Ľudovít Klein (born February 22, 1995) is a Slovak

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

Background

Ľudovít Klein was born in

Nové Zámky Nové Zámky (; ) is a town in Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of southwestern Slovakia. Geography The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 metres. It is located around 100 km fr ...

, where he also started his sports career. When he was about 12 years old, Klein secretly signed up for boxing training as he feared his parents' reaction. After the first training sessions he was already aware that martial arts would accompany him throughout his life. Later, the boxing club he was involved in broke up and for some time he did not know which direction to take. As he wanted to continue his hobby, he signed up for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training. He trained for a long time in the Thomas Bilishich Martial Arts Academy. He later added Thai boxing to his martial arts training, which is how he first heard about the amateur MMA league. Subsequently, he started to devote himself to it. In the beginning he earned his living as a bouncer at discos, where he was often picked on because of his shorter stature.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Klein joined the professional MMA as a relatively experienced amateur. After a couple of performances on smaller Slovak shows, his potential was noticed by the Slovak MMA legend Attila Végh, who brought him to his gym based on his great performances. On the domestic scene, Lajoš went undefeated in his first six fights in smaller Slovak organizations, after which he decided to go abroad. The first match outside Slovakia did not turn out as expected. Klein lost to Igor Tarytsa at A-Fight 5 via KO. He won 2 matches in the ACB, and managed to finish both in the second round. He returned to Slovakia for one match against Moric Besztercei, which he left as the winner. He came to the British

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under ...

as a favorite, but he fell short, losing to Aiden Lee . He finished Lajoš in the first round via submission and Klein decided to return home to Slovakia. With a record of 9-2, Klein transferred to Oktagon MMA. In it he fought two times, giving dominant performances and winning both fights before the limit. In the second match against Matěj Kuzník, he headlined Oktagon 5. Subsequently, he bounced for 2 matches in the competing XFN. In both, he won the bouts comfortably, but decided to return to the Oktagon due to problems in the organization. In the Oktagon 12 tournament, he defeated the Brazilian William Lima in the first round, followed by wins against João Paulo Rodrigues at Oktagon 14 and Łukasz Sajewski at Oktagon Prime 3, ending both subsequent matches with his signature head kick.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Klein, as a replacement for Nate Landwehr, faced Shane Young on 27 September 2020 at UFC 253. At the weigh-ins, Klein weighed in at 150 pounds, four pounds over the non-title featherweight fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Klein was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Young. Klein won the fight via knockout in round one. Klein faced Michael Trizano on May 8, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. 11 out of 14 media scores gave the fight to Klein. Klein faced Nate Landwehr on October 16, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont. He lost the fight in the third round via a submission due to an anaconda choke. Klein faced Devonte Smith, replacing injured Erick Gonzalez, on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272. He won the fight via split decision. Klein was scheduled to face Ignacio Bahamondes on August 30, 2022 at UFC 277. However, Bahamondes pulled out on July 15, 2022 and Klein was rebooked against Mason Jones a week earlier at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Klein faced Jai Herbert on March 18, 2023 at UFC 286. The fight ended in a majority draw. Klein was scheduled to face Jim Miller on June 3, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 46. However, Klein pulled out on May 19 due to illness and was replaced by Jared Gordon. Klein was rescheduled to face Ignacio Bahamondes on August 5, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 226. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Klein was scheduled to face Joel Álvarez on March 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238. However, Álvarez was replaced by AJ Cunningham for unknown reasons. Klein won by technical knockout as a result of a body kick and follow-up punches at the end of the first round. Klein faced Thiago Moisés on June 8, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 57. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Klein was scheduled to face Nikolas Motta on September 28, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 243. However, Motta withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced with Roosevelt Roberts. Klein won the fight by unanimous decision. Klein was scheduled to face Mateusz Gamrot on May 31, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 68. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts record

, Loss , align=center, 23–5–1 , Mateusz Gamrot , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Gamrot vs. Klein , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

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Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

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Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, , Jai Herbert , Draw (majority) , UFC 286 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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, England , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4 , Devonte Smith , Decision (split) , UFC 272 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–4 , Nate Landwehr , Submission (anaconda choke) , UFC Fight Night: Ladd vs. Dumont , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:22 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 , Michael Trizano , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 , Shane Young , KO (head kick and punches) , UFC 253 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:16 ,

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, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Łukasz Sajewski , TKO (punches) , Oktagon Prime 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 , Šamorín, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , João Paulo Rodrigues , KO (head kick) , Oktagon 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:46 ,

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Willian Lima , TKO (punches) , Oktagon 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Arbi Mezhidov , Decision (unanimous) , X Fight Nights 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Kamil Selwa , TKO (punches) , X Fight Nights 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Matěj Kuzník , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Oktagon 5 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Krzysztof Klaczek , KO (head kick) , Oktagon 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, Slovakia , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 , Aiden Lee , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Warriors 87 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:34 , Newport, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Moric Besztercei , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Dark Night Volume 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:56 ,

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Ahmed Abdulkadirov , Submission (guillotine choke) , ACB 60 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:44 ,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Khusein Maltsagov , KO (knee) , ACB 56 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:29 ,

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, Belarus , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Igor Tarytsa , KO (punch) , A-Fight 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:58 , Nevinnomyssk, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Aleksandar Janković , Submission (armbar) , Fight of Gladiators 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Michal Stefek , Submission (guillotine choke) , Hanuman Cup 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Samuel Ribansky , Submission (armbar) , Hanuman Cup 28 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Adam Németh , Submission (guillotine choke) , Hanuman Cup 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 , Senec, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kamil Tarnawski , Submission (triangle choke) , Pit Cage Fighting 12 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:35 ,

Poprad Poprad (; ; ) is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatras, High Tatra Mountains, famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. The largest town of the Spiš region and the largest of all towns in the vic ...

, Slovakia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Martin Mihálik , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pit Cage Fighting 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:27 ,

Levoča Levoča (; ; ) is the principal town of Levoča District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia, with a population of 14,256. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Gothic architecture, Gothic church with the talle ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Ludovit 1995 births Living people Slovak male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Slovak Muay Thai practitioners Slovak practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Nové Zámky 21st-century Slovak sportsmen