Fighters Only : The Calm Before Freedom 250: UFC Vegas 118 Main Card Breakdown

Paul Browne

Jun 04, 2026

All eyes are on next week's Freedom 250 event on the front lawn of the White House, but before that happens, there's the small matter of a fight card at the UFC Apex this weekend.

Former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) returns to action after suffering back-to-back defeats to Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry. "Remember the Name" moves down the rankings in this weekend's main event when he takes on rising Brazilian contender Gabriel Bonfim (19-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

Let's take a look at the main card action ahead of UFC Vegas 118 this Saturday night.

#5 Belal Muhammad vs. #11 Gabriel Bonfim (Welterweight)

Belal Muhammad's crowning moment came in July 2024 when he dominated Leon Edwards at UFC 304 to become the UFC welterweight champion. While he may have been on cloud nine after that victory, the reality is that he hasn't managed to pick up a win since.

The welterweight title picture appears to have moved on without him for now, but Muhammad may feel that a couple of wins could catapult him right back into contention.

Standing in his way is Gabriel Bonfim, who enters the bout riding a four-fight winning streak and has finished four of his six UFC opponents to date. That said, "Marretinha" has yet to face a grappler of Muhammad's caliber, and this weekend's matchup represents a significant step up in competition for the Brazilian.

#4 Brendan Allen vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (Middleweight)

After upsetting the odds and derailing Reinier de Ridder's hype train in emphatic fashion last October, Brendan Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) could be forgiven for hoping for another marquee matchup this time around.

Instead, the South Carolina native has been paired with the unranked Edmen Shahbazyan (16-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC). Once viewed as a future middleweight champion, "The Golden Boy" saw his momentum stall after suffering three consecutive defeats.

Since then, Shahbazyan has gotten back on track and enters this weekend's co-main event riding a three-fight winning streak, with a potential top-10 ranking awaiting him if he gets his hand raised once again.

#14 Fares Ziam vs. Tom Nolan (Lightweight)

Fares Ziam (18-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is another fighter enjoying a strong run of form. The Frenchman owns the longest active winning streak in the lightweight division at six fights and puts his ranking on the line against Australia's Tom Nolan (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) this weekend.

Nolan also enters the event with momentum on his side. Since suffering a loss to Nikolas Motta in his UFC debut in January 2024, "Big Train" has rattled off four consecutive victories to put himself within touching distance of the lightweight top 15.

Bryce Mitchell vs. Santiago Luna (Bantamweight)

The ever-controversial Bryce Mitchell (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) returns for his second outing at 135 pounds when he takes on Santiago Luna (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC).

After moving down from featherweight last summer, "Thug Nasty" got his bantamweight campaign off to a successful start by earning a decision victory over Said Nurmagomedov last July.

The undefeated Luna steps in to replace the injured Victor Henry on just a few weeks' notice. He has picked up wins over Quang Le and Angel Pacheco since joining the UFC last September.

Iwo Baraniewski vs. Junior Tafa (Light Heavyweight)

Polish powerhouse Iwo Baraniewski (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has made a major impact since signing with the UFC late in 2025. He announced his arrival with an explosive 89-second battle against Ibo Aslan at UFC 323 in December before knocking out Austen Lane in just 28 seconds at UFC London in March.

With all eight of his professional victories coming by first-round KO or TKO, Baraniewski has quickly established himself as one of the division's most dangerous prospects.

Junior Tafa (7-5 MMA, 3-5 UFC) will likely need to weather an early storm if he hopes to emerge victorious this Saturday night.