The welterweight youth takeover is complete. Gabriel Bonfim tied up the only lingering loose end, supplanting former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad from his top five spot at UFC Fight Night on Saturday.
Former welterweight champions Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards are out of the top five, and their contemporaries Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns have retired. Muhammad was hellbent on avoiding a similar fate, but ultimately fell to the sport's vicious cycle.
Bonfim's mouthpiece was completely visible as he grinned, watching referee Herb Dean retrieve the mouthpiece that went flying from Muhammad's grill. Bonfim's temperament stayed that way through the fight as he relished in his dominance. Not even his coaches, who demanded focus, could sway him from enjoying his work.
Bonfim neutralized Muhammad's lauded wrestling from the very beginning of the fight. He accomplished it with a hierarchy of four key weapons. The top of the pyramid was his pressure, which prevented Muhammad from setting up takedowns. Then came his first line of defense, a tough tandem of calf kicks and jabs that limited Muhammad's movement and prevented him from blitzing forward. When Muhammad tried to force the issue by brawling, Bonfim humbled him with a crushing cross.
Muhammad's corner begged him for resolve, but the former champion took a walloping with each passing round. His nose was bloodied, and his calves were heavy from the onslaught. The former champion leaned on his heart in the absence of a winning game plan, but it did nothing to prevent Bonfim from acquiring 50-45 scorecards across the board.
"This man trailed a path that very few have trailed. He took the hard way all the way to being the champion," Bonfim said with his arm around Muhammad's shoulder. "I want to say that I admire you a lot and I respect you for being here."
By all likelihood, Bonfim (No. 11) will take Muhammad's No. 5 spot in the weight class. He'd join Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates, former champion Jack Della Maddalena and Michael Morales as the welterweight division's verified future. Next on his list is another former champ.
"JDM stay there," Bonfim said post-fight. "You're next."




















