Ignacio Bahamondes Record: 17-7-0

UFC rise and highlight-reel finishes

His Octagon start was a measured one: a 2021 split-decision loss to veteran John Makdessi in his debut year. Bahamondes rebounded in spectacular fashion, knocking out Roosevelt Roberts with a spinning wheel kick in 2021 – one of the most memorable finishes of the year. He followed it with a submission of Rongzhu in 2022 and a decision over Trey Ogden in 2023. A unanimous-decision loss to Ľudovít Klein later in 2023 stalled his momentum, but he reset emphatically: a first-round head-kick knockout of Christos Giagos in 2024, a first-round TKO of Manuel Torres later that year, and a slick first-round triangle-choke submission of Jalin Turner at UFC 313 in March 2025. That run lifted him toward the fringes of the rankings before a unanimous-decision loss to Rafael Fiziev in June 2025 and a 2026 decision defeat to Tofiq Musayev.

Fighting style

Bahamondes is one of the division's most exciting strikers, a long, kick-heavy lightweight whose 76% finish rate is built on creative offense – 11 of his 17 wins are knockouts, ranging from front kicks and head kicks to the spinning wheel kick that defined his early UFC run. His height and reach let him fight at a distance most lightweights cannot reach, and he has shown a sneaky submission game when fights hit the mat, with two of his wins coming by tapout. The honest knock on his record is grappling and durability against elite competition: all seven of his losses have come by submission or decision, and the better-rounded contenders have at times out-positioned and out-pointed him.

Career highlights

• Spinning wheel kick knockout — flattened Roosevelt Roberts in 2021 with one of the most replayed finishes of the year.
• Three-fight finishing surge — knockouts of Christos Giagos and Manuel Torres plus a triangle submission of Jalin Turner put him on the cusp of the rankings.
• Contender Series breakthrough — a front-kick KO of Edson Gomez earned his UFC contract and announced his finishing power.