Alex Gilpin Record: 15-5-0

Adversity and resilience

His first professional setback came in July 2016, when he dropped a decision to Dan Moret at RFA 40 – a loss to a polished, UFC-bound opponent that exposed how far Gilpin still had to climb. He responded the way good prospects do, rattling off a long winning run that included a first-round knockout of veteran Morgan Sickinger, fourth-round stoppages of Jose Pacheco and Nick Compton, and submission wins over Brandon Apfel and Joni Salovaara. By 2018 he was fighting internationally, choking out Adlan Mamaev at ACB 87 in Nottingham and earning a Dana White's Contender Series appearance, where he submitted JR Coughran with a second-round D'Arce choke.

The PFL and beyond

Gilpin's most prominent run came in the 2019 Professional Fighters League season, the sport's high-stakes regular-season-and-playoff format. He showed his finishing instincts with a first-round guillotine of Freddy Assunção and a stunning second-round ninja choke of the 21-1-1 Andre Harrison, one of the best wins of his career. The format also delivered hard lessons: he dropped three decisions to former two-time PFL champion Lance Palmer across the season. After a layoff, Gilpin returned to action, suffering a 2023 loss to Regivaldo Carvalho before bouncing back with a first-round rear-naked choke of Erik Vo at Chosen Few FC 24 in February 2024.

Fighting style

Gilpin is a submission specialist first and foremost. Of his 15 wins, nine have come by submission – D'Arce chokes, guillotines, and rear-naked chokes among them – against three knockouts and three decisions, for an 80% finish rate. His chain-grappling and choke entries make him dangerous the moment a fight hits the mat, and he has shown he can also crack with punches when the opportunity arises. His losses, by contrast, point to his ceiling: four of his five defeats came by decision, often against higher-level wrestlers and grinders like Palmer who could nullify his offense and control the scorecards.

Career highlights

• Ninja choke of Andre Harrison — submitted a 21-1-1 standout in the 2019 PFL season, the signature finish of his career.
• Dana White's Contender Series appearance — earned a spot on the UFC's prospect showcase and won by second-round D'Arce choke over JR Coughran.
• 80% finish rate — closed out 12 of his 15 wins inside the distance, nine of them by submission, marking him as one of the regional circuit's elite finishers.