Nick Aguirre Record: 7-2-0

UFC run

Aguirre stepped up to the sport's biggest stage in January 2023 against the unbeaten prospect Dan Argueta at a UFC Fight Night, dropping a hard-fought decision in a debut that showed he could hang at the elite level despite the loss. He returned to action with a grappling-match win over Nick Fox before his second Octagon assignment, a November 2023 booking against rising star Payton Talbott. Talbott, then 6–0, proved a tough matchup and finished Aguirre by rear-naked choke in the third round. Both UFC setbacks came against highly regarded, undefeated-at-the-time opponents, underscoring the level of competition Aguirre faced on his way up.

Fighting style

Aguirre is a finisher first and foremost. Of his seven wins on record, four came by submission and three by knockout or TKO – a perfect finish rate with no decisions on the win side, a profile that speaks to his aggression and his appetite for ending fights early. His Division II wrestling lets him dictate where the action goes, and his jiu-jitsu makes him dangerous the moment he gets a back or a neck, as his collection of rear-naked chokes, triangles and guillotines shows. The southpaw stance and 74-inch reach give him real length for the weight class. His losses, both by decision and submission to top prospects, point to the challenge he faced closing the gap against the division's emerging elite, but the underlying skill set remains built to hurt people.

Career highlights

• Perfect finish rate on the regional scene — Aguirre stopped every opponent he beat before reaching the UFC, mixing knockouts and a varied submission arsenal across multiple promotions.
• UFC debut against a top prospect — he answered a short-notice call to face unbeaten Dan Argueta on the sport's biggest stage in 2023.
• Division II wrestling pedigree — a McKendree University wrestler and BJJ blue belt, Aguirre built his suffocating grappling game on a legitimate collegiate foundation.