Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
The UFC welterweight division will be cast in a significant spotlight over the next several weeks, and Gabriel Bonfim is now the first to take advantage of it.
Bonfim (19-1) knocked out Randy Brown (20-7) with a standing knee at 1:40 of the second round in the main event at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. Brown, 35, initially protested the stoppage, but replays showed him badly hurt by Bonfim’s right knee up the middle.
Bonfim extended his winning streak to five with the knockout and called out former interim champion Colby Covington.
‘Colby, stop running,” Bonfim said, through an interpreter. “Give me a chance so I can walk you out of the ring. For sure, I’m going to retire [you].”
Bonfim’s finish came courtesy of the standing knee, but it was the calf kick that dominated the fight. Bonfim landed 35 total strikes, including 23 to Brown’s leg, according to UFC Stats. Bonfim targeted the leg throughout the first round and eventually opened up opportunities upstairs in the second.
Brown, who had won four of his last five going in, responded well and showed a willingness to stand in the pocket, but the knee in the second round sent him crashing to the canvas. Although Brown appeared to recover quickly after the bout was stopped, he did look temporarily unconscious from the knee strike.
Brown was knocked out for the first time since 2020.
Bonfim is trying to break into the UFC’s top 10 for the first time in his career. He was ranked No. 14 going into Saturday. His target, Covington, is currently ranked No. 10, although he hasn’t fought since December and hasn’t won since a decision win over Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.
