Sean Brady had to withdraw earlier this month due to an injury for his scheduled fight against Gabriel Bonfim. The UFC has found a new date for the pair to fight. On January 23, at the Meta Apex, both welterweights will battle in the main event of UFC Vegas 125 in Las Vegas.
The UFC announced the rebooking moments ago. Bonfim sits at fifth in the UFC Media rankings and sixth in the Meta rankings, while Brady holds the exact opposite spots. A win for either gets them a fight against someone in the top four of the division later this year.
Very Talented
Gabriel Bonfim arrived in the UFC in 2022. After winning the LFA title, he got the opportunity to earn a contract on the Contender Series. Bonfim impressed with a Von Flue choke submission over Trey Waters and was signed to the promotion. In his promotional debut, he finished Mounir Lazzez within a minute. After also beating Trevin Giles in just over a minute in his sophomore outing, the Brazilian carried lots of hype with him when he fought his final fight of his debut year in 2023 against Nicolas Dalby. After a good start, Bonfim gassed heavily in the fight and was finished for the first time in his career by TKO in the second round. In 2024, Bonfim bounced back with a unanimous decision win against Ange Loosa, proving to the UFC that he can go fifteen minutes.
Last year was Bonfim’s best year so far in the UFC. After finishing Khaos Williams, he got a big step up in competition and took on former title challenger Stephen Thompson. Bonfim struggled but was able to edge out a split decision. To close out the year, he got his first main event fight in the promotion against Randy Brown. Bonfim finished Brown by a spectacular knee knockout in the second round. With a four-fight winning streak, he took on Belal Muhammad earlier this year. Bonfim dominated and won after five rounds by unanimous decision against the former champion. Now, with the momentum on his side and a five-fight winning streak, he takes on Sean Brady.
Grappling Ace
Sean Brady signed with the UFC in 2019. He came over from the CFFC promotion where he was a multiple-time defending champion. The then-undefeated Brady debuted with a unanimous decision win over former The Ultimate Fighter winner Court McGee. In his sophomore year, Brady went on to win two more fights, and in 2021 he became ranked in the UFC after beating both Jake Matthews and Michael Chiesa. Close to being ranked in the top of the division, Brady got a big step up in competition, taking on Belal Muhammad. Muhammad beat Brady via TKO in the second round and went on to become champion. For Brady, it was the first setback of his professional MMA career.
A lingering injury then kept Brady sidelined for more than a year. He returned in December 2023 with a Kimura submission win over Kelvin Gastelum. The American fighter went on to beat Gilbert Burns and got an unexpected opportunity last year to take on former champion Leon Edwards on short notice in London. In Brady’s best performance so far in the UFC, he completely dominated Edwards and finished him by guillotine choke in the fourth round. It put Brady right back in title contention. Unfortunately for Brady, he was finished in the first round last year by Michael Morales via TKO. Because of that loss, he had to defend his spot in his most recent fight against Joaquin Buckley instead of a possible title shot. Brady shut down Buckley via a dominant unanimous decision. Now he is back to take on Gabriel Bonfim.
UFC Vegas 125 – January 23
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Sean Brady
- Pat Sabatini vs. Vinicius Oliveira
Gabriel Bonfim and Sean Brady Rebooked for UFC Vegas 125