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 February 2024 list below.
Bekzat Almakhan
Record when signed: 17-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 26
Debut: Saturday vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 238 in Las Vegas
Bekzat Almakhan is a legitimate add to the UFC bantamweight division and an acquisition that may go under-appreciated due to a high-profile debut challenge. But Almakhan’s resume speaks for itself. The next in a seemingly endless like of Kazakh fighters to make the jump to the UFC, Almakhan has 15 stoppages in 17 victories including a current nine-fight winning streak.
Tim Cuamba
Record when signed: 8-1
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Lightweight
Age: 25
Debut: Feb. 10 split decision loss vs. Bolaji Oki (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 236 in Las Vegas
Tim Cuamba fought twice in eight days in the month of February. The second bout was his UFC call-up. Cuamba is one of the rare Dana White’s Contender Series alums who won but did not receive a contract immediately afterward. Cuamba reset back on the regional scene with a big TKO of Michael Stack. Days later, that UFC call came.
AJ Cunningham
Record when signed: 11-3
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Lightweight
Age: 29
Debut: Saturday vs. Ludovit Klein (20-4-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 238 in Las Vegas
AJ Cunningham finally gets a UFC deal. Although he lost to Steven Nguyen on DWCS in brutal fashion, Cunningham has remained ready for the UFC to loop back. The promotion has inquired his services on multiple occasions, but unforeseen circumstances roadblocked him. Cunningham is a longtime training partner and family-like friend of UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell. He has four knockouts and four submissions in 11 professional victories.
Bernardo Sopaj
Record when signed: 11-2
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 23
Debut: Saturday vs. Vinicius Oliveira (19-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 238 in Las Vegas
Regarded by some as one of the brightest prospects in all of MMA, Bernardo Sopaj enters the UFC scene on less than two weeks’ notice. Grown at Allstars Training Center, Sopaj has recently cross-trained across the world at facilities like Xtreme Couture and Goat Shed Academy. Despite his young age, Sopaj is battle-tested with multiple appearances in BRAVE CF.
Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
Record when signed: 8-0
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Flyweight
Age: 25
Debut: TBA
Enter “Art of Knockout.” With one of the more unique nicknames in MMA, Nyamjargal Tumendemberel is Road to UFC standout who actually has more of a knack for submitting opponents on the ground. Tumendemberel showed off his ability to put opponents to sleep in his most recent outing when he violently squeezed Peter Danesoe into a vacation in the land of unconsciousness at Road to UFC in August.
