Gabriel Bonfim and Ange Rosa at the UFC Denver weigh-in. Photo Credit: Youtube/UFC
Gabriel Bonfim, one half of the powerful Bonfim brothers, faced off against Ange Rosa in a welterweight clash on Saturday’s main card of UFC Denver at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Bonfim is coming off the first loss of his professional career against Nicolas Dalby late last year, while Roosa is riding a two-fight winning streak and is 2-1 overall in the UFC.
Bonfim was a tough opponent, especially when it came to the first round, but Roosa will likely have something to say about that. “The Last Ninja” remained very competitive on the stand in the first round, landing 15 significant strikes to Bonfim’s 23. Bonfim’s multiple attempts to sink into the guillotine allowed Roosa to find success with his own aggressive grappling.
Bonfim seemed to make adjustments in his corner and the timing was right when the second round came. The first round was close, but Bonfim landed 35 significant strikes to Roosa’s 21. Bonfim’s aggressive flow seemed to halt Roosa’s aggressive wrestling. Bonfim made good use of the clinches, landing some hard knees to the body and using combinations to close out the second round.
In a highly anticipated welterweight bout, Bonfim brought the same moves he started in the second round into the third round. The clinch work, knees and jabs were too much for Roosa. Roosa tried to return to the wrestling that had been successful in the first round, but Bonfim’s defense was solid. Bonfim finished the third round strong to defeat the tough Ange Roosa by unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.
Win or lose, this fight marked the first time Gabriel Bonfim saw the scorecards in his professional mixed martial arts career.
This was a great fight for both fighters, and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for both men. With this loss, Rosa falls to 2-2 in the UFC, but still has room to grow and improve. Bonfim falls to 3-1 in the UFC and is in a great position with this win.
Official result: Gabriel Bonfim defeats Ange Rous by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
