Miguel Baeza (born August 23, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

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 ( ...

(UFC).

Background

Baeza was born in

Davie, Florida Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately north of Miami. The town's population was 110,320 at the 2020 census, making it the largest town in Florida by population. Davie is a principal town of the Miami metropol ...

to a Puerto Rican family. Baeza grew up a boxing fan, and he lists

Félix Trinidad Félix Juan Trinidad García (born January 10, 1973), popularly known as "Tito" Trinidad, is a Puerto Rican former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes and is considere ...

as one of his all-time favorites. Baeza first dabbled in mixed martial arts in 2011 as an amateur, compiling a record of 4–0 before turning professional in 2015. Baeza holds a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.

Mixed martial arts career

Dana White's Contender Series

After going 6–0 on the regional circuit, Baeza was invited to compete on Dana White's Contender Series 18. He faced Victor Reyna and won the bout via unanimous decision, a victory that earned him a UFC contract.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Baeza made his UFC debut at

UFC Fight Night 161 ''UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 161'' or '' UFC on ESPN+ 19'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 12, 2019 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, F ...

on October 12, 2019, facing

Hector Aldana Hector Aldana (born August 17, 1988) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Aldana compiled a professional mixed martial ar ...

. Baeza was victorious via second-round technical knockout. Baeza then faced veteran Matt Brown on May 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 8. Baeza rallied back after being dropped in the first round, finishing Brown via technical knockout in the second round. This win earned Baeza his first ''Performance of the Night'' award. Baeza was set to face

Mickey Gall Mickey Gall (born January 22, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Gall was born in Green Brook, New Jersey. He began training in boxin ...

UFC Fight Night 178 ''UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 178'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 36'' and ''UFC Vegas 11'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 19, 2020, at t ...

. However, on September 11, Gall pulled out due to an injury. He was replaced by Jeremiah Wells. On September 17, it was announced that the bout was canceled due to undisclosed reasons. Baeza faced

Takashi Sato is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional since 2013, he is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Early life Born to a Japanese father and Taiwanese mother, S ...

on November 28, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 184 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 184'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 42'' and ''UFC Vegas 18'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 6, 2021 at the UF ...

. He won via second round arm-triangle choke, thus earning his first career win by submission. He earned a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus for the win. Baeza faced

Santiago Ponzinibbio Santiago Ponzinibbio (born September 26, 1986) is an Argentine mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He also works as a UFC color commentator for the UFC Spanish broadcas ...

on June 5, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. He lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. This bout earned him the'' Fight of the Night'' award. Baeza faced

Khaos Williams Kalinn "Khaos" Williams (born March 30, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Williams got his first taste of knockouts in 2008 when he floored anot ...

on November 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. Baeza was scheduled to face

Dhiego Lima Dhiego Lima (born January 31, 1989) is a Brazilian retired Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight (MMA), welterweight division of the UFC. Mixed martial arts career Lima was born and spent his early childhood ...

on April 16, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2. However, Lima announced his retirement from competition in MMA in early February 2022 and was subsequently replaced by

André Fialho André Fialho Mensurado (born April 7, 1994) is a Portuguese mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He is the former UAE Warriors champion and has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), PFL, Bellat ...

. Baeza lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. Baeza faced

Punahele Soriano Punahele Soriano (born November 22, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2017, he has also fought in the PFL and Titan FC. Background As ...

on June 8, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 57. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. On July 30, 2024, it was reported that Baeza was removed from the UFC roster.

Professional grappling career

Baeza was due to face

Neil Magny Aoutneil Jacques "Neil" Magny (born August 3, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Magny made a name ...

at Fury Pro Grappling 9 on April 4, 2024. Magny withdrew on short notice and was replaced by Guilherme Neves. Baeza won the match by submission with an armbar.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (Two times) ** Fight of the Night (One Time) **UFC.com Awards *** 2021: Ranked #8 Fight of the Year *

MMAjunkie.com MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and has been owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in ''Time'' magazine, ''ESPN The Magazine'', ''Th ...

**2021 June Fight of the Month vs.

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baeza, Miguel 1992 births Living people American male mixed martial artists American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Sportspeople from Davie, Florida Mixed martial artists from Florida Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century American sportsmen