a lot on takedown defense and also on getting back to our feet quickly if he takes us down. It was a very intense camp. We spent three months working specifically on this strategy,” says Bonfim.Bonfim is also wary of the fact that Muhammad will likely try to go deep into the fight and hopes to rely on the experience gained from his previous build-up to the main event, even though he doesn’t yet have extensive five-round fight experience.“This fight is different because it’s probably going to be a lot more intense and he could very well go the full five rounds. I’d say there’s a 90% chance he goes the distance.”“We gained valuable experience from the previous camp. Of course we trained for five rounds and only needed two for the knockout, but the preparation and experience is still there.”Bonfim is currently just outside the top 10, while Muhammad remains in 5th place. Those two losses halted Muhammad’s momentum, and with Carlos Prates’ huge win over Jack Della Maddalena last month, the race for the No. 1 contender spot is heating up. Islam Makhachev is expected to put his title on the line against Ian Machad Garry later this year.And at 37, while Muhammad may be struggling to stay relevant in a younger, faster division that sees Ian Machado Garry, Michael Morales, Carlos Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov jockey for a spot behind champion Islam Machachev, Bonfim doesn’t want to be left behind.“I think this fight can establish me as a legitimate contender who is ready to fight for the belt whenever the opportunity arises,” said Bonfim.“I believe the win puts me in the position of a contender, someone who can challenge for the title at any time. If that opportunity doesn’t come right away, I still have a lot of top five fighters available to me to face. Those fights would keep me active and allow me to continue to earn while working my way up to the title.”Nevertheless, Bonfim turned heads and would like to continue this trend. When I think about the journey and the beginnings he’s made so far in the UFC, for Bonfimo it’s all about making his family proud and more importantly his daughter. He is driven by a sense of satisfaction.“I believe it would be the result of a job well done. It would be very satisfying because it represents so much hard work and sacrifice. It would make my family proud, the people around me and it would mean a lot to my daughter as well.”“For me, it would be proof that all the work, sweat and dedication was worth it. It would be extremely rewarding and give me a great sense of satisfaction.”Watch UFC Fight Night – Muhammad Vs. Bonfim on 7th June 2026 from 5:30 am IST live on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada) and Sony LIV.