Lightweight MMA fighter Ismael Bonfim was released from the UFC roster following his fourth straight loss plus a massive weight miss.
Bonfim was stopped via first-round TKO by Francisco Prado at UFC Vegas 122, a fight that he came in 7.5 lbs heavy for on the scale. It was his fourth loss inside the Octagon and his third weight miss.
Not surprisingly, he’s no longer part of the UFC roster.
Ismael Bonfim Released by UFC
MMAFighting.com first reported that Bonfim had been released from the promotion following his fourth straight defeat, an unsurprising result given his poor recent performances and his brutal weight miss against Prado at UFC Vegas 122.
Bonfim, the older brother of UFC welterweight contender Gabriel Bonfim, earned a UFC contract in 2022 with a decision win over Nariman Abbasov on Dana White’s Contender Series.
He then won his UFC debut via flying knee KO over Terrance McKinney at UFC 283 in January 2023, and it seemed like he might be something special.
But in his second UFC fight, he lost via submission to Benoit Saint Denis. He then beat veteran Vinc Pichel by decision in his third UFC bout, but he lost four fights in a row after that and received his walking papers.
What’s Next for Ismael Bonfim After UFC Release?
Now that Bonfim is officially off the UFC roster, it will be interesting to see where he winds up if he continues his fighting career.
Given how bad he’s looked lately and how he can’t even make 155 lbs consistently anymore, he may be forced to move up to welterweight, where he’ll be undersized.
Taking a look at other promotions he could sign with, one option is MVP MMA, which will merge with PFL ahead of 2027 to create a larger roster. They will need to sign new fighters, so they could take a look at Bonfim despite his misfortunes inside the Octagon.
As well, Bonfim could potentially head back to his native Brazil and fight for a local promotion there, or he could consider going to Europe and potentially signing with an organization such as Oktagon MMA for his next bout.
Ismael Bonfim Released From UFC Roster