Ismael Bonfim’s UFC run has officially hit rock bottom. After missing weight by a whopping 7.5 pounds and getting brutally knocked out by Francisco Prado in the first round at UFC Vegas 122 this past Saturday, the Brazilian has been booted from the promotion’s roster. And with four straight stoppage losses now on his record, his UFC journey is officially over.

But ‘Marreta’ isn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. Before news of his UFC exit broke, the 30-year-old former Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) fighter took to social media on Sunday to make one thing clear: he isn’t letting this rough patch define his career. In his own words, one loss can’t erase everything he’s fought for.

“There are no excuses, no shame, and certainly no reason to give up,” Bonfim wrote in Portuguese. “We made it this far by taking the hardest road, facing battles that few people know about, overcoming fears, breaking barriers, and fighting battles that go far beyond what happens inside the Octagon.

“The outcome of a battle does not define a warrior’s worth, and a loss will never be enough to erase the entire story we’ve built.”

Ismael Bonfim followed that message by reaffirming his faith and determination to continue despite the difficult period.

“I keep my head held high, my heart at peace, and my faith stronger than ever,” he continued. “Because those who know where they came from, everything they’ve been through, and how hard they’ve had to fight to get here don’t give up because of one result.

“My story doesn’t end here. God is still writing the next chapters, and I trust Him completely. All honor and all glory be to God!”

While Bonfim will likely find a spot somewhere else, this does signal a rough patch in his MMA career. The weight miss was part of a recurring problem that had already cost Bonfim a fight and complicated another UFC appearance.

Last week, he came in a massive 7.5 pounds over the lightweight limit for his preliminary-card clash with Francisco Prado at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The fight went ahead anyway, but Prado wasted little time making him pay, putting the 30-year-old away with a first-round knockout.

It’s a pretty brutal fall from where Ismael Bonfim started.

The Brazilian entered the UFC with an impressive 18-3 professional record after earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2022, raising hopes that he could make some noise in the promotion. Instead, he leaves with a 2-5 UFC record (20-8 overall) and four consecutive stoppage defeats. Whatever promise he showed early on, things simply never clicked during his time in the Octagon.

And this wasn’t even Bonfim’s first time he had run into issues on the scales.

Ismael Bonfim had first missed weight by 3.5 pounds ahead of UFC Sao Paulo in November 2023, forcing the cancellation of his scheduled fight against Vinc Pichel, after Pichel refused to accept a catchweight bout at the last minute.

Again at UFC Vegas 111 in November 2025, Bonfim weighed in at 161 pounds, five pounds over the lightweight limit. Chris Padilla agreed to fight him at catchweight, but Bonfim got knocked out in the second round.

His latest and third weight miss last week, followed by the first-round knockout against Prado, marked another setback in a UFC run already marred by repeated weight issues and a string of stoppage losses.

Now, with another massive weight miss followed by a brutal first-round KO at UFC Vegas 122, the Brazilian’s problems had likely become impossible to ignore.

Ismael Bonfim’s brother previously explained why he missed weight

But there’s more to the weight-miss saga. Ahead of UFC Vegas 122, Bonfim’s younger brother and fellow UFC fighter, Gabriel Bonfim, explained the weight-cut situation on Instagram Stories. Ismael later reposted the video, in which Gabriel claimed his brother had been close to making the lightweight limit before feeling unwell.

“Hey everyone, how’s it going? I’m just dropping by quickly to talk about what happened with Ismael, since a lot of people are asking about it,” Gabriel said. “Ismael was almost at weight—he was off by a maximum of 1 kg, so he was really close.

“When we went to check his weight on the UFC scale, he started feeling a bit unwell. Our team, together with the UFC, decided to rehydrate him a little so he could make weight and keep the fight alive.”

But the rehydration gamble backfired: Prado knocked Bonfim out in the first round, extending his losing streak. With his UFC run now over, Bonfim must figure out his next move outside the promotion.

And ‘Marreta’ wasn’t the only fighter who had trouble with the scales at UFC Vegas 122. Ketlen Souza also missed weight, coming in at 117 pounds, one pound over the non-title strawweight limit for her clash with Loopy Godinez. Unfortunately for Souza, she couldn’t bounce back inside the Octagon either, dropping a unanimous decision to Godinez.

Then there was Brendson Ribeiro, who came in 2.5 pounds over the light heavyweight limit for his clash with Felipe Franco. But unlike Ismael Bonfim, he still managed to get the job done. Ribeiro needed just 1 minute and 49 seconds to lock in a guillotine choke and submit Franco in the opening round.

But there was a much heavier story behind Ribeiro’s night. After his win, the Brazilian made an emotional appeal, seeking answers about his brother, who has been missing for nearly six months.

As for Ismael Bonfim, his UFC career has ended after repeated weight misses and four consecutive stoppage defeats, but his message suggests he has no intention of walking away from fighting. The question now is which promotion, if any, will give him another opportunity.