The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.
Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or rare straight-up additions. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.
“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.
Check out the September 2023 list below.
Dione Barbosa
Record when signed: 6-2
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 31
Debut: TBA
A training partner of Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, Dione Barbosa took a DWCS opportunity on days’ notice. When the time came, she passed the test with flying colors with a slick armbar submission of Rainn Guerrero. The victory was her third career submission and extended her winning streak to three.
Danny Barlow
Record when signed: 7-0
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Welterweight
Age: 28
Debut: TBA
Danny Barlow put on for Memphis in short order as he capitalized on his DWCS moment, finished Raheam Forest, and notched a UFC deal. Barlow came out swinging and put on an exciting showing for as long as it lasted, which excited UFC CEO Dana White. A CFFC product, Barlow has four knockouts/TKOs, two submissions, and one decision on his resume to date.
Dylan Budka
Record when signed: 7-2
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Middleweight
Age: 23
Debut: TBA
Dylan Budka didn’t have the most entertaining fight on DWCS. In fact, he probably had one of the least, in many people’s opinions, including UFC president Dana White. However, because Budka took the fight on very short notice, White gave him a pass and a UFC contract. Budka has competed as high as heavyweight, but White hopes to see him at welterweight going forward. Budka is a former LFA title challenger with three finishes in seven wins.
Charlie Campbell
Record when signed: 7-2
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Lightweight
Age: 28
Debut: Sept. 16 def. Alex Reyes (13-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) via TKO – Round 1, at Noche UFC in Las Vegas
Highly praised by his teammates at Longo Weidman MMA, Charlie Campbell was milliseconds away from earning a UFC contract in 2022. As he battered Chris Duncan around the cage on DWCS, he was on the receiving end of one of the craziest comebacks in mainstream MMA history. After months away from action, Campbell returned and picked up a first-round knockout for CFFC. His body of work on the regional scene as a whole was enough for matchmaker Sean Shelby to give Campbell a call for a short notice opportunity.
Igor da Silva
Record when signed: 8-0
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 20
Debut: TBA
Igor da Silva punched his ticket to the UFC, as many fighters do during the late summer-early fall months, through Dana White’s Contender Series. A second-round TKO of Jhonata Silva did the trick. The win maintained his 100 percent finishing rate through eight fights that include an even split of four knockouts and four submissions. Oh, and he’s only 20. Da Silva was the Jungle Fight flyweight champ prior to his appearance, too.
Jhonata Diniz
Record when signed: 6-0
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Heavyweight
Age: 32
Debut: TBA
Another member of the massive influx of kickboxers crossing over into MMA, Jhonata Dinizshowed off his power punching with a one-punch walk-off knockout of Eduardo Neves on Dana White’s Contender Series. The win earned him a UFC deal and maintained his 100 percent knockout/TKO rate in MMA. His kickboxing record sits at 22-7.
Kaue Fernandes
Record when signed: 8-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Lightweight
Age: 28
Debut: TBA
The next in a long lineage of Andre Pederneras fighters to enter the UFC, Kaue Fernandes enters the promotion off back-to-back wins in LFA. Both were kick finishes – one was to the body and one was to the head. Six of his eight pro wins have come inside the distance with four knockouts/TKOs and two submissions.
Shamil Gaziev
Record when signed: 11-0
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Heavyweight
Age: 33
Debut: TBA
The UFC is always in need of heavyweights, but as we’ve seen throughout the years, promising ones are hard to come by. Shamil Gaziev is different, though. His potential appears to be untapped. For as short as his DWCS bout was, Gaziev showed off powerful striking, intelligent grappling, and the ability to persevere. A staple of BRAVE CF, Gaziev enters the UFC already having high-level experience – and 10 finishes in 11 fights. Now will he debut at UFC 295, as he asked? We shall see.
Carli Judice
Record when signed: 3-1
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 24
Debut: TBA
Carli Judice’s DWCS appearance didn’t play out in an ideal fashion, but she certainly made the most of it. Judice took a fight vs. Ernesta Kareckaite on 10 days notice. The fight was just the fourth of her professional career and after a hard fought battle, she lost a close split decision. Her effort and willingness to step up didn’t go unrecognized, though, as UFC CEO Dana White awarded Judice a contract anyway. This made her only the second DWCS loser to earn an immediate contract in the series’ history.
Ernesta Kareckaite
Record when signed: 5-0-1
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 25
Debut: TBA
For a fighter with only six professional fights on her resume, Ernesta Kareckaite sure has clocked a lot of cage time. She added another decision win to her resume when she took on Carli Judice in an entertaining UFC contract-earning performance on DWCS. Fighting out of Lithuania, Kareckaite was the Hexagone MMA flyweight champion prior to her UFC signing.
So Yul Kim
Record when signed: 8-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Strawweight
Age: 26
Debut: TBA
From ONE Championship to the UFC, So Yul Kim has jumped from one major promotion to another. Kim enters the promotion with five submissions, despite being a talented kickboxer. Kim has not lost in MMA since 2018.
Kaynan Kruschewsky
Record when signed: 15-1
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Lightweight
Age: 32
Debut: TBA
Jungle Fight lightweight champion Kaynan Kruschewsky choked Dylan Mantello unconscious on Dana White’s Contender Series to get into the UFC. The win was his fourth in a row – and fourth finish in the stretch. Finishing fights is nothing new for Kruschewsky, who’s been a professional for almost a decade.
James Llontop
Record when signed: 14-2
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Lightweight
Age: 24
Debut: TBA
Peru’s James Llontop dominated his way to a UFC deal. During his DWCS appearance, he defeated Malik Lewis handily to earn a unanimous decision. That made it a dozen in a row for Llontop, who was the Fusin FC welterweight champion. Don’t believe he fought for that promotion? Just check his neck tattoo.
Stephanie Luciano
Record when signed: 5-1-1
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Strawweight
Age: 23
Debut: TBA
Stephanie Luciano’s DWCS fight wasn’t technically a win, but in a way it was. Though her three-round battle vs. IBJJF champion Talita Alencar ended in a draw, UFC CEO Dana White was most impressed with Luciano, who he awarded a contract to. One of a handful of Jungle Fight competitors to enter the UFC this year, Luciano is nicknamed “Rondinha,” a nod to female pioneer Ronda Rousey.
Marnic Mann
Record when signed: 6-1
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Strawweight
Age: 30
Debut: Sept. 16 vs. Josefine Knutsson (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at Noche UFC in Las Vegas
Things didn’t go particularly well for Marnic Mann the first time she fought in the international spotlight as she was finished by a Bruna Brasil head kick on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. However, Mann got back on the horse with a unanimous decision win over Amber Brown under the LFA banner. That earned her a short notice opportunity in the UFC.
Jean Matsumoto
Record when signed: 14-0
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 24
Debut: TBA
If you’re looking for an exciting striking showcase fight from Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 7, Jean Matsumoto vs. Kasey Tanner is your bout. For three rounds, Tanner proved to be tough – but Matsumoto proved to be better. In a beautiful display of stand up, Matsumoto hunted and beat up Tanner for much of the 15 minutes. The performance wowed the UFC brass and made him an easy selection for a contract offer. Matsumoto enters the UFC undefeated with eight finishes. He competed in LFA among other regional promotions en route to the UFC.
Steven Nguyen
Record when signed: 9-1
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Featherweight
Age: 30
Debut: TBA
Steven Nguyen was 1-1 on DWCS when he entered his third appearance, a Sept. 12 bout vs. A.J. Cunningham. He broke the tie, picked up a finish, and signed a UFC contract all in the same night. In a grotesque beatdown of the Bryce Mitchell protege Cunningham, Nguyen proved he’d leveled up under coach Sayif Saud at Fortis MMA. The win was his third in a row and seventh finish in nine pro fights.
Vinicius Oliveira
Record when signed: 19-3
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 27
Debut: TBA
“Lok Dog” has arrived. After numerous thrilling fights on the regional scene for UAE Warriors and other promotions, Vinicius Oliveira can finally call himself a UFC fighter. Against Victor Madrigal on DWCS, Oliveira scored an epic knockout, another addition to his lengthy highlight reel that includes 15 knockouts and two submissions. In his celebration, Oliveira broke out a pen – and then UFC CEO Dana White did, as he offered Oliveira a UFC contract.
Angel Pacheco
Record when signed: 7-2
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Featherweight
Age: 31
Debut: TBA
The UFC almost never dishes out contracts to losers on DWCS and there have been plenty of opportunities to do so. However, Angel Pacheco forced their hand. In what some are calling the best fight in series history, Pacheco survived a knockdown in the opening seconds and continued to fight back despite a persistent onslaught by Danny Silva throughout the fight. Pacheco’s ear even exploded during the third round. Though he lost with 30-27s across the board, Pacheco’s passion and effort twisted the arm of UFC CEO Dana White to make the rare move of offering him a deal anyway.
Julia Polastri
Record when signed: 12-3
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 25
Debut: TBA
After a failed DWCS bid in 2021, Julia Polastri made the most of her second opportunity. Unwilling to let history repeat, Polastri didn’t let the win come to her. She went out and took it against Patricia Alujas, who she submitted by second-round rear-naked choke. The victory was her fourth in a row. She entered the bout holding the LFA strawweight championship, which she won in January.
Brendson Ribeiro
Record when signed: 15-5
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Age: 27
Debut: Dec. 9 vs. Zhang Mingyang (16-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night
Perhaps one of the most impressive signees off this season of DWCS, Brendson Ribeiro entered his UFC contract-earning fight a massive underdog against LFA light heavyweight champion Bruno Lopes. However, the oddsmakers weren’t fighting for him. Ribeiro bludgeoned Lopes with a massive consciousness-snatching serious of punches. The win was his ninth-career TKO and extended his winning streak to three.
Serhiy Sidey
Record when signed: 10-1
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 27
Debut: TBA
Serhiy Sidey’s win was controversial on DWCS, but that doesn’t really matter. He’s in the UFC now. Although referee Kevin MacDonald jumped the gun in the eyes of many including UFC president Dana White, Sidey was offered a contract for his first-round TKO of Ramon Taveras. On the Canadian regional scene prior to DWCS, Sidey found great success. He held bantamweight titles for both Battlefield Fight League and BTC. Eight of his 10 wins have come inside the distance with six TKOs and two submissions.
Danny Silva
Record when signed: 8-1
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Featherweight
Age: 26
Debut: TBA
The winning half of an all-time DWCS bout, Danny Silva put on a striking clinic against the absurdly durable Angel Pacheco during his UFC contract-earning him. An underling of Cub Swanson, Silva showed a lot in a little amount of time as he won his second fight in a row. Prior to his DWCS bout, Silva competed for LFA, CFFC, and Combate Global among other promotions.
Jean Silva
Record when signed: 11-2
Signing type: DWCS
Weight class: Featherweight
Age: 26
Debut: TBA
Jean Silva showed a lot during his three-round outing vs. Kevin Vallejos on DWCS. He punched, kicked, and even barked his way to a unanimous decision win and UFC contract. The win was his eighth in a row and his first career decision victory.
Mohammad Yahya
Record when signed: 12-3
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Lightweight
Age: 29
Debut: Oct. 21 vs. Trevor Peek (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi
UAE Warriors lightweight champion Mohammad Yahya will provide some home-region representation at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, but this signing wasn’t simply to appeal ticket buyers. Riding a five-fight winning streak, Yahya has nine finishes in a dozen victories.
