UFC Freedom 250 is the focus of UFC’s June schedule, but before the historic event, UFC Fight Night 278 goes down Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas (Paramount+).
The main event will see the return of former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC), who looks to snap a two-fight losing skid against Gabriel Bonfim (19-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who gets his chance to break into the very top of the weight class.
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For more on the numbers, check out MMA Junkie’s UFC Fight Night 278 pre-event facts below.
Belal Muhammad vs. Gabriel Bonfim
Belal Muhammad vs. Gabriel Bonfim, UFC Fight Night 278
Belal Muhammad
Muhammad is the first and only Palestinian champion in UFC history.
Muhammad is one of 14 fighters to hold the undisputed UFC welterweight title.
Muhammad enters the event on the first losing skid of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since July 2024.
Muhammad’s 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for seventh-most in divisional history behind Neil Magny (24), Georges St-Pierre (19), Matt Brown (17), Matt Hughes (17), Kamaru Usman (16) and Vicente Luque (16).
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Muhammad has earned 18 of his 24 career victories by decision. That includes 12 of his 15 UFC wins.
Muhammad’s 12 decision victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied with St-Pierre for second-most in divisional history behind Magny (14).
Muhammad’s 12 decision victories in UFC competition are tied for third-most in company history behind Magny (14) and Brad Tavares (14).
Muhammad has landed 1,429 significant strikes in UFC welterweight competition, the second-most in divisional history behind Neil Magny (1,506).
Muhammad vs. Leon Edwards at UFC 304 is one of four matchups in history to feature two competitors on UFC unbeaten streaks of 10 or more fights. Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman (UFC 278), Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira (UFC 280), and Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski (UFC 284) were the others.
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Gabriel Bonfim
Bonfim’s four-fight UFC winning streak at welterweight is tied for the third-longest active streak in the division behind Shavkat Rakhmonov (seven) and Michael Morales (seven).
Bonfim has earned 17 of his 19 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his six UFC wins.
Brendan Allen vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Brendan Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) has earned 19 of his 26 career victories by stoppage. That includes nine of his 14 UFC wins.
Allen’s nine stoppage victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history behind Gerald Meerschaert (12) and Anderson Silva (11).
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Allen’s six submission victories in UFC middleweight competition are second-most in divisional history behind Meerschaert (11).
Fares Ziam vs. Tom Nolan
Fares Ziam’s (18-4 MMA, 8-2 UFC) six-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is the longest active streak in the division.
Ziam absorbs 1.53 significant strikes per minute in UFC lightweight competition, the best rate among active fighters in the weight class.
Tom Nolan’s (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at lightweight is the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Ziam (six), Arman Tsarukyan (five) and Quillan Salkilld (five).
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Bryce Mitchell vs. Santiago Luna
Bryce Mitchell (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is 3-3 in his past six fights after starting his career 15-0.
Mitchell is one of three fighters in UFC history to earn a Twister submission victory. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 7. Chan Sung Jung and Da’Mon Blackshear also won with the technique.
Iwo Baraniewski vs. Junior Tafa
Iwo Baraniewski (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.
Junior Tafa (7-5 MMA, 3-5 UFC) is 1-2 since he dropped to the light heavyweight division in May 2025.
Matt Schnell vs. Alessandro Costa
Matt Schnell (17-10 MMA, 7-8 UFC) earned the first triangle choke submission in UFC flyweight history at UFC on ESPN 5.
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Schnell’s three submission victories by triangle choke in UFC competition are second-most in company history behind Paul Craig (four).
Bruno Silva vs. Edgar Chairez
Bruno Silva’s (15-8-2, 5-5 UFC) has landed seven knockdowns in UFC flyweight competition, tied for the third-best rate in divisional history behind Deiveson Figueiredo (11) and Kai Kara-France (eight).
Chelsea Chandler vs. Priscila Cachoeira
Priscila Cachoeira’s (13-8 MMA, 5-8 UFC) 40-second knockout at UFC Fight Night 168 is the fastest stoppage in UFC women’s flyweight history.
Cachoeira’s two knockdowns landed in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Amanda Nunes (six).
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Jordan Leavitt vs. Joanderson Brito
Jordan Leavitt (13-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is one of 15 fighters in UFC history to earn a knockout stemming from a slam. He accomplished the feat at UFC on ESPN 19.
Leavitt’s 22-second slam knockout at UFC on ESPN 19 is tied for the second fastest in UFC history behind Josh Burkman’s 21-second win at The Ultimate Fighter 2 Finale in November 2005.
Leavitt’s 22-second victory at UFC on ESPN 19 is the second-fastest finish for a debuting lightweight in UFC history behind Terrance McKinney’s seven-second win at UFC 263.
Leavitt is of four fighters in UFC history to earn a reverse triangle submission. He accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 199. Davey Grant, Cole Miller and Olivier Aubin-Mercier have also won with the technique.
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Joanderson Brito (18-5-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) completes 66.7 percent of his takedown attempts in UFC featherweight competition, the second-best rate in divisional history behind Diego Brandao (68 percent).
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on X @MJCflipdascript.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 118 pre-event facts: Belal Muhammad nears striking record
