Axel Sola defeats Ismael Bonfim by Submission
Bonfim vs Sola — Lightweight · UFC Fight Night
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Bonfim pressed forward early, and Sola landed elbows that sent him to the canvas.
Sola landed short shots and looked for submissions from the top.
He locked the D’Arce choke for the tap at 4:44 of the first.
- Official UFC resultsUFC Abu Dhabi — Preliminary Card Results
Watch
More from this fight.
More videos · 4 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: DFS By The Numbers called it; AJ called it; Michael Chiesa called it; JakeGerberMMA called it; HopperoMMA called it; Bedtime MMA called it; We Want Picks called it.
7 of 7 nailed it.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Full analyst picks ↓
DFS By The Numbers Betting deskAnalyst called 60 of 88 DFS By The Numbers: predicted Sola · KO/TKO · R3. Actual Sola · Sub R1. Result: Hit.
Takes Sola's cardio and pressure to break Bonfim down for a late knockout.
Track record: winner called in 60 of 88 resolved picks, 23 a perfect call.
AJ Betting deskAnalyst called 52 of 71 AJ: predicted Sola · KO/TKO. Actual Sola · Sub R1. Result: Hit.
Takes Sola as the longer, quicker and more durable striker, expecting him to break Bonfim down and finish him with strikes.
Track record: winner called in 52 of 71 resolved picks, 25 a perfect call.
Michael Chiesa AnalystFighter called 29 of 42 Michael Chiesa: predicted Sola · to win. Actual Sola · Sub R1. Result: Hit.
Names Sola as his preliminary-card pick without a method call.
Track record: winner called in 29 of 42 resolved picks, 1 a perfect call.
JakeGerberMMA Analyst called 44 of 62 JakeGerberMMA: predicted Sola · to win. Actual Sola · Sub R1. Result: Hit.
Names Axel Sola as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 44 of 62 resolved picks, 10 a perfect call.
HopperoMMA Analyst called 41 of 65 HopperoMMA: predicted Sola · to win. Actual Sola · Sub R1. Result: Hit.
Names Axel Sola as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 41 of 65 resolved picks, 15 a perfect call.
Bedtime MMA Analyst called 67 of 99 Bedtime MMA: predicted Sola · to win. Actual Sola · Sub R1. Result: Hit.
Names Axel Sola as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 67 of 99 resolved picks, 28 a perfect call.
We Want Picks Betting desk called 55 of 87 We Want Picks: predicted Sola · to win. Actual Sola · Sub R1. Result: Hit.
Names Axel Sola as the full-card pick in this preview.
Track record: winner called in 55 of 87 resolved picks.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 20-6-0
- Record
- 11-1-1
- 2-3 last 5
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 3-1-1 last 5
- —
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- —
- —
- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- —
- —
- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
- —
- —
- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
- —
- —
- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
- —
- Brazil
- Nationality
- France
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Bonfim
Bonfim is the more accomplished striker trying to stop a slide. 'Marreta' is a twenty-fight winner with crisp boxing and nine knockouts, but he has dropped three of his last five and badly needs a bounce-back. The pedigree still says he is the sharper technical striker in the matchup when he is on.
Case for Sola
Sola is the karate stylist with awkward angles and his own point to prove. The Frenchman is 11-1-1 and stopped Rhys McKee in the UFC before a decision loss to Mason Jones, and his kicking range and unorthodox footwork are a hard puzzle for a pressure boxer. If he keeps the fight at distance, he can out-point Bonfim.
What We Were Watching For
- Boxing vs karate: Bonfim's pocket boxing against Sola's range kicking — who imposes their distance?
- Bonfim's slide: three losses in his last five — is the chin and the timing still reliable under fire?
- Sola's footwork: can he stay on the outside and avoid the exchanges where Bonfim's hands are sharpest?
- Stakes: both men are on the wrong side of .500 in their last five — the winner buys real breathing room, the loser slides toward must-win territory.
Comments are currently closed while we finish moderation and privacy controls.