Blake Bilder Record: 8-2-1

UFC run

Bilder made his promotional debut at UFC 284 in February 2023, taking a 20-hour flight to Perth, Australia, to face New Zealand veteran Shane Young on short notice. He delivered a near-shutout unanimous decision over the 13-6 Young to christen his Octagon career with a win. The promotion stepped him up immediately, and the level showed: at UFC 289 in June 2023, Kyle Nelson outpointed him by decision, and in February 2024 Jeong Yeong Lee, a 10-1 prospect, handed him a second straight decision loss. Both defeats came on the scorecards rather than by finish, with Bilder competitive but unable to impose his grappling against rangier, higher-output strikers.

Fighting style

Bilder is a grappling-first featherweight whose finishing comes almost entirely from submissions — four of his eight wins are subs, including two triangle chokes, an armbar, and a rear-naked choke, alongside one knockout and three decisions for a finish rate above 60 percent. His path to victory runs through chaining takedowns and grappling exchanges into tight chokes and joint locks, and his durability is notable: neither of his two losses came by finish, and he has never been stopped. The flip side is that his UFC defeats both came against opponents who could keep the fight standing and out-volume him, exposing a need to more reliably drag elite competition into his world.

Career highlights

• Contender Series contract — submitted 11-4 veteran Alex Morgan by first-round rear-naked choke in 2022 to earn his UFC deal.
• Winning UFC debut — flew to Australia on short notice and out-pointed Shane Young in a near-shutout decision at UFC 284.
• Submission specialist — four of his eight wins by submission, including two triangle chokes, with a record that has never been finished.