José Delano Record: 17-3-0

LFA run and the road to the Octagon

Delano's most defining stretch came in the Legacy Fighting Alliance, the UFC's premier feeder promotion. In March 2022 he went the full five rounds to outpoint Jonas Bilharinho by unanimous decision at LFA 126, a main-event win over a 9-1-1 opponent that announced him as a legitimate contender. He kept rolling with championship-distance decisions and a first-round knee knockout of Jair Jesuino before hitting his lone speed bump in this era: a third-round body-shot knockout loss to Gabriel Santos at LFA 151 in January 2023, the only time he has been stopped. He answered that setback emphatically, reeling off a unanimous decision over Fabrício Soares, a first-round rear-naked choke of veteran Alan Villalba, and a first-round knockout of the previously unbeaten Abu Muslim Alikhanov. That run earned him a Contender Series slot in 2025, where a unanimous-decision win over Manuel Exposito sealed his UFC contract. He made the most of his promotional debut in April 2026, edging former KSW champion Robert Ruchała by unanimous decision to open his Octagon tenure with a win.

Fighting style

Delano is a genuinely complete featherweight whose 17 wins split almost evenly across the board – five submissions, four knockouts and eight decisions, a roughly 53% finish rate that reflects his patience as much as his pop. His foundation is grappling, with a varied submission arsenal that includes kimuras, rear-naked chokes and armbars, but he has shown real knockout power as well, including a knee finish and a clean one-punch stoppage of an unbeaten prospect. He is comfortable banking championship rounds and grinding out decisions when finishes do not come, and his durability is well-established, though the body-shot loss to Santos shows that, like most fighters, sustained pressure to the midsection can be a vulnerability. The overall package is a measured, adaptable fighter who can win on the mat, on the feet, or on the scorecards.

Career highlights

• UFC debut victory — defeated former KSW featherweight champion Robert Ruchała by unanimous decision to open his Octagon run on the right foot.
• LFA main-event pedigree — headlined multiple Legacy Fighting Alliance cards and beat a 9-1-1 Jonas Bilharinho over five rounds, proving he belonged at the top of the UFC's leading feeder promotion.
• Finisher in both arenas — owns five submission and four knockout wins, including a first-round KO of the then-unbeaten Abu Muslim Alikhanov, underlining the two-way threat he carries into every fight.