Ádám Borics (born July 7, 1993) is a Hungarian

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 Featherweight division of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

. He previously competed for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

Early life

Ádám Borics was born in

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...

on 7 July 1993. He was raised in a village called

Sirok Sirok is a village in Heves County, Hungary, in the Mátra mountain range, beside of the Tarna River. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 1625 (see Demographics). The village located 18.9 km from Eger, the capital of the county and beside ...

. He started his studies there and spent his free time working out and playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

. At the age of 16 he started training

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

with one of his friends and at the age of 17 he took part in his very first MMA training and fell in love with the sport. He was admitted to the University of Physical Education, but he decided to focus his financial and physical resources on sports, so he stopped his studies and took up a job in addition to training. At first, he worked as a masseuse and led training sessions himself.

Mixed martial arts career

Amateur career

During secondary school Borics took part in numerous Kempo and amateur MMA fights to develop. When he finished his studies, he moved to Eger for better possibilities. Since he was in need of money to pay his trainings, he started teaching MMA and gave massages too.

Professional career

Borics made his debut at the 5th event of HFC (Hungarian Fight Championship) on 1 August 2014. His opponent was Dániel Hajzer, who got submitted via heel hook shortly after 1 minute. On 11 October, he faced József Tárnai on HFC 6. Ádám won by unanimous decision. He also faced Ádám Németh the same night, whom he defeated in the 2nd round with by knockout. In his fourth match, Ádám fought for the HFC 65 kg (143 pound) belt against Benjámin Molnár. The match didn't go as planned, as in the middle of the 4th round Molnar was disqualified for using an illegal slam, so "The Kid" won the first belt on 15 November 2014, at the age of 21. Borics' first non-Hungarian bout took place in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

at FFC 7, in featherweight. The Hungarian beat Croatia's Marko Burušić in March 2015. In his next match, on 9 May 2015, he defended his HFC belt against Jaroslav Jarim on HFC 9. He defeated his Czech opponent with a Triangle choke at the end of the first round. On HFC 10, he defeated Benjámin Molnár, against whom Borics had won his belt. This was Ádám's last match at the Hungarian organization, from which he left with a record of 6–0 at the end of 2015, after defending his title twice. In his 8th professional bout, Borics was fighting again in the Final Fight Championship. At FFC 20, Matija Blažičević, a Croatian martial artist. Borics won via split decision. FFC 23 was held in

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. ...

on April 18, 2016, where Borics fought against Manuel Bilić. He won via triangle choke.

Bellator

In early 2017, Borics travelled to America for 3 weeks to a training camp. He joined the Hard Knocks 365 team (Sanford MMA since 2019) for a few weeks. Bellator 177 was held 14 April 2017, which was also the first event to be held in Hungary. They gave The Kid a chance to fight against Anthony Taylor. Borics defeated his opponent via rear-naked choke, earning him the 10th win of his career, rewarding him a contract with the Bellator MMA organization for 4 matches. Borics moved to the United States with his wife, but he had to wait almost an entire year for his next bout, because Ádi's hand was fractured 2 weeks after moving. On 6 April 2018, he returned into the cage again in Budapest at Bellator 196 and knocked out Teodor Nikolov in the 2nd round with his signature flying knee in front of his home audience. Next time Borics fought Josenaldo Silva, on 21 September 2018 at Bellator 205. Borics submitted Silva in the third round. Next time he faced

Aaron Pico Aaron Pico (born September 23, 1996) is an American mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He started out his career in Bellator MMA, w ...

on Bellator 222, on 14 June 2019. Ádám won by TKO via flying knee in the

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

. After his first 4 fights in Bellator, the Borics had 4 victories, and finished all of them. With that, he also earned a new contract.

Bellator featherweight tournament

Borics was selected as one of the 16 martial artists to take part in the Bellator Featherweight Tournament. In the first round of the tournament, Borics got former champion Pat Curran as his opponent. The fight was held on 7 September 2019 on Bellator 226. Borics won by TKO. The victory allowed him to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament. In the quarter-finals, Borics took on former bantamweight Bellator champion

Darrion Caldwell Darrion Caldwell (born December 19, 1987) is an American retired mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who competed in the bantamweight division. He formerly competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamwei ...

. The fight took place on 25 January 2020 on Bellator 238. In first round, Caldwell submitted Ádám with a rear-naked choke. This was the Hungarian's first defeat in martial arts.

Catchweight

Borics had his next two bouts in catchweight, 150 pounds. Borics faced Mike Hamell on 7 August 2020 on Bellator 243. Hamel couldn't make weight at weigh-ins. Borics won by split decision. His next opponent was Erick Sánchez. Borics won by unanimous decision on 19 October 2020, on Bellator 250.

Return to featherweight

On April 9, 2021, at

Bellator 256 Bellator 256: Bader vs. Machida 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on April 9, 2021, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event was headlined by a Quarterfinal of the Bellator L ...

, Borics took on

Jeremy Kennedy Jeremy Michael Fitz-Kennedy (born September 16, 1992) is a Canadians, Canadian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. In addition to competing for Bellator, Kennedy has also c ...

. Borics defeated Kennedy by unanimous decision. Borics was scheduled to face Jay-Jay Wilson for the #1 contender status on August 20, 2021, at

Bellator 265 Bellator 265: Kongo vs. Kharitonov was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on August 20, 2021 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. Background A heavyweight bout between #3 ranked C ...

. However, at the weigh-ins, Wilson came in at 150.4 pounds, missing weight by 4.4 pounds. As a result, the fight has been scrapped and Borics was paid his show money. Borics headlined against

Mads Burnell Mads Burnell (born March 6, 1994) is a Danish mixed martial artist who competes in featherweight division of Bellator MMA. Professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Burnell has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Cag ...

on March 12, 2022, at

Bellator 276 Bellator 276: Borics vs. Burnell was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on March 12, 2022, at the Family Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Background The main event featured a Featherweight title el ...

. He won the bout via unanimous decision, in what many consider to be one of the most entertaining matches of the year. Borics challenged for the Bellator Featherweight Championship against reigning champ

Patrício Pitbull Patrício Andre de Sousa Freire (born July 7, 1987), known professionally as Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

on October 1, 2022, at Bellator 286. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Professional Fighters League

In his PFL debut, Borics faced Enrique Barzola on April 19, 2024 at PFL 3 (2024). He won the fight by unanimous decision. Borics was scheduled to face former Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion Brett Johns on June 28, 2024 at PFL 6, but Borics pulled out and was replaced by Tyler Diamond. On February 12, 2025, the promotion officially revealed that Borics will join the 2025 PFL Featherweight Tournament. In the opening round, he faced Jesus Pinedo at PFL 1 on April 3, 2025. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Borics returned to the tournament in an alternate bout again

at PFL 5 (2025) on June 12, 2025. He won the fight via majority decision.

Personal life

Ádám Borics lives with his wife, Zsófia Perge in

Pompano Beach, Florida Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale and 36 miles north of Miami. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. They married in 2017 before moving to the US. Ádám has a brother.

Championships and accomplishments

*Hungarian Fight Championship **HFC Featherweight Championship (one time) ***Two successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record

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Zalaegerszeg Zalaegerszeg (; ; ; ) is the administrative center of Zala County, Zala county in western Hungary. Location Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders, and west-southwest of Budapest by road. Hi ...

, Hungary , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jaroslav Jartim , Submission (triangle choke) , HFC 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:14 ,

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Siófok Siófok (; ; ) is a town in Somogy County, Hungary on the southern bank of Lake Balaton. It is the Somogy County#Municipalities, second largest municipality in Somogy County and the seat of Siófok District. It covers an area of about between Lak ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borics, Adam 1993 births Living people Hungarian male mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Kenpo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Bellator male fighters Hungarian male Muay Thai practitioners American male Muay Thai practitioners Hungarian male karateka American male karateka 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century Hungarian sportsmen Hungarian emigrants to the United States