Felipe Franco Record: 11-3-0

Adversity and the UFC call

His first real setback came in September 2025, when he was submitted by a third-round rear-naked choke against unbeaten Freddy Vidal on Dana White's Contender Series – the first time he had been taken past the first round, let alone stopped. Franco answered emphatically, returning home to score a first-round TKO of Kleberson Tavares in December 2025 and a first-round rear-naked-choke submission of Douglas Felipe Santos in February 2026. That immediate bounce-back earned him his shot in the UFC.

UFC debut

Franco stepped into the octagon for the first time on March 21, 2026, drawing undefeated prospect Mario Pinto on a UFC Fight Night card. It proved a steep introduction to the elite level: Pinto handed Franco a unanimous-decision loss, the first time in his career that one of his fights had reached the judges' scorecards. The defeat dropped him to 10-2, but it also marked a clear step up in competition for a fighter whose entire prior body of work had been built on finishes.

Fighting style

Franco is a pure finisher – every single one of his 10 professional wins has come by stoppage, an extraordinary 100% finish rate split between six knockouts and four submissions. That blend reflects his background: a credentialed jiu-jitsu grappler who hunts the rear-naked choke and arm-triangle, paired with concussive power that ends fights early on the feet. The questions that remain are about depth and championship-level seasoning, since the two fights he could not finish – the Vidal submission loss and the decision loss to Pinto – are the only times he has faced sustained adversity. How his explosive, finish-or-bust style holds up in deeper waters is the defining question of his UFC future.

Career highlights

• Perfect finishing rate — all 10 of his career wins have come by knockout or submission, a 100% finish rate built on power and jiu-jitsu.
• Jiu-jitsu pedigree — a decorated competitive grappler in Bahia before MMA, with four of his wins coming by submission.
• UFC arrival — earned an octagon debut against unbeaten Mario Pinto after a dominant run on the Brazilian regional circuit.