Ramiz Brahimaj

Ramiz Brahimaj is a 32-year-old welterweight who embodies the grinder-turned-finisher arc in modern UFC. The son of Kosovar-Albanian immigrants, he started training seriously for MMA at 17 and spent years building his craft in the LFA before making his UFC debut in November 2020. That debut was unforgettable for the worst reason: in round three against Max Griffin, a brutal elbow nearly severed his ear, forcing a doctor stoppage. The injury was so gruesome that a prominent facial surgeon said in over 40 years of following the UFC he had never seen anything like it. Brahimaj's ability to laugh it off (tweeting 'Tis but a flesh wound') won him respect, but he faced an uphill climb back to relevance after early UFC losses to Court McGee and Themba Gorimbo.

Over the past year, however, Brahimaj has emerged as one of the division's most dangerous finishers. He is a submission specialist with a devastating guillotine choke and rear-naked choke, comfortable hunting the back and threading chokes in scrambles. In November 2024 he landed a first-round KO of UFC veteran Mickey Gall, earning his first Performance of the Night bonus. He followed that with a first-round guillotine over Billy Ray Goff and then delivered a shocker at UFC 320 in October 2025: a second-round guillotine submission over Austin Vanderford, the previously undefeated Bellator transfer who was a significant favorite. That three-fight finishing streak on the sport's biggest stage has thrust Brahimaj into the welterweight conversation.

At 13-5 overall, Brahimaj represents the appeal of the late-bloomer: a fighter who survived a gruesome setback, endured lean years, and is now using improved striking to set up his submission game against high-quality competition. Fans who love submission artistry and gritty comebacks have latched onto him as he climbs the welterweight ranks.