Gabriel Bonfim vows to "retire" ex-UFC champion after main event win

Gabriel Bonfim wants to continue to make a statement following his UFC Vegas 111 win.

Jul 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Gabriel Bonfim (red gloves) reacts after his fight against Ange Loosa (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

UFC welterweight Gabriel Bonfim maintained his momentum Saturday night with a second-round TKO, set up by a devastating flying knee to defeat Randy Brown (20-7 MMA) in the main event from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas to cap off UFC Vegas 111.

The win marked Bonfim's (19-1 MMA) fourth-straight victory dating to Nov. 2023, and now he wants to become a household name next year.

Enter Colby Covington, the former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion. Covington (17-5 MMA) has lost back-to-back fights, having not won a fight in over three years.

Despite his struggles, Bonfim is highly interested in a fight with "Chaos."

Is Covington vs. Bonfim Next?

Dec 14, 2024; Tampa, Florida, UNITED STATES; Colby Covington (red gloves) fights Joaquin Buckley (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"We knew that the calf was something, we knew we needed to punish it and then the knee would show up," Bonfim said after the stoppage. "Colby, stop running away, stop running away. Give me the chance to take you out of the rankings right now."

Bonfim kept up his callout of Covington during the post-fight presser.

"He's the one that's holding up the weight class," Bonfim said. "He's the one fighter that's holding up the weight class. I need to be the one to retire him."

Bonfim sees a huge year ahead, with an ambitious goal of becoming the biggest threat in the division and becoming champion.

Gabriel Bonfim Makes Bold Colby Covington Prediction

Nov 4, 2023; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Gabriel Bonfim (red gloves) prepares to fight Nicolas Dalby (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Ibirapuera Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason da Silva-Imagn Images | Jason da Silva-Imagn Images

"You guys can see it," Bonfim said. "The loss to [Nicholas]) Dalby changed me completely. I knew what I had to do. I had to level up. You guys see what I'm doing right now...What you can expect from me in 2026, is I'll be in the top five before I become the champion of this weight class."

This isn't the first time he has called out Covington, as he did the same after his split-decision win against former title challenger Stephen Thompson (17-9-1 MMA) in July at UFC Nashville.

“I don’t think there’s anyone else for him to fight,” Bonfim said. "Everybody is currently booked in the division, so I think I’m the only one left. We can make it happen. I don’t think he would come to Brazil. He’s not dumb [laughs]. He’d never do it.”

If they ever fought, Bonfim took it a step further.

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“I would defend his takedowns, this little wrestling, and beat him a lot on the feet, for sure,” Bonfim said. "If it’s three or five rounds, I’d beat him up a lot and definitely submit or knock him out.”

Nonetheless, though, there is a new contender in town.

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