Luis Pajuelo Record: 8-2-0

Climbing the regional ranks

The signature win of Pajuelo's pre-UFC run came in March 2023 at FFC 59, an event built around him, where he knocked out the highly experienced 13-2 Heber Federico Pereyra in the second round. That result – paired with earlier stoppages of Malambo Pelaez and Matias Ponce – positioned him as one of the continent's most dangerous featherweight punchers and set up his shot at the big show.

Earning the UFC contract

In August 2023, Pajuelo appeared on Dana White's Contender Series against the unbeaten 6-0 prospect Robbie Ring. He needed only one round, finishing Ring with a knee and ground punches to earn his UFC contract in emphatic fashion – exactly the kind of violent, decisive performance the Contender Series is designed to reward.

Stepping into the Octagon

Pajuelo made his UFC debut in March 2024 against the dangerous, longtime contender Fernando Padilla. The fight exposed the flip side of his all-action approach: Padilla caught him in a first-round D'Arce choke, handing Pajuelo a submission loss and dropping him to 8-2. It was a reminder that at the elite level, his grappling defense would be tested as severely as his striking is celebrated.

Fighting style

Pajuelo is a pure knockout puncher, and the numbers are emphatic: seven of his eight wins have come by KO/TKO, a finish rate near 88 percent, with not a single submission victory on his record. His boxing pedigree shows in crisp, powerful combinations, and he hunts the stoppage from the opening bell. The honest concern is his grappling, both of his losses came away from the knockout – one decision, one submission – and the D'Arce choke against Padilla highlighted vulnerability on the mat. Pajuelo is at his most lethal when the fight stays standing and he can let his hands and knees do the work, but tightening his ground game will determine how far his lion-hearted style carries him.

Career highlights

• Contender Series knockout — stopped the unbeaten Robbie Ring with a knee and ground punches in 2023 to earn his UFC deal.
• Regional knockout king — flattened the experienced 13-2 Heber Federico Pereyra in a 2023 FFC main event headlined under his own name.
• Elite finishing rate — built an 8-2 record with seven knockouts and an 88 percent finish rate, among the highest of any UFC featherweight.