The UFC is home to some of the greatest MMA fighters and champions on the planet. However, it is also a place for new talent to come up and make a name for themselves. Two such names aspiring for the same are Gabriel Bonfim and his brother, Ismael Bonfim.
Previously, the Bonfim brothers announced their arrival on the scene after securing their contracts at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. Whilst Gabriel (25) submitted Trey Waters, Ismael (27) secured a unanimous decision victory against Nariman Abbasov. Thus, there was a lot of hype behind the two identical brothers and their potential in the UFC. Although they are near identical, they are not twins.
Having secured their contracts, both brothers made their ‘dream debuts’ on home soil at UFC 283 in Brazil. On the night, Ismael fought in the early prelims securing a flying knee KO/TKO on Terrance McKinney. Similarly, Gabriel fought on the first fight of the preliminary card, securing a guillotine choke submission win over Mounir Lazzez. As such, it was a perfect start to life in the UFC for the Bonfim brothers.
However, admittedly, Gabriel believes that fighting on the same card puts a lot of pressure on the one that fights later. Both brothers believe that if the one fighting first loses, it would demotivate the other one to go out there and perform. With that said, Ismael had his second fight earlier this month. Unfortunately, the older brother was unable to secure a win, losing to Benoit Saint Dennis via a rear-naked choke submission.
Gabriel Bonfim feels he lives a completely different life than his brother Ismael
Now, the onus is on the younger brother Gabriel to keep in unbeaten streak intact. Taking on Trevin Giles at UFC 291, ‘Marretinha’ has the hopes and dreams of his brother and his family riding on him. For the most part, Gabriel will be fighting without having his brother on the same card. As such, he will feel much more confident, knowing that he does not have to watch his brother fight first.
Growing up in Brazil, Gabriel is humble enough to admit that he needed his brother to step in for him sometimes. Being the calmer of the two, Gabriel would often call for Ismael to take on the bullies. At the same time, Ismael, who is the older but smaller one, took it upon himself to protect his little brother, even if it meant going to a different school.
Speaking to the press ahead of his fight, Gabriel spoke about his brother’s loss. “We’ve said this all along that we’re in the World Cup of MMA. Different lives. What happened to him, first of all, this happens. These roadblocks will happen in our lives. Doesn’t change a thing in my life because I know he’s coming back, and he’s going to come back better than ever”. With that said Gabriel is inspired secure the win against Giles and get a fight against a ranked opponent next.
Lauding his opponent as a ‘complete athlete’, Gabriel still believes that it is the American that needs to prepare for him and not the other way around. In a fight that is likely to have some great striking and a bit of ground game mixed in as well, it will be interesting to watch what Gabriel does against a solid opponent.
