Lorenzo Hood Record: 12-5-0

A heavyweight puncher emerges

After a layoff, Hood returned in 2014 and ran into a future UFC contender immediately, dropping a first-round bout to Curtis Blaydes at XFO 51 in his home state of Illinois – a fight stopped on strikes and a hand injury. He bounced back emphatically, scoring three straight knockouts later that year, including first-round finishes of Jesseray Childrey and Jake Zogg and a slam stoppage of Joshua Anderson. The pattern was clear: when Hood landed, fights ended.

Mixed results against tougher opposition

The step up in competition exposed his ceiling. He was stopped on punches by Shelton Graves in 2015, fought to a no-contest with Allen Crowder in early 2016, and then dropped a bout to Tyler King by front choke at WSOF 31 – his submission defense remaining the soft spot in an otherwise dangerous game. Hood regrouped on the regional scene and even branched into bare-knuckle boxing, scoring knockouts there as well, before earning the biggest opportunity of his career.

Contender Series

In October 2021, Hood appeared on Dana White's Contender Series against unbeaten Slovakian heavyweight Martin Buday. It proved a step too far – Buday stopped him with a knee to the head in the first round, the marquee bout on Hood's record and the high-water mark of his exposure on a national stage. The loss capped a career that always lived and died by the knockout.

Fighting style

Hood is the definition of a knockout artist: a 100 percent finish rate, with all 12 of his wins by KO and not a single decision or submission victory on his ledger. The southpaw power is genuinely fight-ending, and at heavyweight that one-punch threat made him a live underdog against anyone. The flip side is equally clear in the record – two of his five losses came by submission, including the Miranda kimura and the King choke, while his stoppage defeats to Blaydes and Buday came against opponents who could weather the early storm and impose their own pressure. He is a high-variance heavyweight whose nights ended early one way or the other.

Career highlights

• Perfect knockout finish rate — all 12 of his professional wins came by KO, a rare 100 percent finishing mark.
• Contender Series appearance (2021) — reached Dana White's national showcase against unbeaten prospect Martin Buday, the biggest stage of his career.
• Tested elite competition — shared the cage with future UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes, proving a dangerous regional measuring stick.