Ismael Bonfim will be ‘one of the first to rat’ if approached to fight fix
UFC Fight Night 264’s Ismael Bonfim spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his lightweight bout vs. Chris Padilla
LAS VEGAS – Ismael Bonfim is embracing the role of setting the tone for his family at UFC Fight Night 264.
Ismael (20-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) will compete on the main card of Saturday’s event at UFC Apex (ESPN+) in a lightweight bout against Chris Padilla (16-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC). Just three fights later, his younger brother Gabriel will clash with Randy Brown in the headliner of the card.
Of the many sibling duos in UFC history, only a handful have shared the same card. Plenty have been open about the mental challenge of doing it as well as the complications to training camp, but Ismael has a different perspective and is embracing it all.
“It’s really like a compound work,” Bonfim told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 264 media day. “We really work together. It makes all the sense in the world, right? We live together, we train together, we work together and everything is there. Everything is there, so obviously we travel together and had to spend less money to bring us both.
“I think it’s the type of work that’s also an inspiration to one being here the same time as the other. One feeds off another, and it helps a lot.”
While Gabriel, 28, is looking for a career-altering win in the main event, Ismael, 29, is looking to get back on track after a doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Nazim Sadykhov at UFC Fight Night 251 in February.
Ismael is looking for a big bounce-back win, and said he will be ready to perform against Padilla.
“Chris Padilla is a tough opponent, a dangerous opponent,” Bonfim said. “Everyone here in this organization, there’s no easy challenges, and everyone is tough. I wanted to take a fight, I wanted to fight. It’s been nine months that I haven’t fought, coming off a loss. It didn’t matter to me. All respect to him, but it doesn’t matter what challenge comes up, it doesn’t matter how tough the opponent is, I’ll be ready for that.”
