Ľudovít Klein Record: 24-5-1

UFC arrival and growing pains

Klein could not have introduced himself more emphatically. In his September 2020 debut at UFC 253, he flattened Shane Young with a first-round head kick and punches — an instant statement of his finishing power. The follow-up proved harder. He dropped back-to-back decisions and submissions, losing to Michael Trizano and then to Nate Landwehr by anaconda choke in 2021, a rough patch that forced him to round out his game.

The climb at lightweight

Klein responded by reinventing himself as a more complete fighter. He edged Devonte Smith by split decision and outpointed Mason Jones in 2022, fought to a majority draw with Jai Herbert, then beat Ignacio Bahamondes by decision. The momentum built into a genuine run: a 2024 first-round TKO of AJ Cunningham, decisions over Thiago Moisés and Roosevelt Roberts, and — after a competitive decision loss to top contender Mateusz Gamrot in 2025 — a statement majority-decision win over Mateusz Rębecki at UFC 321 that established him as a fixture in the lightweight rankings conversation.

Fighting style

Klein earns his "Mr. Highlight" nickname honestly. A natural striker, he favors the head kick and throws with bad intentions, accounting for nine of his career knockouts. What makes him difficult is the breadth behind the flash: he also owns eight submission wins, so opponents who close the distance to neutralize his striking can find themselves caught in chokes instead. That two-pronged finishing threat, paired with the durability he showed in deep, grinding decision wins late in his career, has turned a one-time knockout artist into a well-rounded contender. His losses have generally come against elite competition or in his earlier, less-polished phase rather than from any single glaring hole.

Career highlights

• First Slovak in the UFC — broke through as his country's first-ever UFC fighter and announced himself with a first-round head-kick knockout of Shane Young on debut.
• Signature win at UFC 321 — defeated Mateusz Rębecki by majority decision to cement his place among the division's risers.
• Dual finishing threat — nine knockouts and eight submissions among his wins, a balance that makes him dangerous everywhere the fight goes.