Gabriel Bonfim continued his rise through the UFC welterweight division in spectacular fashion on Saturday night.
Bonfim (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) knocked out Randy Brown (20-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC) in the main event at UFC Vegas 111 to earn his fourth consecutive win at 170 pounds. However, many fellow fighters were quick to criticize referee Mark Smith’s stoppage.
Both fighters landed punches and fell to the canvas simultaneously. Although Brown’s eyes rolled back as he hit the ground, he immediately protested the stoppage, which quickly became the main talking point afterward—overshadowing Bonfim’s victory.
“Marretinha” moved to shut down that conversation right away, insisting the stoppage was justified.
“He was asleep, guys,” Bonfim said during the UFC Vegas 111 post-fight press conference. “He was knocked out. I saw his eyes were in the back of his head.”
Bonfim has now won four straight fights since returning from the only loss of his career against Nicolas Dalby two years ago. The Brazilian currently sits at No. 14 in the welterweight rankings thanks to his impressive form and has his sights firmly set on the division title.
“You guys can see the loss to Dalby changed me completely,” Bonfim said. “I know what I had to do. I had to level up. You guys see what I’m doing right now. All you’ve got to expect from me in 2026 is being among the top five before I become the champion of this weight class.”
Bonfim sees former 3-time title challenger Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) as his gateway into the top ten of the welterweight rankings. “Chaos” is perched at no. 10 in the rankings despite not having competed at all this year.
“He’s the one that’s holding up the weight class,” Bonfim said about Covington. “He doesn’t want to fight. He’s ranked. He’s holding up the weight class, and I need to be the one to retire him.”
