7.5 pounds over and a KO loss – UFC parts ways with Ismael Bonfim
The Brazilian is no longer on the UFC roster. At UFC Vegas 122 he badly missed the lightweight limit and lost to Francisco Prado in round one.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
The UFC has removed lightweight Ismael Bonfim from its roster. MMA Fighting first reported it on Monday and Sherdog confirmed it on Tuesday. There was initially no comment from the UFC or Bonfim's team.
At the UFC Vegas 122 weigh-ins on 10 October, the 30-year-old came in at 163.5 pounds – 7.5 pounds over the 156-pound limit. The fight went ahead at catchweight and Bonfim forfeited 25 per cent of his purse to Francisco Prado. Prado stopped him with punches at 4:23 of the first round. It was Bonfim's fourth straight stoppage loss, dropping his UFC record to two wins and five defeats.
According to MMA Fighting, it was the third weight-related issue of his UFC career. Bonfim earned his way into the UFC via the Contender Series and knocked out Terrance McKinney with a flying knee on his 2023 debut. Before the release became known, he wrote on social media that his story does not end here. His younger brother Gabriel Bonfim faces Sean Brady in a main event on 7 November.