Bonfim shuts out Belal Muhammad with unanimous decision in UFC Vegas 118 main event

UFC Vegas 118 ended with Gabriel Bonfim staking his claim in the welterweight mix. In the Saturday, June 6, 2026 main event at Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Bonfim defeated former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision, with all three judges posting identical 50-45 scorecards across five rounds. The result made the difference on the score sheet clear, and it kept Bonfim squarely in conversations about the division’s next major opportunities.

The fight was billed as a crossroads matchup between two fighters positioned differently inside the 170-pound landscape. CBS Sports listed Muhammad as the fifth-ranked welterweight entering the card and Bonfim as ranked No. 11, setting up a clash between experience at the top end and a rising contender’s push toward it. Muhammad came into the bout off consecutive UFC losses, after defeat in back-to-back performances against Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry, and he needed a win to remain in the title conversation. Bonfim arrived on a separate trajectory, having built momentum with a run that included a knockout of Randy Brown prior to this headliner.

In the co-main event, Brendan Allen continued his ascent into the middleweight tier. Allen earned a unanimous decision over Edmen Shahbazyan, with the judges scoring the fight 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28. Sportsnet’s pre-event framing had Allen positioned as the No. 4-ranked middleweight contender, while Shahbazyan entered unranked, and the scorecards reflected a clear edge for Allen without requiring a finishing strike.

The main card also delivered a high-profile submission highlight. Bryce Mitchell submitted Santiago Luna with an arm-triangle choke at 4:52 of Round 3, a finish that sent Luna to his first professional loss. Mitchell’s win added a needed spark to a bantamweight division where the path to higher-stakes fights often depends on separating yourself quickly, and it accomplished that by ending the bout before the championship rounds.

Several other undercard fights ended early, underscoring how much of the card’s momentum came from finishes. Iwo Baraniewski stopped Junior Tafa by technical knockout at 1:25 of Round 1, and Alessandro Costa knocked out Matt Schnell at 2:32 of Round 1. Edgar Chairez finished Bruno Silva with a rear-naked choke at 4:13 of Round 1, while Chelsea Chandler forced Priscila Cachoeira to tap with an armbar at 3:42 of Round 1. Joanderson Brito added another first-round submission when he submitted Jordan Leavitt with a front choke at 4:19 of Round 1, and Ketlen Souza closed the night’s finish list with a KO at 1:34 of Round 1.

By the end of the 12-bout slate, seven fights had ended inside the distance, a number that matched the event’s emphasis on volatility, especially at UFC APEX-style venue settings. Not every bout ended in chaos. Jeisla Chaves and Yuneisy Duben went to a split decision, with Chaves taking it 29-28, 28-29, 29-28, but the overall card outcome still leaned heavily toward stoppages and definitive judging.

The immediate aftermath points to a sharper, more urgent question at 170 pounds: what kind of next opponent best matches Bonfim’s momentum. For Muhammad, the decision loss means he remains at a distance from the current title picture, despite his status as a former champion, and he will likely need to demonstrate a clear return to winning ways. With June continuing to roll, Saturday’s results also give UFC matchmakers additional flexibility, especially when contenders and contenders-by-performance start clustering at the top of each weight class.