Luis Saldaña (born January 27, 1991) is an American

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 competed in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

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

Having his first boxing match at eight years old, he was introduced to the sport by his father. He the Iowa Silver Gloves three times and the 2009 Iowa Golden Gloves.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Saldaña compiled a 14–6 record on the regional scene, with some highlights being capturing the Ascendancy FC Featherweight Title after knocking out Will Shutt with a high kick in the first round and winning the TFS Featherweight title vagainst Ramiro Hernandez via doctor stoppage. His regional career culminated in a rear-naked choke victory in the second round against Carl Wittstock at LFA 60. Saldaña was invited to compete at Dana White's Contender Series 34 against Vince Murdock on November 4, 2020. He won the bout via third-round technical knockout and was awarded a contract with the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Saldaña made his debut against

Jordan Griffin Jordan Griffin (born February 23, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Legacy Fig ...

on April 10, 2021 at

UFC on ABC 2 ''UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 2'' and ''UFC Vegas 23'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 10, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nev ...

. He won the bout via controversial unanimous decision. 16 out of 18 media scores gave it to Griffin. In his sophomore performance, Saldaña faced Austin Lingo on August 21, 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Saldaña faced Bruno Souza on March 26, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 33 ''UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 33'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 26, 2022 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Bac ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Saldaña faced

Sean Woodson Sean Lawrence Woodson (born June 7, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up in North County, Sean Woodson’s dad was the driving ...

on August 20, 2022 at

UFC 278 ''UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 20, 2022, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Background The event marked the promotion' ...

. The bout was scored a split draw. On March 13, 2024, it was announced that Saldana was released from the UFC.

Championships and accomplishments

*Ascendancy FC **Ascendancy FC Featherweight Championship (One time) ***Two successful title defenses *The Fight Series **TFS Featherweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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Ankeny, Iowa Ankeny (, ) is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States and a suburb of the state capital of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines, as part of the Des Moines metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Ankeny ...

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Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

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Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

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Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

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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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West Des Moines, Iowa West Des Moines is a city in Iowa, United States. Most of the city is in Polk County, Iowa, Polk County, some of it is in Dallas County, Iowa, Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren County, Iowa, Warren and Madison County, Iowa, Madi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–6 , Will Shutt , TKO (head kick) , Ascendancy FC 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:33 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–6 , Alex Wiggs Jr. , Decision (unanimous) , Brutaal Genesis Iowa: Fight Night at Hy-Vee Hall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 , Mike Santiago , TKO (punches) , RFA 39 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:27 ,

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Located along Lake Michigan, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the Li ...

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Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

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Justin Lawrence Justin Lawrence may refer to: * Justin Lawrence (fighter) (born 1990), American professional mixed martial artist * Justin Lawrence (baseball) (born 1994), American professional baseball pitcher * Justin Lawrence (Canadian football) (born 1996), Can ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Nic Cox , TKO (submission to punches) , MCC 45 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Tom Ahrens , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MCC 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Zakk Smith , TKO (punches) , MCC 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:15 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jose Colon , KO (punch) , MCC 36 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Orlando Peace , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MCC 34 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Daraughn Canada , Submission (armbar) , MCC 32 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:13 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saldana, Luis 1991 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Des Moines, Iowa Mixed martial artists from Iowa American male boxers 21st-century American sportsmen