Ismael Bonfim has been removed from the UFC roster following a first-round knockout loss to Francisco Prado on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 122 at the Meta APEX. The 30-year-old Brazilian came in 7.5 pounds overweight for the bout, his third weight miss in the promotion. It was his fourth straight stoppage loss, leaving him 2-5 in the UFC after entering with an 18-3 record via Dana White's Contender Series. Bonfim posted a statement saying his story does not end here.
Ismael Bonfim is no longer a UFC fighter. The promotion has removed the Brazilian from its roster after a first-round knockout loss to Francisco Prado on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 122 at the Meta APEX.
The release followed a rough night on the scale. Bonfim came in 7.5 pounds over the limit for the bout, the third time he has missed weight in the UFC. The knockout was his fourth consecutive stoppage defeat, and it left him 2-5 inside the promotion.
Bonfim, a 30-year-old from Brazil who fights out of Bonfim Brothers, earned his UFC contract through Dana White's Contender Series, arriving with an 18-3 record. He now stands at 20-8. Known as "Marreta," the orthodox fighter stands five-foot-eight with a 71-inch reach and has landed 4.96 significant strikes per minute at 54 percent accuracy. He has also averaged 1.14 takedowns per 15 minutes. Bonfim posted a statement after the news broke, saying his story does not end here.
Prado, a 24-year-old Argentine representing American Top Team, improved to 13-5 with the win. The orthodox striker, five-foot-ten with a 69-inch reach, lands 3.79 significant strikes per minute at 44 percent accuracy. He averages 1.08 takedowns and 0.7 submission attempts per 15 minutes, giving him a more varied attack than the finish suggests.
Why it matters
- Three weight misses in the UFC proved costly. A 7.5-pound miss is far beyond a routine scale issue, and the promotion has now acted on a repeated problem.
- The cut closes a run of four straight stoppage losses, a streak that left Bonfim with little room to stay.
- Prado picks up a first-round finish on the prelims, a useful result for a 24-year-old still early in his UFC run.
Bonfim's departure ends a UFC stint that began with promise out of the Contender Series. His record outside the promotion remains respectable, and his own statement suggests he intends to keep fighting elsewhere.
