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Belal Muhammad Calls UFC Bout ‘Super Bowl’ After Weigh-Ins

6/6/2026

38 9 Full Breakdown

Summary

Belal Muhammad Weighs-In

Belal Muhammad and Gabriel Bonfim weighed in at 170.5 pounds for UFC Fight Night 278 on June 5, 2026 in Las Vegas.
The UFC Vegas 118 weigh-ins saw 23 fighters make weight while only one missed the limit.
Co-headliners Brendan Allen and Edmen Shahbazyan also stepped on the scale and made weight for the June 6, 2026 event.
Belal Muhammad told reporters the bout is his ‘Super Bowl’ and promised to break Gabriel Bonfim’s style on Saturday night.

Summary

Junior Tafa Steps In

Junior Tafa accepted a light-heavyweight bout against Iwo Baraniewski on just over two weeks’ notice after Billy Elekana withdrew, needing to cut a half-pound to meet the 205-pound limit.
The fight is Tafa’s second UFC appearance within 35 days after his May knockout of Kevin Christian, a rapid turnaround he said he almost regretted.
Iwo Baraniewski will debut at UFC Vegas 118, filling the slot created by Elekana’s withdrawal.

Summary

Santiago Luna Steps

UFC Vegas 118 is a precursor Fight Night to Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14, 2026.
The UFC returned to the Meta Apex venue after its Macau, China event.
Santiago Luna fought Bryce Mitchell, a step up for the bantamweight newcomer.
Iwo Baraniewski and Junior Tafa each missed the limit by half a pound, weighing 206 lb and 206.5 lb.
Matt Schnell and Alessandro Costa weighed 129.5 lb for a 130-lb catch-weight prelim.

History

Historical Context

UFC 1 opened on Nov 12 1993 in Denver, where Royce Gracie’s submission win highlighted a sport with no weight limits. After Senator John McCain’s 1996 anti-MMA campaign, 36 states banned “no-holds-barred” fighting, prompting the UFC to add weight classes at UFC 12 in 1997 and adopt the New Jersey Unified Rules in 2000. Those reforms underpin today’s strict weigh-ins and rapid fight scheduling.

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Belal Muhammad Weighs-In

Belal Muhammad and Gabriel Bonfim weighed in at 170.5 pounds for UFC Fight Night 278 on June 5, 2026 in Las Vegas.
The UFC Vegas 118 weigh-ins saw 23 fighters make weight while only one missed the limit.
Co-headliners Brendan Allen and Edmen Shahbazyan also stepped on the scale and made weight for the June 6, 2026 event.
Belal Muhammad told reporters the bout is his ‘Super Bowl’ and promised to break Gabriel Bonfim’s style on Saturday night.

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