Gabriel Bonfim: ‘I Changed My Mindset’

Gabriel Bonfim may only be four appearances deep into his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure, but he has already put an important quality into practice: the ability to adapt.

“Marretinha” will look to further his cause in the welterweight division when he faces Kalinn Williams in a UFC Fight Night 251 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Bonfim owns a 3-1 record inside the Octagon. He last saw action at UFC on ESPN 59, where he rebounded from a technical knockout defeat to Nicolas Dalby with a unanimous decision over Ange Loosa in their three-round encounter on July 13. Bonfim admits the setback against Dalby necessitated a shift on his part.

“I was coming off a loss, so I had to give my best [against Loosa] without taking too many risks,” he told Sherdog.com. “We chose an intelligent game—to fight at distance while defending takedowns. He’s a very good and experienced fighter who’s also strong, [and] I was able to win. I needed that. A lot has changed in my game. I changed my mindset. I did a lot of maturing as an athlete.

Williams presents plenty of challenges as one of the heaviest hitters in the 170-pound weight class. The 30-year-old Murcielago MMA product has delivered more than half (eight) of his 15 professional victories by knockout or technical knockout, three of them inside of a minute. Williams last competed on May 18, when he punched out Carlston Harris just 90 seconds into their UFC Fight Night 241 pairing.

“He’s an aggressive fighter who keeps moving forward,” Bonfim said. “His technique isn’t very high, and from what little I saw of his ground game, it seems pretty basic. The ground is one of my strong points, and I manage distance very well. I’ll use those weapons against him. At any moment, I’ll either knock him out or submit him.”

Bonfim carries some added incentive to perform well in his latest assignment. Older brother Ismael Bonfim, a lightweight, will follow him to the cage when he meets Nazim Sadykhov as part of the main draw.

“My brother Ismael and I have already fought on several of the same cards, including at least two in the UFC,” the younger Bonfim said. “We are growing together in the organization. It’s very cool. Back in the day, it could cause me some anxiety, but now I’m used to it. It’s fine by me, and it’s fine by him, too. It’s our job. It’s awesome.”