Ismael Bonfim had a rough weight cut and missed the mark in his
last outing.| 📷: Getty/UFC

Ismael
Bonfim learned a lesson the hard way in his last fight.

Bonfim took on Chris
Padilla in a lightweight bout in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship this past November. “Marreta”
looked visibly weak and worn out as he weighed in at 161 pounds,
missing the non-title lightweight limit by five pounds. The
Brazilian was then picked apart by Padilla en route to a
second-round stoppage loss.

Bonfim recently recalled the weight-cut fiasco ahead of his last
bout and has made the necessary changes to avoid missing weight
again.

Ismael Bonfim details failed weight cut before Chris Padilla
UFC loss

Bonfim revealed that he had relied heavily on dehydration, leaving
22 pounds to cut on fight week. He decided to stop cutting weight
after his neck started cramping on the day of the weigh-in.

“I relied too much on dehydration,†Bonfim told MMA Fighting. “I
got to fight week still needing to lose 22 pounds. I would stay in
the sauna for 30 seconds, and my body would already start cramping.
I was getting cramps I'd never felt in my life, like cramps in my
neck. That's when we decided to stop the weight cut.â€

He is now scheduled to face Axel Sola at

UFC Abu Dhabi. Making weight shouldn't be an issue for Bonfim
as he has started managing his weight seriously since his last
Octagon outing. The 30-year-old believes moving up a weight class
would have ended his career and he's made sure to keep his
out-of-camp weight low going forward.

“We finally got serious,†Bonfim added. “We make a lot of mistakes
because things are too easy nowadays, but enough is enough. Moving
up to welterweight would've been crazy. I'm already small for
lightweight. Going up to 170 would've been the end of my career.
That's where it would've ended. I'm a lightweight, and from now on
I'm going to do things the right way. I'm not going to let my
weight go above 176 [pounds].â€

Bonfim (20-6) will look to rebound from a two-fight slump when he
faces Sola, who is eager to bounce back from his lone career loss
against Mason Jones
this past March.

Justin Gaethje says Ilia Topuria must prove himself before a
rematch. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Justin
Gaethje believes Ilia
Topuria has to work his way back into title contention.

Gaethje challenged Topuria for the undisputed
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title at
UFC Freedom 250. While Topuria was a massive betting favorite
and nearly found a finish in the second round of their bout,
Gaethje rallied to pile on the damage in the next two frames.

The fight ultimately ended due to a corner stoppage before the
final round and Gaethje was crowned the new undisputed champion.
Topuria subsequently vowed to make amends in a rematch on social
media, but the Georgian-Spaniard will need to return to the win
column before another title shot, according to the new lightweight
king.

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje says Ilia Topuria must
return to the win column

Gaethje was recently asked if he would consider an immediate
rematch against Topuria. “The Highlight” shut down the idea,
doubting whether Topuria would even ask for an immediate rematch.
The American believes Arman
Tsarukyan is way more deserving of the next lightweight title
shot and notes that he didn't dispatch Topuria with a lucky shot.
The UFC lightweight champion further added that Topuria hasn't been
seen much in public since the brutal loss.

“No, he's not fighting me next,†Gaethje told RMC Sport Combat.
“Why would he fight me next? Arman deserves it way more than him… I
didn't knock him out, I didn't get lucky, I beat him up. He's gonna
have to get a win before he fights for a championship… He didn't
say he wanted a rematch. If he uses his mouth and says, ‘I want a
rematch,' I will be very surprised. We haven't even seen him.â€

Topuria (17-1) was undefeated with consecutive knockout wins over
Alexander
Volkanovski, Max
Holloway, and Charles
Oliveira before facing Gaethje (28-5). “El Matador” isn't the
only contender gunning for a rematch with Gaethje, with Paddy
Pimblett and Holloway, who returned to winning ways at
UFC 329, also in the running for a shot at the 155-pound
title.

At the UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-ins, all 26 fighters on Saturday's fight card step on the scale Friday in Azerbaijan. Watch ceremonial weigh-ins above, set to kick off at 10 a.m. ET.