Sean Brady is reportedly out of his November 7 main event against Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Vegas 124, held at the APEX in Las Vegas. Brazilian MMA reporter Laerte Viana broke the news on X on Thursday, and the UFC has not yet issued an official cancellation.
A Late Pullout a Week Out From Fight Night
The welterweight headliner was set to pit two ground specialists against each other, with real ranking implications for the winner. According to Laerte Viana, Brady is dealing with an undisclosed injury that rules him out of the November 7 card. As of this writing, the UFC’s own event page still lists Bonfim vs. Brady with no update reflecting a change.
UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs. Brady is scheduled for the APEX in Las Vegas, with prelims at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) and the main card at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), streaming in the United States on Paramount+. For fans in the United Kingdom and Central Europe, that start time falls at 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. respectively, in the early hours of November 8. The 2026 UFC schedule lists the promotion’s other November dates.
Gabriel Bonfim’s Finishing Resume
The 29-year-old Brazilian carries a 20-1 record, with 17 finishes, including 13 by submission. His signature win came against former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, whom he beat by unanimous decision, 50-45 on all three scorecards. The Brady fight was meant to push Bonfim further up the welterweight title picture.
Nicknamed “Marretinha” back home in Brazil, Bonfim built his reputation on wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu rather than raw punching power, a style that contrasts with the more explosive Joaquin Buckley or the cage experience of Jack Della Maddalena, the two names now floated as a replacement. A change of opponent at this stage would meaningfully alter the game plan he had built for a fellow grappler with a similar profile.
Brady, for his part, enters off a unanimous-decision win over Joaquin Buckley on May 9 at UFC 328, a result that had reignited his own title ambitions in the division. That performance made the Bonfim booking one of the more significant welterweight matchups of the fall calendar, and his reported withdrawal takes it off the board for now.
Possible Replacements for Bonfim
With no opponent confirmed by the UFC, a few names are circulating among American outlets. Joaquin Buckley, ranked No. 12 at welterweight and known for taking short-notice fights, keeps coming up, which would turn the bout into a rematch of the man Brady beat in May. The American is on a three-fight losing streak, though, having been knocked out by Mike Malott on October 17 in Edmonton, and he has said he plans to retire after one more fight. Jack Della Maddalena, whom Bonfim had previously called out, is also mentioned: the Australian has no fight booked since his third-round TKO loss to Carlos Prates. An unranked replacement remains an option the promotion is reportedly weighing, though it would strip the bout of ranking implications.
A Pattern of Pullouts for Brady
This is not the first time Brady has pulled out of a booked fight. The American previously withdrew from a scheduled bout against Jack Della Maddalena ahead of UFC 290 in 2023, citing an injury that was never publicly specified. Earlier that same year, he revealed a groin tear that struck twice within about two months, which also cost him a planned fight against Michel Pereira. This week’s reported withdrawal adds to an already long list of Brady fight weeks disrupted by injury, and it leaves the promotion with roughly a week and a half to find Bonfim an opponent capable of stepping in on short notice for a five-round main event.
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