Ismael Bonfim, a 27-year-old Cerrado MMA representative, is poised to make a comeback following his first defeat after nearly nine uninterrupted years of victory. In a bid to re-establish his firm foothold as an Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight, Bonfim is scheduled to confront Vinc Pichel in a feature UFC Fight Night 231 scheduled on November 4 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After a first-round submission loss to Benoit St.Denis in July which ended his 13-fight winning series, Ismael Bonfim finds himself ready for a rebounding fight.
Commenting on his first defeat, Bonfim admits,”It was a good night for Benoit and a bad one for me, but I learned much from that fight.” He also acknowledges the prowess of Vinc Pichel, a Factory X export and a semifinalist on Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. Pichel aged 40, with only losses to Mark O.Madsen, Gregor Gillepsie, and Rustam Khabilov whose collective record stands at 50-6 has been in the UFC roster since 2012.
Bonfim appreciates Pichel saying, “He is a well-regarded athlete in the UFC. He’s dangerous and can’t be underestimated”, recognizing that each fighter in the UFC has their strengths. He also declares his strategy for the fight against him, stating that he will take Pichel down if things don’t work out on feet, adding, “if I find my distance early on, I’ll keep it on the feet and look for a knockout.” Echoing pride and comfort fighting in his homeland, the 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate, who debuted in Rio de Janeiro in January, is fully determined to give his best for the fans, “I certainly prefer fighting at home with every fan supporting me. Fighting at home is good because I feel a greater sense of responsibility, and when that’s the case, I fight even better.”
Reflecting on the past, Bonfim has learned not to look past his next opponent. The recent loss to St.Denis taught him to focus only on one fight at a time instead of making far-fetched plans. “I don’t want to plan too far ahead. Last time around, I had many plans but ended up being frustrated. This time around, I’m only focused on the one fight in front of me. I’ll give everything to make sure I’m the winner. Then I can think about what’s next. Right now, above all, I just want to do my work and walk away with a victory,” expresses Bonfim. His only focus now is to display resilience and win the battlefield once again.