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Published On: Wed, Jun 10th, 2026

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 9: Gabriel Bonfim now elite

The welterweight division saw a continued changing of the guard this past Saturday in Las Vegas.

Former champion Belal Muhammad (24-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) really had very little to offer against Gabriel Bonfim (20-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and was swept on the scorecards in the UFC Fight Night 278 main event. It was Muhammad's third straight loss, including when he lost the title to Jack Della Maddalena in his first attempted defense.

Now Bonfim is on the rise, and even called out JDM, coincidentally – though the Australian is working off back-to-back losses, himself, including his own title setback in his first attempted defense against Islam Makhachev. And while that matchup might not make sense for him, what we do know is that he took a big jump on the chart at 170 pounds and supplanted Muhammad's prior spot.

Check out all of the moves in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 9: UFC's Bonfim climbs