‘I needed that lesson’: UFC Denver’s Gabriel Bonfim matured, opened own team after first loss

Gabriel Bonfim and his brother Ismael Bonfim decided to leave Cerrado MMA in Brasilia after spending almost their entire careers inside those walls. Now they feel reinvented.

Ismael got the job done in his first fight since opening their own team, Bonfim Brothers, beating Vinc Pichel at UFC 301 in May. Now it’s time for Gabriel to put the changes to the test when he battles Ange Loosa at UFC Denver on Saturday.

“We switched teams and a lot has changed in our lives,” Bonfim told MMA Fighting. “This training camp was the best I’ve ever had, and I’m not saying that only because I’m about to fight now. It was my best camp ever in terms of training, technique, conditioning, everything.”

Bonfim was knocked out by veteran Nicolas Dalby his most recent octagon appearance at UFC Sao Paulo in November 2023, and said his preparation for that match wasn’t ideal, which is one of the reasons he decided to part ways with Cerrado MMA.

“I didn’t do the camp that had to be done,” Bonfim said. “I was being kind of forced to the gym basically, and now we have our own team. I feel the desire to work now, and that’s how I feel every single day of my life. I feel good being and training where I am.”

Despite the split from his longtime team, the welterweight talent said he’s thankful for everything he experienced in his previous home.

“It’s like marriage, and sometimes the relationship doesn’t work anymore, things start to go wrong,” Bonfim said. “There are two sides of the coin. Our side wasn’t happy, and I believe they weren’t as well at Cerrado MMA. We’re grateful to them for everything they’ve done for us, but it reached a point where it wasn’t working anymore.”

The Dalby defeat was Bonfim’s final bout representing Cerrado MMA. The loss dropped his record to 15-1 and forced a change in his fighting mindset.

“I learned [with that loss] that I had to mature,” Bonfim said. “God knows of all things, and I believe that had to be part of my life. Suffering that loss — but still putting on a good fight, getting a Fight of the Night bonus — I needed that loss to mature and focus [so] that I’m a professional. I needed that lesson.”

Bonfim is on a mission Saturday in Denver to snap Loosa’s three-fight unbeaten steak.

“I’m ready for all areas,” said Bonfim, who has ended all 15 of his professional wins with submissions (12) or knockouts (3). “My strategy is to fight wherever we go and beat him no matter what. I believe I’m getting the finish, either a knockout or a submission. I’m a dangerous man and I capitalize on every opportunity. I’ll catch and finish him the moment he makes a mistake.”