Leon Aliu Record: 11-4-0

Climbing the European ranks

The signature win of Aliu's early run came in June 2018, when he submitted the experienced Amilcar Alves with a first-round guillotine choke at The Golden Cage 2, a finish that underlined his comfort attacking necks the moment a scramble opened up. That momentum hit a wall three months later, when he dropped a decision to Chad Hanekom at Brave CF 16 — his first professional loss and a reminder that the step up in competition demanded more than power. Aliu regrouped, returning in 2021 and breaking through at the highest level of his career to date.

Cage Warriors run

Aliu announced himself on the major stage at Cage Warriors 138 in May 2022, knocking out former middleweight champion James Webb with first-round punches in the main event — faking a body kick to draw a reaction before landing the right hand that ended it. The breakout earned him a slot on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2022, but the opportunity slipped away when undefeated prospect Brunno Ferreira stopped him with punches in the first round. Aliu also tasted defeat against UFC veteran Darren Stewart, dropping a decision at Cage Warriors 154 in 2023, before bouncing back with a decision win over Alan Carlos later that year.

Fighting style

Aliu is a finisher first and foremost, carrying a 91% finish rate built on a near-even split of knockouts and submissions — six of his wins by KO/TKO and four by submission, with just one decision on his ledger. His boxing is heavy and accurate, as the Webb knockout showed, and his guillotine and rear-naked choke have repeatedly ended fights in the opening round. The honest weakness is durability against elite competition: both of his stoppage losses and his decision defeats have come when he faced the toughest names on his schedule, suggesting that wrestling-heavy or technically polished opponents can take him into deeper, more uncomfortable waters.

Career highlights

• Cage Warriors breakout — knocked out former CW middleweight champion James Webb in the first round of the Cage Warriors 138 main event, his arrival as a major-promotion threat.
• 91% finish rate — closed out 10 of his 11 wins inside the distance, splitting them between heavy hands and a dangerous submission game.
• Contender Series appearance — earned a 2022 slot on Dana White's Contender Series, the proving ground where prospects fight for UFC contracts.