James Llontop Record: 19-9-0

UFC run

Llontop's Octagon stint proved unforgiving. He debuted in April 2024 against Chris Padilla, dropping a first-round rear-naked-choke loss, then lost a split decision to Viacheslav Borshchev in a closely contested August 2024 bout. His final UFC appearance came at UFC 309 in November 2024, where he pushed unbeaten prospect Mauricio Ruffy hard before falling by unanimous decision. The three competitive losses cost him his roster spot, but the level of opposition – all rising or established UFC names – underscored that Llontop belonged in deep waters even as the results went against him. Each defeat was close or hard-earned for his opponent, and he never came close to being overwhelmed, leaving the door open for a return after rebuilding on the regional scene.

Fighting style

Llontop is a volume pressure striker whose offense is built on punches and forward momentum, with seven of his 14 wins by knockout and many of his decision victories earned by simply outworking opponents over three rounds. His one career submission win and a string of TKO finishes paint the picture of a fighter who wants to break opponents on the feet. The weakness exposed at the UFC level is on the mat: two of his five losses came by rear-naked choke, and his split-decision and unanimous-decision UFC defeats showed that elite athletes could neutralize his pressure and capitalize in grappling exchanges.

Career highlights

• FFC champion — built a long winning streak and captured gold in Fusion Fighting Championship, the promotion behind his Team FFC base.
• Contender Series win — outpointed Malik Lewis in 2023 to secure his UFC contract.
• Knockout pedigree — finished seven of his 14 career wins by KO/TKO, the calling card of his pressure-heavy style.