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UFC 291 has added a welterweight matchup between Gabriel Bonfim and Trevin Giles to the preliminary card.
On July 29, the UFC travels to Salt Lake City, Utah for a star-studded fight card. Before the stacked pay-per-view commences, the preliminary card features a combination of veterans and rising prospects looking to make a statement. A fight was announced on Twitter of Bonfim vs. Giles joining the non-PPV portion of UFC 291:
“BREAKING! UFC sends Gabriel Bonfim vs Trevin Giles to the #ufc291 card, on July 29th”
After establishing a 12-0 record, Gabriel Bonfim (14-0) earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) with a first-round submission against Trey Waters in September 2022. On January 21, Bonfim made a statement in his promotional debut by submitting Mounir Lazzez in 49 seconds.
‘Marretinha’ also has a brother, Ismael Bonfim, who fought on DWCS and UFC 283 alongside Gabriel.
Meanwhile, Trevin Giles (16-4) is a UFC veteran with eleven Octagon appearances. After suffering back-to-back losses against Dricus Du Plessis and Michael Morales, Giles bounced back with a unanimous decision win against Louis Cosce.
‘The Problem’ last fought on March 25, defeating Preston Parsons with a decision. Giles looks to continue building momentum by taking out Bonfim inside the Vivint Arena.
Who else is fighting at UFC 291?
In the UFC 291 main event, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje hope to secure a lightweight title shot in a highly-anticipated rematch. The UFC superstars fought in April 2018, with Poirier securing a fourth-round finish.
Five years later, they meet again, with Poirier coming off a win against Michael Chandler and Gaethje defeating Rafael Fiziev last time out.
The co-main event features an intriguing light heavyweight matchup between former UFC champions Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira. ‘Poatan’ is making his divisional debut after losing the middleweight championship to Israel Adesanya in his last fight. Blachowicz last fought in December 2022, enduring a disappointing split-decision draw against Magomed Ankalaev.
The UFC 291 main card is rounded off by Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson vs. Michel Pereira, and Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima.
The preliminary card has not been finalized, but the following bouts have been confirmed - Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green, Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland, CJ Vergara vs. Vinicius Salvador, and Gabriel Bonfim vs. Trevin Giles.
