Belal Muhammad disputes claim that Gabriel Bonfim a 'punishment fight'

For Belal Muhammad, Gabriel Bonfim is just another tough guy he has to get through.

Muhammad (24-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) takes on rising contender Bonfim in the main event of UFC Fight Night 278 on June 6 from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Muhammad will look to snap a two-fight losing skid after decision losses to Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry.

UFC analyst and former opponent of Muhammad's, Alan Jouban, called Bonfim a punishment fight, but the former welterweight champion disagrees.

"A punishment? It's a punishment for him that he's going to have to fight me," Muhammad told MMA Junkie of Bonfim. "I never look at anything like a punishment fight. For myself, names don't matter. It doesn't matter to me what name is on the contract.

"I'm going to go out there. I think I'm the best in the world, so I'm going to fight anybody. I'm not going to wait on the sidelines, I'm not going to say, 'No, this doesn't make any sense. I only need this name or former champion or this or that.' I'm here to fight. I'm here to fight the best in the world. He thinks he's one of the best in the world, so now it's time to prove it."

Bonfim, who's on a four-fight winning streak, will get an opportunity to enter the top five rankings with a win over Muhammad.

"He's tough," Muhammad said. "He reminds me of kind of like a Barboza with jiu-jitsu. He comes out hard, hard kicks, hard low kicks, he throws everything into his punches. He only has that one loss against Dalby, right?

"I know the 'Wonderboy' fight people were saying was questionable, but 'Wonderboy' is a hard guy to fight. I've been in there with him. He's a tough guy. So, those were fun tests he had to go through. He just hasn't fought anyone like me, and I think that's going to be the real test for him."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 'A punishment?' Belal Muhammad OK with drawing Gabriel Bonfim