UFC Vegas 118 ‘Muhammad vs. Bonfim’ play-by-play, results & round scoring

Belal Muhammad
(170.5) vs. Gabriel Bonfim (170.5)Brendan Allen
(185.5) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (186)Fares Ziam (156) vs. Tom Nolan
(155)Bryce Mitchell (135.5)
vs. Santiago Luna (136)Iwo Baraniewski (206)
vs. Junior Tafa (206)Live NOW! Matt
Schnell (129.5) vs. Alessandro Costa (129.5)Marcus McGhee (136) vs.
John Yannis (136)Bruno “Bulldog” Silva (126)
vs. Edgar Chairez (126)Priscila
Cachoeira (135.5) vs. Chelsea Chandler (135)Jordan Leavitt
(145.5) vs. Joanderson Brito (145.5)Jeisla Chaves (124) vs.
Yuneisy Duben (125)Ketlen Souza (116)
vs. Ariane Carnelossi (116) Sherdog’s live
UFC Vegas 118 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The
event is also known as
UFC Fight Night 278.

Ketlen
Souza (116) vs. Ariane
Carnelossi (116)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Souza (-300); Carnelossi (+225)

Round 1

Let’s face facts here: There’s a good chance that you’re reading
this right now because you think this is the White House event that
people have been talking about. That’s next week. This week, a
dozen UFC fights play out in the company headquarters in Las Vegas.
They will serve as a bit of an amuse-bouche, if you will, to the
spectacle that will unfold on June 14. Let us not take away from
the athletes competing tonight any further, however, as we
introduce the first fight on the card. Women’s strawweights take
the cage as a pair of 3-3 knockout-friendly Brazilian collide as
Souza (16-6, 3-3 UFC) runs it back with Carnelossi (15-4, 3-3 UFC).
The two first fought at Future FC 5 in 2019, where
“Esquentadinha”—this roughly means “little hothead”—fell to a
Carnelossi body kick in the third frame. Referee Chris Tognoni will
serve as the first in-cage official of the evening, and the rematch
starts off with a cordial glove touch.

Carnelossi advances first, crowding Souza behind a one-two.
Carnelossi jabs the body and keeps in front of Souza presenting
offense of some sort. It generally comes at one or two at a time,
but it succeeds in keeping Souza back towards the fencing. Souza
winds up with a heavy right hand and skirts away, marking up
Carnelossi’s nose but not getting away in time before Carnelossi
catches her back. Souza offers a low kick and a jab, and she leans
away from the worst that Carnelossi swings at her.
Souza strides forward, bangs a right hand off the guard to set up a
left that splits through it, and her follow-up right hand puts
Carnelossi down on her hands. When Carnelossi posts off them to
stand back up, Souza times a perfect head kick that jacks
Carnelossi in the jaw and sends her crashing back to the wall and
floor. “Esquentadinha” finishes the job with one singularly
devastating but wholly unnecessary left hand, and Tognoni has seen
enough and waves the fight off. This triumph is sweet, sweet
revenge for Souza, who just knocked out the first woman to finish
her with strikes.

The Official Result

Ketlen Souza def. Ariane Carnelossi R1 1:34 via KO (Punches and
Head Kick)

Jeisla
Chaves (124) vs. Yuneisy
Duben (125)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Chaves (-400); Duben (+300)

Round 1

Moving on to the flyweights, two ladies looking to make their mark
and record their first win will play their respective trades
against one another. Debuting Chaves (7-0, 0-0 UFC) has yet to meet
a foe she could not punch and elbow her way through, while Duben
(6-1, 1 NC; 0-1 UFC) is aiming to rebound from her first career
defeat. It could be like two crashing Beyblades before long, and
referee Dan Miragliotta winds them up. The gloves are touched
before they cut loose.

Chaves moves herself to the center of the cage and lets go with a
heavy low kick. Duben gives her back a doubled jab on the nose.
Duben hops to the side to try to attack at a strange angle, but all
she gets is a head kick flying at her dome that she catches in the
nick of time. She releases it, and Chaves flicks out a jab and
right hand that damage Duben’s left eye. Duben struggles to open it
for a moment, having to blink it out while a shiner develops under
it, and she decides to stop throwing hands and engage grappling.
She successfully pushes Chaves to the wall, but there is little
more from it other than a quick Miragliotta mention to do more than
just hang out here. Chaves takes his advance and belts Duben in the
face with a right hand to separate. Duben wears it well, but she
throws a naked leg kick and gets popped with a right on the
comeback. Chaves dips and rips with a left hand, and Duben wears it
well but still cannot find her range and timing yet.

They throw kicks at the same time, but the longer Chaves is able to
land the cleaner of the two while being able to dance away from the
retorts. This allows Chaves to pick her shots and peck away, but
not when Duben crashes the pocket to swing for the fences. Chaves
pushes off when Duben tries this, landing on the way in and out as
Duben keeps her hands wide. Chaves opens up with a wide right hand,
and she leans down and absorbs a hard body kick. Duben follows with
an overhand right, and Chaves smiles and shakes her head at her
mockingly. Chaves plods ahead, and she scores a few times to back
Duben off. The end of Chaves’ long, reaching right hand finds its
mark on the cheek a few times, and she gets a little fancy and
swings with a tomahawk elbow when Duben comes in. She misses on
both of those as Duben jams her up against the fencing, but she
fights her way out at the bell.

Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Chaves
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Chaves
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Chaves

Round 2

The two clap hands to get going in Round 2, with Duben in the
driver’s seat early. Chaves pushes her back with her legs, and her
long jabs gets through before Duben can blast her with big hooks.
They crash together, and Duben tries to wrangle her but it is
Chaves who sets up clinch strikes like a few knees to the belly.
Duben offers a few back as she leans on Chaves against the fencing,
and she changes levels in pursuit of a double-leg entry but cannot
get it. Chaves stands her up and turns her about in the tie-up,
getting thrown off-balance but recovering before anything comes of
it. Chaves splits the guard with her fists, and she scoops an
uppercut on the jaw when Duben leans over. Chaves keeps after her
opponent, ducking a spinning back fist to clinch up and go for a
double. Chaves manages to drag Duben to a single knee, but Duben
pops up with her back to the wall.

After dogged determination, Chaves manages to complete the takedown
she was seeking, and lands in a partial half guard position. She
steps over to take the wide-open back, and she fastens a rear-naked
choke on the chin. Duben keeps her jaw tucked down to prevent the
choke for the time being, so Chaves adjusts her grip and squeezes.
“A Braba” releases the sub to pound on Duben with her free left
hand, and she is doing some damage as she hacks at her with elbows.
One lands to the back of the head, and she looks up to Miragliotta
to verify the legality of it and does not throw another errant
strike. Chaves fishes for the choke and crushes down over the hands
and just tries for a pain move, but Duben survives.

Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Chaves
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Chaves
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Chaves

Round 3

Duben wants nothing more than to punch Chaves square in the face as
the final frame kicks off. This works until she spins for a back
fist, and Chaves ducks under and charges her foe to tackle her to
the mat. Duben grabs the fence with all her might to prevent from
going down, but the uncalled foul cannot save her. Chaves still
wrangles her to her seat. Duben stands back up by grabbing the
fence again, and this time, Miragliotta mentions that she probably
shouldn’t be doing that. They trade knees from up close when in the
clinch, and Chaves punches her way out of it. Duben walks her down
and fires off a few punches, but she gets dropped by a body kick
and an overhand right from “A Braba.” Duben stands back up and
overswings, leaving her wide open to get hurled to the mat with a
body lock takedown. Duben puts her back to the fence but is pulled
away and dropped on her face. Chaves slips around to take the back
while seated, although the cage wall is behind her and her leverage
is not there.

Duben times this moment of offense to turn around and prevent the
choke, and she allows Chaves to stand up so she can scoop her up
like a bag of sand and toss her unceremoniously to the floor. Duben
lands in half guard and holds on, but her activity is low as she
holds her elbow on Chaves’ face. Chaves starts to get active on her
back while flattened out, hacking with elbows and little punches to
the sides of the head. Duben’s own responses are fairly feeble as
well, with little fight-ending intent behind them. Chaves stands,
and Duben busts her in the face as the fight comes to a close.

Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Duben (29-28
Chaves)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Duben (29-28 Chaves)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Duben (29-28 Chaves)

The Official Result

Jeisla Chaves def. Yuneisy Duben via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29,
29-28)

Jordan
Leavitt (145.5) vs. Joanderson
Brito (145.5)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Brito (-180); Leavitt (+140)

Round 1

The pace of these two featherweights may be shocking once referee
Herb Dean starts them up. Leavitt (13-3, 6-3 UFC) tends to float as
a more of a chain wrestler who picks his openings, while Brito
(18-5-1, 6-3 UFC) makes his own openings with sheer aggression and
hostility. The two opt to bump fists before engaging.

Brito starts stalking Leavitt down, who slips and recovers to race
forward for a low takedown. Brito knows it is coming and attempts
to counter it with a knee, and he turns Leavitt to his back and
lowers himself into the guard. Leavitt, who has quite a unique hair
choice tonight to say the least, fishes for a sweep or reversal. He
uses a guillotine to do just that, and he holds onto it not to tap
Brito but stand back up. Brito fights out of the sub and defends
himself with his back to the fencing, and Leavitt wants nothing
more than to leave it close. This results in a stalemate as neither
man can get much off, and sporadic boos rain through the
building.

Leavitt muscles Brito against the fence, preventing him from
breaking off, and he imposes his weight. Brito reverses the
position while standing, working Leavitt a few times with short but
effective strikes that allow him to punch his way out. Leavitt
offers up a body kick, and Brito leaps at him with a knee and just
avoids the spinning back fist that Leavitt presented as a trap for
him. Brito punches over a kick from his foe, aiming another right
to the body as Leavitt circles off. Brito charges and throws
caution to the wind, and Leavitt shoots for a double in the center
of the cage.
The Brazilian licks his lips and snatches up a ninja choke wrapping
his arms above and beneath the American’s throat, and it is
fastened tight as soon as Leavitt pushes him to the wall. It is not
the best option for “The Monkey King,” who tries to turn himself
out of danger but is still trapped. With no way out, Leavitt has to
tap out. Brito runs to the center of the cage, takes off his
shorts and falls to his back to celebrate and get his wind back. He
must have been hot.

The Official Result

Joanderson Brito def. Jordan Leavitt R1 4:19 via Submission (Ninja
Choke)

Priscila
Cachoeira (135.5) vs. Chelsea
Chandler (135)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Chandler (-130); Cachoeira (+110)

Round 1

Worry not, card-carrying members of the “He-Man Womun Haters Club,”
for this is the final ladies’ match of the fight card. An
ex-flyweight in Cachoeira (13-8, 5-8 UFC) has tried desperately for
a new lease on life at 135 pounds, but she has yet to fully find
her footing. Diaz brother protégé Chandler (6-4, 2-3 UFC) is also
in need of a win, as both women are coming in with two consecutive
losses at their backs. Referee Jason Herzog will handle things
going forward. There is no shared glove touch to commence the
bout.

Cachoeira keeps a wide stance setting up her right hand
immediately, stalking down the American and busting her in the
chops a few times. Chandler shakes it off and tags Cachoeira back
with an uppercut, but she is still the one fighting off the back
foot. Cachoeira does not recklessly engage, instead keeping her
right hand chambered to loose when the time is right. Chandler
bounces her fists off of Cachoeira’s guard, and she stands straight
up and gets her nailed with a left hand. Chandler tries to kick her
up close, and Cachoeira catches it, throws Chandler to the ground
and starts hunting for a way in. Herzog stands them up when
Cachoeira does not enter the guard. They restart and crash
together, with Chandler blitzing her foe and catching her with a
left hand that staggers the Brazilian. Cachoeira scrambles and
rolls on the mat but gives up her back. Chandler takes the back
gladly and applies a rear-naked choke while getting her other hook
in. Cachoeira defends the first attempt, but she is stuck in a
precarious position where a twister could come into play.

Chandler uses her free left hand to slug Cachoeira in the face to
soften her up, and she hangs on from the side-slash-back position
with Cachoeira leaned on her side.
Submissions appear wide open for the American, who sits up and
finds one in the form of an armbar. Chandler sets the hook and
rolls to her back to complete the submission, and from there, it is
just a matter of time. “Zombie Girl” quits before her arm
hyperextends in the wrong direction, and Chandler walks off
with her arms in the air as she hoots and hollers. This marks the
first victory for Chandler since March 2024, while she has now hit
the first armbar of her burgeoning pro career. Meanwhile, Cachoeira
has won only five times after 14 walks to the Octagon.

The Official Result

Chelsea Chandler def. Priscila Cachoeira R1 3:42 via Submission
(Armbar)

Bruno
“Bulldog” Silva (126) vs. Edgar
Chairez (126)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: Silva (-130); Chairez (+110)

Round 1

Flyweights with finish rates over 70% toe the line as the prelims
roll on. Silva (15-8-2, 1 NC; 5-5, 1 NC UFC) may be .500 in the
UFC, but he has produced stoppages in every one of his UFC triumphs
to date. Chairez (13-6, 1 NC; 3-2, 1 NC UFC) may not be able to say
the same, but two out of three ain’t bad. The two collide under the
auspices of referee Chris Tognoni, who is ready to step in at a
moment’s notice once the two men bump fists and start the
clock.

Chairez opens up with a jab, and Silva is quick to loop two punches
around it. They flick out jabs at the same time, and Chairez
doubles up on it. He reddens up Silva’s nose as he keeps pushing
it. Silva pump-fakes to draw out reactions from his opponents,
allowing him to set up a pair of right hands. Chairez rolls with
the worst of them but takes a hard low kick. Chairez tries to offer
one back, and he chases after Silva with an overhand right and
reaches him at the end of it. Silva chops at the calf, and Chairez
digs the ball of his foot into Silva’s solar plexus. Chairez slips
and lands a left, and Silva is warned for outstretched fingers and
lobs a right hand back. They are taking turns with single strikes,
and both men clip one another in a fierce exchange. Silva keeps a
stiff upper lip as he recovers from getting his bell rung, and the
Mexican does not take advantage of the damage entirely.

Chairez calmly advances behind his jab. One such jab opens up a
huge overhand right that sets “Bulldog” down, and the Brazilian
almost instantly springs back up and gets right back into striking
range. Both men trade jabs, with Silva looking for a right hand to
set up a possible takedown. “Puro Chicali” shuts it down and keeps
his power jab mashed in Silva’s face. Chairez commits to a right
hand, and Silva ducks it to pursue a takedown but is stopped in his
tracks. He bails on the attempt to swing it out with Chairez, but
Chairez is quicker and knocks him off his feet with a shovel
uppercut. Chairez leaps on top to claim full mount when pounding
away, and he allows Silva to twist so he can relocate himself to
take the back.
The Entram Gym-trained athlete wraps up a rear-naked choke, and it
is on Silva’s jaw and slides just underneath it to commence the
finalizing squeeze. Silva hand-fights but blood is leaking into his
eyes and giving him something else to think about. As Chairez
crushes the windpipe like a vice, “Bulldog” has to call it on
account of rain. The victorious athlete dismounts his fallen
foe and drops to his knees to weep. Now riding a three-fight win
streak, “Puro Chicali” finds himself on his longest consecutive win
stretch since starting his career at 4-0.

The Official Result

Edgar Chairez def. Bruno Silva R1 4:13 via Submission (Rear-Naked
Choke)

Marcus
McGhee (136) vs. John Yannis
(136)

BETTING
PREVIEW | SCOUTING
REPORT | ODDS: McGhee (-500); Yannis (+375)

Round 1

A short-notice swap has transformed this bantamweight affair from
McGhee (10-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. Jakub Wiklacz to “The Maniac” against
“The Juice” Yannis (10-4, 1-1 UFC). The former is a massive betting
favorite as it is a dramatic step down in competition from past and
future champ Petr Yan to a beltholder from Fury FC who could not
get past Cameron Smotherman. Crazier things have happened, so there
is no reason to count the knockout-or-bust Texan. The fighters bump
fists with referee Jason Herzog watching on.

McGhee controls the center of the cage as the fight begins, with
the Arizonan walking down his opponent but not engaging with
anything. After about 30 seconds, McGhee offers up a spinning wheel
kick that is blocked. Yannis bounces from side to side to try to
find a way in, and it is his leg strikes that are working better.
McGhee wings a right hand and chains it into a spin, and Yannis
defends well enough and clips McGhee back with a left hand. McGhee
fires back with jabs, and they clash body kicks at the same time.
McGhee spins with a back kick that buzzes the tower, and Yannis
cannot make him pay for it.

McGhee pecks out with his jab, and he is beating Yannis to the
punch repeatedly. “The Maniac” leans back as a pair of punches fly
past him, and he keeps Yannis defensive as he remains in the center
of the Octagon with feints and fakes aplenty. Stringing three
punches together, McGhee gets in but he does not remain unscathed
as he takes a few shots on the way out. The jab from McGhee is
flustering his foe, who sells out for big strikes that miss by a
mile. McGhee jumps at his man with a knee, and he lands to spin
with a back fist. Yannis is stuck without answers, but he is not
being beaten into a pulp. He does get off a heavy left hand, and
McGhee rolls with it and steps to the side to evade the spinning
back kicked aimed at his side. Yannis lands a right hand and gets
his nose bloodied up with a combo. McGhee ends the round with his
jab.

Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 McGhee
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 McGhee
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 McGhee

Round 2

The bantamweights meet in the middle, with McGhee offering up the
first offense in the form of a body kick. Yannis keeps his guard up
to block two subsequent head kicks and a spinner, but the low kick
from the MMA Lab fighter lands with an audible thud. McGhee sets up
a combination with a head kick and ends it with a short burst of
punches. McGhee’s jab cannot miss, and it is so effective that
Yannis is largely relegated to one strike at a time. Meanwhile,
McGhee lets his hands go. When he clips Yannis, Yannis revs up his
engine to throw back with his own flurry. McGhee slides away and
pecks at him with a jab that makes him wipe his nose. McGhee
remains elusive as he hops around while picking his shots
effectively, and Yannis may advance but is rarely engaging first
and making McGhee react to him. McGhee pirouettes twice with faked
spins, and Yannis sees through them and wings two big punches that
skim the betting favorite’s face.

A right hand to the body from McGhee opens up two upstairs, but
this also makes Yannis swing back with a vengeance. The two pick up
their intensity and start to load up a bit more, with the sounds of
impact gaining in decibel level. As they trade fists, McGhee gets
the better of an exchange and staggers Yannis back. He decides to
jump at Yannis with a knee, and when he lands, Yannis catches him
with a left hand. Yannis steels himself and starts putting hands on
McGhee, forcing him to reset and calm himself down. McGhee dips and
sticks with jabs to get back to his preferred strategy, and Yannis
is right in front of him putting it to him. The horn sounds. The
underdog gained some serious ground in this round, but was it
enough for him to win it?

Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yannis
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Yannis
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Yannis

Round 3

McGhee moves to the center of the cage to get going in the last
round, and Yannis is jittery and using odd angles and footwork now.
McGhee keeps his hands down while he authors up kicks from a safe
range, taking more of a traditional martial arts stance with no
fear of reprisal. “The Maniac” tries a reverse crescent kick, and
Yannis crowds him and busts him in the face with a right hand.
McGhee spins with a back kick that pounds into the guard, and his
subsequent swings hit nothing but air. Yannis goes after him with
his jab outstretched, and he springs away repeatedly of the kicks
aimed at him until he times his own back fist that also misses.
Yannis steps in with a right hand, and McGhee turns it back on him
and lands a right hand and a kick.

Yannis chases after McGhee but is still hesitant to fully let his
hands go, and the two shadowbox for a bit until McGhee starts
attacking again. The low kicks from McGhee lead to head shots
upstairs, and he even mixes in a body kick and a level change.
Yannis shuts down the attempt and blocks the most dangerous of
attacks, but McGhee pins another body kick to his side and kiais
after connecting with it to add a little extra oomph. Yannis kicks
his front leg back hard, and he is knocked to the side when on the
offensive. He stops a takedown and gives a right hand back, and his
lead leg is kicked when he plants again. Yannis plods forward, and
McGhee forces him to back off when he attacks. McGhee aims another
kick to the ribs, and he blocks the response and two punches as
well. Yannis swings for the bleachers but whiffs everything at the
end, and the match comes to a close. In his post-fight interview,
the triumphant man declares himself as the “greatest skateboarder
in the UFC.” Let’s put that to the test.

Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 McGhee (29-28
McGhee)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 McGhee (29-28 McGhee)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 McGhee (29-28 McGhee)

The Official Result

Marcus McGhee def. John Yannis via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 29-28)