AJ Fletcher Record: 10-5-0

UFC run

Fletcher's breakthrough came in August 2021 on Dana White's Contender Series, where he stopped the dangerous Leonardo Damiani with a first-round flying knee – a spectacular highlight-reel finish that landed flush and sealed his ticket to the UFC. The step up in competition proved demanding. He dropped a unanimous decision to Matthew Semelsberger in March 2022, then lost another close decision to Ange Loosa at UFC 278 that August, falling behind early in his promotional tenure.

He answered with the signature win of his UFC stint in February 2023, submitting Themba Gorimbo with a second-round guillotine choke to even his slate inside the Octagon and reaffirm his grappling chops. Momentum proved hard to sustain, however, as he was submitted by Bryan Battle via rear-naked choke in September 2023. Subsequent losses on the regional scene to Leivon Lewis and Dante Schiro left him working to rebuild after a difficult stretch.

Fighting style

Fletcher is a finisher first and foremost, with a 90 percent finish rate built on five submissions and four knockouts among his ten wins, and only a single decision victory to his name. He is most dangerous in scramble-heavy exchanges, where his speed and creativity – the flying-knee KO of Damiani being the prime example – can end a fight in an instant, and his guillotine and choke game give him a constant threat on the mat. The flip side is a tendency to find himself in track meets against high-level opposition, where three of his losses have come by decision and two by submission, pointing to areas in defensive grappling and round-management that have separated him from the next tier.

Career highlights

• Contender Series flying-knee KO — stopped Leonardo Damiani in the first round to earn his UFC contract in one of the more memorable finishes of the season.
• Submitted Themba Gorimbo — locked up a second-round guillotine choke for his signature UFC win, showcasing the grappling that anchors his game.
• 90 percent finish rate — closed out nine of ten career wins inside the distance across knockouts and submissions, a mark of his finishing pedigree.