Manny Vazquez Record: 12-4-0

The signature win and the step up

The defining moment of Vazquez's career came in February 2016 at Legacy FC 51, when he submitted highly touted unbeaten Brazilian prospect Ricardo Ramos with a first-round rear-naked choke – an upset of an 8–0 fighter who would go on to a lengthy UFC run. It was the kind of result that announces a fighter to the wider MMA world. He followed it with a tough four-round submission loss to Steven Peterson at Legacy FC 56 in June 2016, then rebounded with wins, including a 2017 Bellator 175 decision over the vastly experienced Nate Williams. His shot at the UFC came in July 2017 on Dana White's Contender Series, where he dropped a decision to Joby Sanchez. Vazquez kept fighting into the next decade, falling to Nohelin Hernandez by decision at Combate Global in 2021.

Fighting style

Vazquez is a wrestle-to-submit bantamweight, using his collegiate wrestling base to get fights to the mat and his 10th Planet grappling to finish them once there. Seven submission wins – predominantly rear-naked chokes off back control – headline a 67% finish rate, complemented by four decision wins that show he can grind out rounds when the finish isn't there. His one knockout proves he carries enough pop to keep opponents honest. The book on him is that his losses have come the hard way: three of his four defeats went to decision against durable, high-level opposition, and the lone submission loss came in deep water against Peterson, suggesting his ceiling is dictated more by pace and competition level than by any glaring hole.

Career highlights

• First-round submission of Ricardo Ramos — choked out the unbeaten 8–0 Brazilian prospect at Legacy FC 51, the signature win of his career over a future UFC fighter.
• Bellator decision over Nate Williams — outpointed a fighter with more than 40 pro bouts of experience at Bellator 175 in 2017.
• 10th Planet black belt — earned his jiu-jitsu black belt under Omar Ocasio in 2021, the formal stamp on the grappling that drives his 67% finish rate.