Claudio Puelles

Overview

Five straight UFC wins, then three straight losses, with the only stoppage defeats in the middle of that skid's lead-in. Claudio Puelles, the "Prince of Peru," is a southpaw lightweight with a 5-4 UFC record, and his five wins are the story: three submissions and two decisions, no knockouts.

He debuted in November 2016 with a second-round TKO loss to Martin Bravo. After that opening loss, the next five UFC fights all went his way. Then the wins stopped.

Nine UFC fights is a small sample, but it already shows a clear shape.

UFC Career

The 2016 debut loss to Bravo came at 1:55 of round 2. Puelles returned in May 2018 and submitted Felipe Silva in round 3, then beat Marcos Mariano by unanimous decision in September 2019.

Two more wins followed in 2021: a unanimous decision over Jordan Leavitt in June and a round 3 submission of Chris Gruetzemacher in December. In April 2022 he finished Clay Guida in round 1 at 3:01, his only first-round finish, to complete the five-fight run.

The run ended at UFC 281, where Dan Hooker stopped him in round 2 at 4:06. Two split decision losses followed, to Fares Ziam in February 2024 and Joaquim Silva in September 2025. He carries a three-fight losing streak into his next bout.

Two of the three recent losses went the distance on split cards. That is closer than a skid usually looks.

Fighting Style

Puelles is a grappler first. He lands few strikes on the feet and his striking defense is below par, yet he absorbs very little damage. His fights tend to be decided by his grappling, not by who throws more.

The grappling is where he stands out. He shoots for takedowns often, hunts for submissions constantly, and is hard to take down himself. The results fit: all three of his UFC finishes are submissions, one in round 1 and two in round 3, so he often gets there late.

When the fight stays standing, he is more vulnerable. Both of his stoppage losses came by KO/TKO.

Notable Wins

• Clay Guida — submission, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade (2022)
• Chris Gruetzemacher — submission, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Aldo (2021)
• Felipe Silva — submission, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman (2018)

Quick Facts

• Division: Lightweight
• UFC record: 5-4
• Professional record (all promotions): 13-5-0
• UFC debut: 2016
• Stance: Southpaw
• Reach: 72"
• Height: 5'10"
• Team: Kill Cliff FC / Brazilian Warriors
• Born: Peru