Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Vegas 118 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., June 6, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 118 features a welterweight main event between former division champion Belal Muhammad and 170-pound rising star Gabriel Bonfim, a five-round showdown with possible title implications for late 2026 and beyond.
Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which
includes the 185-pound collision between middleweight veterans Brendan Allen and Edmen Shahbazyan, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Vegas 118 main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Belal vs. Bonfim” odds and betting props courtesy of our fiscal friends at FanDuel right here. For UFC Vegas 118 live results and play-by-play on Saturday night live from “Sin City” click here.
170 lbs.: Belal Muhammad vs. Gabriel Bonfim
Belal “Remember the Name” Muhammad
Record: 24-5, 1 NC | Age: 37 | Betting line: -120
Wins: 5 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 18 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 5’11” | Reach: 72” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.43 | Striking accuracy: 43%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.82 | Striking Defense: 55%
Takedown Average: 2.14 (36% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 90%
Current Ranking: No. 5 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Ian Garry
Gabriel “Marretinha” Bonfim
Record: 19-1 | Age: 28 | Betting line: +100
Wins: 4 KO/TKO, 13 SUB, 2 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DEC
Height: 6’1“ | Reach: 72” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 4.61 | Striking accuracy: 46%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.68 | Striking Defense: 63%
Takedown Average: 3.60 (55% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 76%
Current Ranking: No. 11 | Last fight: Technical knockout win over Randy Brown
The UFC welterweight division has seen four different welterweight champions over the last two years and the last three have not registered a single title defense (to be fair, Islam Makhachev has yet to face a second opponent after capturing the crown from the one-and-done Jack Della Maddalena). The not-so-illustrious list includes Belal Muhammad, who outworked Leon Edwards at UFC 304, only to hand the belt to Della Maddalena at UFC 315. The record books will always list Muhammad as a former champion, but a lot of fight fans don’t consider champions to be minted until they’ve logged at least one title defense. It’s also the reason most one-time titleholders don’t get an immediate rematch, which is why Muhammad was tasked with turning away Ian Garry in his bounce-back fight, a three-round co-main event that ended in favor of “The Future” at UFC Qatar. Considering the logjam at the top of the division, with Garry trying to score a title shot over the likes of Michael Morales and Carlos Prates, UFC matchmakers are likely to forget “The Name” when it comes time to book future welterweight title shots. Muhammad is not in any danger of being cut, but a loss at UFC Vegas 118 will leave him at the bottom of the list, alongside the free-falling Edwards.
“Young, hungry guy that’s looking to take my spot – he just picked the wrong guy to do it with,” Muhammad said at the UFC Vegas 118 media day. “Any fight is your biggest fight. People always ask: ‘What does this fight mean to you?’ It’s the Super Bowl, it’s the NBA Finals. Your next fight is always your biggest fight, no matter what it’s for. Saturday night, that’s my moment. It doesn’t matter who is he, where he’s from or what he’s trying to take. It’s not going to be with me. I’ve fought many guys like him. He’s got a beatable style. With me, I’ve got an awkward style, I’ve got a different type of style and I’m a different type of fighter than he’s ever fought. I think Saturday, he gets broken. I plan on showing the world that I’m still the best guy. To remind people who I am. I think I’m the best fighter in the world, but I’ve just got to go out there and get my hand raised to prove it.”
Gabriel Bonfim has been a nice surprise at welterweight but just happened to peak at the wrong time, because he’s trying to stand out in the 170-pound title picture with killers like Carlos Prates and Michael Morales gunning for the next crack at the welterweight crown. Bonfim doesn’t get mentioned alongside either of those rival contenders because of his technical knockout loss to Nicolas Dalby at UFC São Paulo, the only blemish on his otherwise stellar career. It also doesn’t help that “Marretinha” (little sledgehammer) has yet to beat anyone ranked in the division Top 15. That said, Bonfim has secured finishes in four of his six wins under the UFC banner, three by way of submission. The best way to join the title shot conversation is to make a statement against Muhammad and finish the former champ the same way Prates crushed Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth just a few weeks back. This marks a major step up in competition for Bonfim, because Muhammad is not a shopworn ex-champ in decline and his losses to Della Maddalena and Garry were not blowouts. The outcome of this fight all depends on what version of Muhammad comes to fight. If “Remember the Name” reverts back to his delusional “Canelo Hands” gameplan, he’s probably going to hand this win to Bonfim on a silver platter.
“I think this is the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced,” Bonfim said at the UFC Vegas 118 media day. “We’re talking about a former champion. Definitely, this is the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. Belal Muhammad is coming off two losses, and I do believe facing a former champion coming off two losses is the right moment to face him. I think a dominant win over Belal Muhammad, a knockout as early as possible, puts me up there for my next performance.”
Muhammad rubs a lot of people the wrong way and sometimes makes questionable decisions during his fights — but he’s not stupid. The former champ understands this is a must-win fight if he has any hope of maintaining his place in the 170-pound title chase. With that in mind, I fully expect Muhammad to embrace the style that got him to the top of the mountain in the first place, which translates to spamming takedowns for the better part of five rounds. Team Bonfim is undoubtedly expecting that plan of attack and I guess now is a good time to mention that “Marretinha” has four career wins by guillotine choke. Muhammad is probably too experienced to shoot haphazardly enough to serve up his neck, but the fact that such a threat remains is what makes this fight interesting.
Prediction: Muhammad def. Bonfim by decision
185 lbs.: Brendan Allen vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Brendan “All In” Allen
Record: 26-7 | Age: 30 | Betting line: -220
Wins: 6 KO/TKO, 14 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 6’2“ | Reach: 75” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.59 | Striking accuracy: 53%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.62 | Striking Defense: 47%
Takedown Average: 1.56 (42% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 56%
Current Ranking: No. 4 | Last fight: Technical knockout win over Reinier de Ridder
Edmen “Golden Boy” Shahbazyan
Record: 16-5 | Age: 28 | Betting line: +180
Wins: 13 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 2 DEC | Losses: 3 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 6’2“ | Reach: 75” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.80 | Striking accuracy: 48%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.60 | Striking Defense: 49%
Takedown Average: 1.62 (37% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 66%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Knockout win over Andre Muniz
Brendan Allen went from fighting (and beating) the No. 4-ranked contender to someone who isn’t even ranked in the Top 15 at 185 pounds, which makes me wonder if Hunter Campbell is punishing Allen for ruining whatever plans matchmakers had for Reinier de Ridder. Whatever the case may be, Allen returns to Meta Apex for a fairly meaningless fight. “All In” is not in title contention after losing back-to-back bouts against top contenders Anthony Hernandez and Nassourdine Imavov and defeating Edmen Shahbazyan doesn’t give him any movement in the middleweight rankings. Conversely, a loss would be catastrophic for his career since we’re now in the era when UFC is cutting fighters with no apparent rhyme or reason, regardless of how they perform. Allen is a dangerous grappler with a slick submission game and ranks second all-time for most taps in middleweight history. Prior to his rough patch against Hernandez and Imavov, Allen was the winner of seven straight with five of those bouts ending by way of rear-naked choke. His striking … well, the less said about that, the better.
“I’ve defended my spot [in the rankings] many, many times, probably more than anyone in my division — outside the Top 15 or in it,” Allen said at the UFC Vegas 118 media day. “I win one, and then I have to defend two or three times, then go back. If I lose, then it is like four times. There is always a longer road for me, and I don’t know why. Maybe I’m not that much of a likable guy, I guess. It is what it is. This is my 19th UFC fight, I’m 14-4 in the promotion, and I’ve fought the best guys I can fight. I’ve only asked for the best guys that I could get. I hope they appreciate what I do, and I know that they know I’ve stepped up many times — when I shouldn’t have — but I still step up. And when I sign the contract, I’m going to fight.”
Edmen Shahbazyan first made a name for himself on Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in summer 2018, stopping Antonio Jones by way of first-round technical knockout, then garnered even more headlines when he turned his career over to former UFC champ Ronda Rousey. Not surprisingly, that ended poorly for the 28-year-old “Golden Boy” and he promptly left Team “Rowdy” for Ali Abdelaziz and a new home in Las Vegas. Out of the frying pan and into the fire? Shahbazyan seems to have finally found his groove, winning three straight fights and scoring two first-round knockouts along the way. It’s worth noting that two of those fighters are no longer on the UFC roster and the third has now lost three straight, but it certainly beats losing. Shahbazyan is a striker by trade and will likely put the screws to Allen for as long as he remains upright. That said, “Golden Boy” was easily taken down by the likes of Andre Petroski, Anthony Hernandez, and Derek Brunson, among others, so I’m not sure how much time he’ll get to find his rhythm and range in the standup.
“I wouldn’t take back anything that happened in the past,” Shahbazyan said at the UFC Vegas 118 media day. “It’s God’s timing. Here we are. I’m a lot better fighter today. More mature, more established and Saturday night is going to be a good night. I promise. He’s a good opponent. Tough fighter, durable fighter – but I’m ready for this moment. I’m ready to go Saturday night. I think I can fit in well to it given how the last (title) fight went. It’s up for grabs in my opinion, and Sean (Strickland) is a good friend of mine. We train together. We’re main training partners. We always push each other hard.”
Whatever striking Allen does will be in order to set up his takedowns and ultimately, his submission attack. While Shahbazyan has knockout power, he doesn’t have Alex Pereira-type hands and may not be able to land the one-hitter quitter he needs to put “All In” all out — thanks in part to Allen’s durable beard. Unless he developed a world-class ground game over the last two years, I think “Golden Boy” gets subbed fairly easily.
Prediction: Allen def. Shahbazyan by submission
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Vegas 118 main card predictions RIGHT HERE.
