Oh, how the turn tables. Bonfim (20-6, 2-3 UFC) and his brother
were the talk of the town off of their shared episode of DWCS in
2022. Now, this Bonfim has dropped three of four, all by stoppage,
and Boxing Squad’s Sola (11-1-1, 1-1 UFC) is up next to see if he
can rearrange the Brazilian’s face. Referee Marc Goddard clocks in
the lightweights as they share a swift clap of hands.
Sola is quick to get behind a jab, claiming the center of the cage
and pushing forward. The smaller Bonfim kicks him in the knee, and
Sola responds with a body kick that lands with an audible thud.
Bonfim reaches with a left hand and is just out of range, and he
catches a body kick and throws the Frenchman to his seat against
the fence. Sola wall-walks, and Bonfim is all-in for a single. Sola
elbows him in the side of the head while defending the takedown and
keeping his balance, and he starts to put some mustard into the
elbows. A number land at the top of the head on the mohawk line,
and Goddard shouts him down to knock it off. Goddard asks for more
activity from Bonfim, as Sola is the only one doing something as he
pounds on the Brazilian. Bonfim stays in on the single, and Sola
hammerfists away. His efforts have cut Bonfim, whose face starts
leaking on the mat.
As Sola keeps driving home his elbow on the temple, Bonfim’s will
fades and he slumps over. Sola uses this to drop down and fasten an
anaconda choke, keeping Bonfim down to bash him with right hands
when the choke dissipates. Bonfim sways and stays desperately
pursuing that single, and Sola strikes him in the back of the head
a few times. Bonfim rolls over to his back and takes a few elbows
to set up an armbar.
Sola punches his way through it, and he threatens with a brabo
choke as Bonfim rolls to his side. This is the worst place for the
Brazilian, as Sola turns along with him to completely lock this
choke down. Sola’s arm beneath the chin, hooking it beneath the
far-side armpit, allows him to exert heavy shoulder pressure to
force Bonfim to surrender.
Bonfim taps, Sola releases
the grip, and Bonfim looks genuinely surprised that he was snared
in this type of submission? Meanwhile, Sola, who earned just his
second submission as a pro, looks as if he knew he was going to
pull that off the whole time.
The Official Result
Axel Sola def. Ismael Bonfim R1 4:44 via Submission (Brabo
Choke)

Of the 24 combatants taking the stage throughout the date, just one
of them missed weight: the lightweight Bonfim (20-5, 2-2 UFC)
brother, who eclipsed the 156-pound limit by so much that he is
halfway towards welterweight and his younger bro’s weight category.
He surrenders 25% of his purse to “Taco” Padilla (16-6, 3-0 UFC),
who has defied expectations throughout his limited UFC run thus far
with three wins in three efforts. Drawing the assignment for this
catchweight contest at 161 pounds is referee Chris Tognoni, who
knows full well that Bonfim is ineligible to win a post-fight bonus
even if he does something wild. There is a fist bump. Padilla is the aggressor to start off the fight, resulting in him
actually clashing heads with Bonfim when going forward so fast.
Bonfim threatens back, resulting in Padilla backpedaling to set.
They two clash with shins at the same time, and Bonfim sits down on
a follow-up calf kick. Padilla reaches Bonfim with a left hand, and
Padilla pitches his front kick out from either side until Bonfim
rushes him. Padilla ducks down to smack the Brazilian with a right
hand, and then backs off to dart back in and score a second time.
He beats Bonfim to the punch moving in an out of range, so Bonfim
bites down on his mouthpiece and unloads with a right hand. Padilla
keeps his guard high, but the power of the strikes still moves him
even though he defends against it. Padilla rushes into activity
with a slew of low kicks, kicking Bonfim around the cage so he can
set up a takedown shot. “Taco” does not get the first effort, so he knees the Brazilian in
the guts several times while keeping him pinned to the wall.
Padilla starts to spam these short knees when Tognoni asks for them
to work. Padilla’s full weight and pressure are pushing on Bonfim,
as if he was trying to squeeze Bonfim through the links like
Play-do spaghetti. Bonfim looks to the clock that reads 30 seconds,
and is otherwise pinned in place against the fence. Bonfim changes
things up by getting an underhook and taking Padilla off his feet.
Padilla gets back up and has his jaw jacked by an uppercut and a
knee, but otherwise appears all good as the horn sounds. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Padilla Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Padilla

Padilla reintroduces himself in the second stanza with slapping low
kicks and rangy punches. When Bonfim steps forward to meet him in
the striking exchange, it is Padilla who keeps chipping away to
stifle Bonfim’s movement. The Brazilian answers a heavy calf kick
with a step-in knee and a pair of punches to the dome. Bonfim jabs
him back, swinging a right hand out to bop Padilla on the jaw.
Padilla jams the ball of his foot into Bonfim’s midsection,
spurring Bonfim to rip body shots and come up short with a spinning
strike. Padilla checks a calf kick and opens up with a right hand,
and the two come up just short with standing elbows. Padilla’s
guard is still active enough to block the worst of what comes at
him, and he takes an elbow and a left hand. Bonfim lands a low kick, and Padilla signals to Tognoni that he
does not want a break but that it is the second foul he has
absorbed. He walks the Brazilian down, under fire every step of the
way, and tanking what flies at him. He goes to the body with a
right hand and a knee, and he pins a knee on the Brazilian’s jaw.
Bonfim shoots for a double, and Padilla shuts it down and frames
off his face with a knee. Padilla slashes Bonfim in the temple with
an elbow, and Bonfim hits the deck. Bonfim tries for a leg lock off
his back, and Padilla steps all the way around it and lands several
punches to the back of the head. Bonfim’s energy reserves have reached empty, and Padilla bludgeons
him with a slow, methodical bombardment of left hands. Loud chants
for “Taco” echo in the otherwise empty Apex facility as Tognoni
waves the fight off in the second round, and Padilla is now the
unlikely victor in four straight in the Octagon. A
five-pound weight miss on the other side of the scale? No problem
for the athlete who headlined the Xplode Fight Series event titled
“Taco” over a decade ago.

Hoping to making tonight a winning night for the family, the elder
yet lighter Bonfim (20-4, 2-1 UFC) hits the cage. In a class battle
of Brazil vs. Azerbaijan, “Marreta” squares off with Sadykhov
(9-1-1, 2-0-1 UFC) in what could be a fascinating 155-pound affair.
The styles presented by both men could result in some mighty,
thrilling clashes before the dust settles, and referee Mark Smith
has the best seat in the house. Doing his duties, Smith clocks the
fighters in who are already mid-fist bump. They switch stances
while looking for range, and Bonfim strikes first with a few
punches and a low kick. Sadykhov has a head kick pound into the
guard, and he kicks a few times and spins with a failed back fist.
Bonfim loops a right hand around the raised block, and he lets
Sadykhov wind up so he can blast him with a right hand and let
Sadykhov go whizzing past him. Bonfim just misses with a speedy
one-two, and he has a second impact off the shoulder. A third gets
through, forcing Sadykhov to swing hard at him. Bonfim gets away
with an eye poke, and Sadykhov whips a hook kick at him. Bonfim
raps two right hands on the side of the melon, and Sadykhov takes
them cleanly without overly seeming concerned. Bonfim lunges to
connect with two punches, dancing away from a head kick. Bonfim’s
one-two is money in the bank as he keeps drilling “Black Wolf” with
it, and Sadykhov is tough but under serious fire. Sadykhov swing
back with a vengeance, but his hurled strikes are largely coming up
short. Bonfim surges forward with punches, bouncing Sadykhov off
the wall and back. When Bonfim wraps a kick under the guard, he is
able to slide away before Sadykhov can wind up with his own left
hand response. Two kicks from Sadykhov are blocked, and a third
hits Bonfim right in the eye and messes him up. Bonfim escapes, and
Sadykhov rushes after him hitting him with hammers. A few big left
hands from Sadykhov bust a cut open under his right eye, and
Sadykhov uses the clinch to hang on to the bell. Between rounds, Bonfim is appearing severely compromised from the
head kick. Smith brings in the doctor after letting the corner and
cutman do their business. Bonfim claims that he cannot see, and
that is all a physician needs to hear to suggest a fight getting
called off. Bonfim is upset, as he says that he both
can and can't see, with the ringside doctor saying it can't be both
ways. Any complaints no longer matter, as Smith waves the fight off
due to the advice of the physician. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Sadykhov Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Sadykhov Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Sadykhov

Despite being on the roster since 2012, Pichel (14-3, 7-3 UFC) has
averaged less than one fight a year and will only be entering into
his 11th UFC fight tonight. He draws a tough ask in the high-flying
powerhouse Bonfim (19-4, 1-1 UFC), who will throw everything and
the kitchen sink at him before it is all said and done. Referee
Mike Beltran draws the charge for this lightweight affair, and
despite any bad blood, the fighters opt to clap hands before going
to battle. Pichel is the initial aggressor, walking Bonfim down and
throwing a stern leg kick that draws a head tilt from his opponent.
Bonfim responds with his own low kick, and then strikes on the
inside of his foe’s leg twice. Pichel comes up short with a
one-two, and Bonfim smacks him with a left hand. Pichel lets loose
a body kick, and Bonfim takes it flush and fires back with a right
hand over the top. Pichel stays composed and trips the Brazilian up
with a high calf kick, and he shrugs one off that comes back his
way to swing back a calf kick. The two throw hands, and Pichel
targets the top of the calf very specifically. Pichel checks a kick
and gives one back, and the two engage in a back-and-forth trading
leg kicks. Bonfim goes to the inside with a kick, and Pichel does
the same. “Marreta” hammers the body and goes up top, and Pichel
does not bat an eye as he counters with an overhand right. Bonfim
connects with another body shot, and he reaches a left hand over
the top. Bonfim stays busy with numerous leg kicks when Pichel
changes stances, and he sits down on a left hand that slams into
the side of the elder fighter’s dome. Pichel fakes a jump and
pushes forward with a right hand, and Bonfim staggers back and
gathers himself to let loose with punches and a sneaky head kick.
Pichel scores one low kick before the counters of Bonfim come
flying at him. The powerful fists of the Brazilian have reddened
the nose of his adversary, and he blocks a slow low kick and rifles
off a number of sharp, potent jabs to follow. Bonfim shoots in for
a takedown, ultimately hurling Pichel to the mat and then jumping
to a guillotine choke to catch Pichel in the waning seconds of the
round. Pichel pops his head out, and the round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim Christian Stein scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim

There is a touch of gloves to initiate the second stanza, and
Pichel once more puts his foot on the gas right out of the gate.
Bonfim welcomes this as he times three accurate punches that loop
around the guard, and he gets in a low kick to boot. Pichel
retaliates with a leg kick, steps forward and scores another.
Bonfim pops the mustached man with punches, and he catches a kick
and twirls Pichel around. Pichel laughs and offers a glove touch
that is accepted, and he backs off and starts prodding out front
kicks. Pichel sticks out jabs, and Bonfim answers with more
powerful ones. When Pichel toes into a combination, Bonfim whips
three punches over the top that get the veteran’s attention. Pichel
throws a low kick and pulls it for some reason, and Bonfim takes
advantage of this by jabbing his face up. Bonfim releases another
head kick, and he blasts the body with a left hand and cracks
Pichel with a right over the top. Pichel wobbles but steels himself
and starts swinging back with his legs, and when he throws wild
hands, Bonfim beats him to the punch and stings him again. The
Brazilian wraps four hands together around the guard, and as Pichel
looks for a counter, Bonfim batters the body with a clean left
hand. Bonfim hits Pichel with four straight left hands, and when
Pichel dips to the other side, Bonfim lets go with a right. Bonfim
jabs a few times and has his lead leg kicked hard, and he stumbles
and gathers his thoughts to throw back with bad intentions. Pichel
eats a number of jabs with his hands low, and he changes stances
but does not capitalize on the different angle. Bonfim allows him
to do this so he can measure a left and a long right, and he spins
with a jumping wheel kick only to fall to the ground. Pichel leaps
on top of him to do some damage, but the round ends before anything
comes of it. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim Christian Stein scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim

The lightweights hug it out to start the last round, clearly
letting go of any ill will shared between them for their previous
canceled engagement. Pichel tosses out a front kick to reintroduce
himself, and he jabs from both sides while switching stances often.
Bonfim stands right in front of him and lets his hands go with
powerful blows that knock Pichel back again and again. Pichel’s
right eye has some swelling thanks to the left hands of his
opponent, and Bonfim measures his jab and lands on the same spot.
Bonfim walks Pichel around the cage, and his jab opens a cut on the
bridge of Pichel’s nose. Bonfim settles down to jab Pichel up, and
a right up top and left to the ribcage do some damage. Pichel is
tough as nails, and he pushes his hand out to get some space as his
fingers slide into Bonfim’s eye socket. Pichel calls out to Beltran
of his mistake, and Beltran issues him a hard warning for the foul.
The two get right back to striking after less than 30 seconds of
recovery time, with Bonfim firmly in the driver’s seat. Bonfim
leaps forward with a left hook that staggers Pichel, and he unloads
with punches and body kicks as Pichel retreats to put his back to
the wire. Pichel tries to throw back to keep Bonfim honest, and
Bonfim does not fall into a reckless slugfest and allows them to
reset in the center of the cage. Bonfim spins with a back fist that
grazes the hair, and Pichel breathes a sigh of relief that the
strike did not knock his block off. Pichel looks for a stutter-step
long punch, and Bonfim slides out of the way and lays into him with
four rapid-fire punches. Bonfim attacks the body and head
indiscriminately, and as he appears to hurt Pichel again, he allows
Pichel to bend over so he can leap at him with a knee. To mix
things up, the Brazilian shoots in for a single-leg takedown and
puts Pichel on his back. Pichel keeps a high guard and uses his
legs to push Bonfim off of him, and he sits up to back up against
the fence. Pichel counters a strike by shooting for a single of his
own, and Bonfim sprawls and stops it. Pichel hangs on, and the
fight ends as the fighters embrace after 15 minutes of combat. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim (30-27 Bonfim) Christian Stein scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim (30-27 Bonfim) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim (30-27
Bonfim)

From one group of finishers to another the UFC goes, this time at
lightweight. Even though Bonfim (19-3, 1-0 UFC) has gone the
distance in three of his last four, that is an aberration for the
Brazilian had earned 12 of his previous 15 wins via stoppage.
Looking to match him and then some is France’s St. Denis (10-1, 1
NC; 2-1 UFC), with 10 victories all inside the distance. Referee
Herb Dean dons his proverbial hard hat before the two fighters get
after it, and they start things off with a glove touch. The two
immediately start gunning for one another, as St. Denis lines up
several kicks to the body and head. Bonfim responds with huge
counters, and he points to his body and urges St. Denis to come on
keep kicking him. St. Denis obliges, hammering the ribs with kick
after kick, and Bonfim blocks some of them and comes out swinging,
but his big hooks miss. St. Denis backs him away with a swinging
high kick, and he ducks a massive overhand right to secure a
takedown and dump Bonfim on his back. Bonfim appears frustrated,
and as he makes faces, St. Denis slices straight into full mount.
The Frenchman works the body, and as he gets a little complacent,
Bonfim sweeps him and turns him over. This results in a scramble
that forces them both upright, and St. Denis kicks the body again
and smacks Bonfim with a left hook. Bonfim bites down on his
mouthpiece and flings a massive right hook, and St. Denis takes it
flush and presses forward. Bonfim intercepts him with a stern knee,
and St. Denis is stung but he still has the wherewithal to dive
after a single-leg takedown. Bonfim sprawls and aims a knee at the
chin, and St. Denis leans back just in the nick of time. St. Denis
advances and lets loose two kicks before shooting for a double, and
he changes to a single. When that too fails, he elects to switch to
a body lock to toss Bonfim down, but Bonfim keeps his balance by
leaning his gloves on the mat. St. Denis uses his body weight to
lower Bonfim to the floor, and he takes the back when Bonfim rolls.
St. Denis secures both hooks with a minute to spare, and he starts
fishing for a choke. Bonfim hand-fights well to defend from a choke
getting set up, but St. Denis clamps onto a neck crank as he turns
it to the side. Bonfim wriggles out his head just enough, until the forearm of his
opponent crushes down on his jaw. The rear-naked choke grip is not
under the chin, so St. Denis decides to simply crank on the face
with the full extent of his power. The pain maneuver is enough to
force a surrender from the surging Bonfim, who bids
farewell to a 13-fight win streak thanks to the vice-like squeeze
of “God of War.” The victorious Frenchman retains his 100% finish
rate, and he now celebrates nine subs in his 11 triumphs.

An all-action lightweight tilt is on deck now, as the first of two
debuting Brazilian brothers walks to the cage. Bonfim (18-3, 0-0
UFC), signed off the 2022 season of the Contender Series, throws
down with the ultraviolent McKinney (13-4, 3-1 UFC), who has never
before competed longer than 10 minutes and 43 seconds. Referee
Osiris Maia will need to be ready to step in at a moment’s notice,
and he takes a deep breath as the two fighters touch ‘em up.
McKinney whips a kick high, and as that is blocked, he steps in
with a knee that is not. McKinney fires off another head kick that
slaps off the guard, and his left leg is very busy early with front
kicks and kicks to all angles. McKinney strides in with another
step-in knee, and he nearly meets Bonfim with it before Bonfim can
make him pay with an overhand right. Bonfim measures his big right
hand, but he cannot get inside as McKinney is kicking at him
repeatedly. McKinney plants the ball of his foot on the sternum,
and he stings Bonfim with a straight right but strikes back with a
heavy right hand. McKinney sprawls instinctively as a level change
into a takedown rushes at him, and Bonfim’s momentum forces them to
both hit the mat for a moment. “T.Wrecks” bounces right back up,
and his mouthpiece goes flying. They clinch up when standing, and
as soon as they separate, McKinney motions that he would like his
gumshield back. Maia gives it back, and when they reset, Bonfim
blasts the American with a right hand. McKinney changes levels this
time, in search of a takedown after getting stung, and they clinch
up for some time. McKinney ties up one leg and ends up dragging
Bonfim down, and he tries to claim the back when he goes down. The
Brazilian slams him on the face with elbows that are very close to
12-6, until he spins around and into a guillotine choke setup for
McKinney. When there is no choke, McKinney stands up, and he takes
a knee to the thigh before getting wrenched down to the mat.
McKinney leaps back up only to succumb to a mat return, and once
more he climbs to his feet. Bonfim looks for a single, and releases
it to let fly a head kick. The blocked kick puts Bonfim on his
back, and McKinney leaps on top but cannot do anything before the
round ends. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Bonfim

The second round begins with an aggressive Bonfim looking to push
the action, and he strikes first with a quick right hand on the
outside. McKinney lets his hands go, and Bonfim is more accurate
and rocks him with a short combination. McKinney dives into a
takedown try, and Bonfim keeps his balance in part thanks to a
fence grab. McKinney lets go and backs up with the cage at his
back, and he sits back, prepared to counter. Bonfim does not blitz
forward or do anything reckless, instead waiting for McKinney to
throw so he can counter him instead. This lull lasts until McKinney
works a right hand to the body, and Bonfim responds with a left to
the body and right to the head. Bonfim scores a big left to the
ribcage, and he ducks as a high kick soars over his head. McKinney
looks to catch an oncoming Bonfim with a knee, and Bonfim replies
with a two-punch combination that ejects McKinney’s mouthpiece once
again. Seeing that McKinney is stung and throwing back wildly,
Bonfim backs off to find a better angle. Like a bolt of lightning, Bonfim leaps in the air with a double
flying knee. His left knee connects as cleanly as it possibly could
on the side of McKinney’s head and neck – this is sort of a good
thing, as McKinney’s mouthpiece is on the floor – and McKinney is
immediately unconscious. In true highlight reel fashion, Bonfim
lands comfortably while McKinney falls lifelessly to the ground on
his face. Incredible! In his UFC debut, Bonfim just
completely annihilated a highly touted prospect with a vicious
knockout that is an instant contender for “Knockout of the Year.”
That’s one heck of a way to introduce yourself to the bosses, as
the crowd goes wild for their home country fighter's spectacular
finish.

Ismael Bonfim

Fight History

Fighter Skills Radar

Key Insights

Striking Profile

Key Insights

Grappling Profile

Key Insights

Conclusions Summary