Gabriel Bonfim

Gabriel 'Marretinha' (Sledgehammer) Bonfim is a 28-year-old Brazilian welterweight from Brasilia who has built a 19-1 pro record on the back of submission grappling and relentless forward pressure. Starting his career in Brazilian regional promotions, he amassed an undefeated record before winning the LFA Welterweight Championship in 2022, then earning a UFC contract via Dana White's Contender Series. Since stepping into the Octagon in early 2023, Bonfim has made an immediate mark with five UFC wins in his first six fights, climbing to #11 in the UFC welterweight rankings.

Bonfim's style is built around opportunistic grappling and clinch work. He lands 68% of his wins by submission - mostly guillotines, rear-naked chokes, and arm triangles - and has accumulated eight first-round finishes across his pro career. While not a pure striker, he uses standing exchanges to set up entries to the ground, where his grappling becomes nearly inescapable. His lone UFC loss came to Nicolas Dalby in November 2023, a second-round TKO that nonetheless earned Fight of the Night honors and taught him the importance of arriving in peak condition.

Since that loss, Bonfim has rebounded with four straight wins, including two Performance of the Night bonuses. His recent victories over Khaos Williams and Randy Brown - the latter a TKO on the biggest stage of his career, headlining UFC Fight Night 264 - have signaled his arrival as a legitimate top-15 threat. He now finds himself matched against former UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad in a June 2026 main event, a huge step up that reflects his rapid ascent. Bonfim trains at Bonfim Brothers Academy alongside his brother Ismael, also a UFC fighter, and carries the story of a family that overcame hardship to reach combat sports' elite level.