Samuel Sanches Record: 11-1-0

Climbing to a UFC contract

The years that followed showed steady escalation in competition. After the Vargas loss, Sanches rebuilt with a 2022 TKO of Walef Pereira and a 2023 rear-naked choke of Paulo Roberto, then proved his stamina by decisioning Sergio Santos over three rounds. He kept the momentum through 2024 with stoppages of the experienced Bruno Justo (10–6) and Severino Neto, plus a unanimous-decision win. The breakthrough came in 2025: in March he flattened seasoned veteran Evaldo Santos (17–5) with first-round punches at Thunder Fight 47, then in September he stepped onto Dana White's Contender Series and knocked out Chasen Blair with a first-round punch to earn his UFC deal at 11–1. The Blair finish, a clean right hand inside the opening round, was exactly the kind of statement that defines his appeal.

Fighting style

Sanches is a knockout artist with an 82% finish rate, and the breakdown tells the story: eight of his eleven wins have come by knockout or TKO, with one submission and only two decisions. He is a pressure fighter who hunts the finish, mixing flying knees, heavy hooks and combinations to overwhelm opponents early — the majority of his stoppages have come in the first round. His grappling is functional, as the rear-naked choke of Roberto shows, but his lone defeat, a first-round heel hook, exposed leg-lock vulnerability that elite lightweights will look to exploit. Still developing at a very young age, his combination of power, pace and finishing instinct gives him a high ceiling if his ground defense continues to round out.

Career highlights

• Contender Series knockout — stopped Chasen Blair (7–3) with a first-round punch in September 2025 to earn his UFC contract at 11–1.
• Statement win over a veteran — knocked out 17-fight winner Evaldo Santos in the opening round at Thunder Fight 47 in March 2025.
• Elite finishing rate — carries an 82% finish rate with eight knockouts among eleven wins, most inside the first round.