Felipe Franco

Franco absorbed the early pressure, then took over for his first UFC win. He found his range on the feet and used those entries to put Rodrigues on the canvas and control position in the first. In the second a sharp right hand backed Rodrigues up, Franco clinched and took mount, and the ground-and-pound that followed ended it at 1:40.

Key moments

• Weathered Rodrigues's opening pressure before finding his range on the feet.
• Used striking entries to secure takedowns and hold position in round one.
• Backed Rodrigues up with a right hand in the second, took mount, and finished with ground-and-pound at 1:40.

Franco's UFC debut ended in a unanimous decision loss to Mario Pinto and gave him the second non-finish result of his pro life, even though it still fit the pattern of his harder proving fights. Pinto kept him working for the full fifteen minutes and turned the fight into a control and decision problem instead of another early finish chase.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision over three rounds in his UFC debut.
• The defeat dropped his record to 10-2 after the post-Contender Series rebound.
• It was only the second time in his professional career that a fight went past round one.

The Douglas Felipe Santos win mattered because Franco needed a clean response after the Freddy Vidal loss and produced exactly that. He returned to the front-foot version of himself, pressed the action early and eventually closed the fight with another rear-naked choke before the first round ended.

Key moments

• Submitted Santos with a rear-naked choke at 4:07 of round one.
• Rebounded immediately from the Freddy Vidal defeat.
• Carried fresh momentum into the Mario Pinto UFC debut.

Franco flattened Kleberson Tavares in 32 seconds and reminded everyone how little time he usually needs when the level is below UFC or Contender Series. It was the cleanest version of the fast-starting prospect identity that keeps him interesting even after the two bigger-stage losses.

Key moments

• Stopped Tavares in 32 seconds of the first round.
• Added another sub-minute finish to a record full of quick endings.
• Set up the Santos rebound win that followed two months later.

The Freddy Vidal fight is still the clearest checkpoint on Franco's record because it forced him through a full Contender Series test and ended in a late third-round submission loss. That setback matters more than the line item itself because it interrupted the aura built on constant early finishes and showed where his prospect profile still needed work under UFC matchmaking.

Key moments

• Lost by submission at 4:48 of round three on Contender Series.
• Suffered the first defeat of his professional career.
• The bout snapped a ten-fight run built entirely on finishes.

Franco submitted Murilo Magalhaes dos Santos Ferreira in barely more than a minute and kept the unbeaten surge rolling before the Contender Series call-up. It is another good example of how quickly he can switch from pressure to position to finish once the fight hits his terms.

Key moments

• Won by first-round submission at 1:21.
• Moved to 10-0 before the Vidal loss.
• Kept the finish streak alive with another immediate result.

Franco kept his regional surge moving at Penedo Fight Night 3 by stopping Luiz Henrique in the opening round. The bout matters because it came only weeks before the Murilo Ferreira win and showed the same short-fuse finishing style traveling with him from Bahia into another Brazilian regional main event.

Key moments

• Stopped Luiz Henrique in the first round at Penedo Fight Night 3.
• The card took place at Ginásio Padre Manoel in Penedo, Alagoas, Brazil.
• Tapology listed Franco's bout on the event that closed with 11 MMA fights.
• Sherdog records the win as a punch stoppage rather than a drawn-out attritional finish.

Franco beat veteran Nilton Eduardo Silva dos Santos at JuaFight 1 when the bout was stopped at the end of the first round as a retirement. It is useful context because the win came against a far more experienced opponent on a Juazeiro main-card slot and still ended inside five minutes.

Key moments

• Won by first-round retirement at the 5:00 mark.
• The fight took place on the JuaFight 1 main card at Juá Garden Shopping in Juazeiro, Bahia.
• It was booked at heavyweight on an eight-fight professional card.
• Tiago Jacaré was listed as the referee for the bout.

Franco submitted Lucas da Paixao Nascimento with a first-round rear-naked choke at Demo Fight 19 and continued stacking finishes in quick succession. The result came on a Lauro de Freitas card where Tapology's community picks were unanimously on Franco, so it played out as the kind of decisive favorite performance his early record is built on.

Key moments

• Finished Nascimento with a rear-naked choke at 2:30 of round one.
• The bout was a heavyweight preliminary at Demo Fight 19.
• It took place at Parque Shopping Bahia in Lauro de Freitas, Bahia, Brazil.
• Tapology showed 66 community picks and all of them backing Franco.

Franco stopped Mylksom Miranda in 90 seconds on the Demo Fight 18 main card and kept the pattern of immediate violence intact. The quick finish matters because it came in Salvador under the same Demo Fight banner where several of his early wins were built, reinforcing that he consistently overwhelmed local opposition before the Contender Series jump.

Key moments

• Won by first-round KO/TKO at 1:30.
• The fight was part of the Demo Fight 18 main card in Salvador, Bahia.
• It was contested at heavyweight at CT de Boxe e Artes Marciais.
• Tiago Jacaré was listed as the referee.

Franco broke down Ivonilson Dias Santos late in the opening round at Candeias MMA Experience and kept his unbeaten run moving through another heavyweight booking. The result is one of the clearer examples of him working a little longer for the finish without needing the fight to leave the first round.

Key moments

• Stopped Dias late in the first round on the Candeias MMA Experience main card.
• The event was held at Ginásio de Esportes de Candeias in Candeias, Bahia, Brazil.
• Sherdog records the finish specifically as a punch stoppage.
• Frank Novais was listed as the referee for the bout.

Franco tapped Rubens Santos with a first-round rear-naked choke at Demo Fight 16 and moved to 2-0 as a pro. It stands out as an early marker because it showed the grappling side of a record that later became better known for quick knockouts.

Key moments

• Won by rear-naked choke at 2:30 of round one.
• The fight took place at Demo Fight 16 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
• Tapology listed it at light heavyweight at the Centro de Treinamento de Boxe e Artes Marciais da Bahia.
• Rubens Santos's own Tapology record shows the loss dropping him to 0-2.

Franco's pro debut lasted only 28 seconds as he blasted out Benicio Dias at WS Fighting 6. That opener set the tone for everything that followed on his record: immediate pressure, an instant finish and no need for scorecards.

Key moments

• Stopped Dias in 28 seconds of the first round.
• Sherdog records the method as a punch stoppage with Alexandre Camera as referee.
• Tapology shows the loss on Benicio Dias's record at WS Fighting 6.
• The win started Franco's professional career with the quickest finish on his ledger.