Middleweight
Ian Heinisch
“The Hurricane”·
Denver, United States
Pro record
14-5-0
Model Elo
1554
#587 of 1994
- Age
- 34
- Height
- 5'11"
- Reach
- 72"
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Team
- Sanford MMA
- Born
- Denver, United States
- UFC debut
- Nov 17, 2018
Profile
Overview
Ian Heinisch started his UFC run 2-0 and has lost four of his last five. The one win in that stretch ended in 1:14 of the first round.
"The Hurricane" is a Middleweight out of Denver who fights for Sanford MMA. His UFC record is 3-4, and his all-promotion professional record is 14-5-0. Two of the three UFC wins went the distance. The third was a first-round knockout.
He enters his next fight on a two-fight losing streak.
UFC Career
Heinisch's path to the UFC ran through Dana White's Contender Series 2.7, where he stopped Justin Sumter at 3:37 of the first round. That fight is a professional win but not part of his UFC record.
His UFC debut came in November 2018, a unanimous decision over Cezar Ferreira. He followed it in May 2019 with a unanimous decision over Antonio Carlos Junior, a win over an opponent our model rates as strong. The 2-0 start is also his longest UFC win streak.
Then the decisions turned. Derek Brunson beat him unanimously at UFC 241, and Omari Akhmedov did the same at UFC 245. In June 2020 he stopped Gerald Meerschaert in the first round of UFC 250. It is his only UFC finish.
Kelvin Gastelum took a unanimous decision at UFC 258, and Nassourdine Imavov stopped him in the second round at 3:09.
Three of his four UFC losses went to the scorecards. Only one ended early.
Fighting Style
Ian Heinisch is a defensive-minded fighter, not a volume one. He lands at about the UFC average pace, but he is hard to hit, and both his accuracy and his striking defense stand out.
He also stays on his feet well, defending takedowns while rarely shooting for them himself. He does show some interest in submissions, though none of his three UFC wins came that way.
The finish pattern fits that profile. Two of his three UFC wins went to the scorecards, and his lone stoppage win came by KO/TKO in round one.
Notable Wins
- Gerald Meerschaert — KO/TKO, round 1 (1:14), UFC 250 (2020)
- Antonio Carlos Junior — unanimous decision, UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Lee (2019)
- Cezar Ferreira — unanimous decision, UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio (2018)
Quick Facts
- Division: Middleweight
- UFC record: 3-4
- Professional record (all promotions): 14-5-0
- UFC debut: 2018
- Stance: Orthodox
- Height and reach: 5'11", 72" reach
- Team: Sanford MMA
- Born: Denver, United States
Written from MMA ProTips fight data, updated Nov 10, 2026.
UFC by the numbers
- UFC record
- 3–4
- since 2018
- Finish rate
- 33%
- 1 of 3 wins
- 1st-round finishes
- 1
- Elite wins
- 0
- vs opponents rated 1700+ at the time
- Longest win streak
- 2
- Current streak
- L2
- losses in a row
- Octagon time
- 1h 24m
- avg 12:03 per fight
- Opposition
- 1619
- avg opponent Elo (1500 = average)
Best wins
Ranked by the opponent's Elo rating going into the fight.
- 1662opp. Elo
unanimous decision, R3 · UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. Lee · May 17, 2019
- 1618opp. Elo
unanimous decision, R3 · UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio · Nov 16, 2018
- 1606opp. Elo
KO/TKO, R1 · UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer · Jun 5, 2020
Career stats (UFC)
Career UFC averages. The white tick on each bar marks the UFC average.
Striking
UFC avg 3.35 · about average
UFC avg 3.95 · better than average
UFC avg 45% · better than average
UFC avg 52% · better than average
UFC avg 0.43 · below average
Grappling
UFC avg 1.52 · below average
UFC avg 15% · below average
UFC avg 52% · better than average
UFC avg 0.58 · better than average
Where the strikes land
Where the strikes are thrown
Average fight time: 11:00
Fight history (8)
| Res | Opponent | Method | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| L |  Nassourdine ImavovRecord after: 4-4 | KO/TKORound 2 · 3:09 | UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. DillashawJul 23, 2021 |
| L |  Kelvin GastelumRecord after: 4-3 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC 258: Usman vs. BurnsFeb 12, 2021 |
| W |  Gerald MeerschaertRecord after: 4-2 | KO/TKORound 1 · 1:14 | UFC 250: Nunes vs. SpencerJun 5, 2020 |
| L |  Omari AkhmedovRecord after: 3-2 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC 245: Usman vs. CovingtonDec 13, 2019 |
| L |  Derek BrunsonRecord after: 3-1 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2Aug 16, 2019 |
| W |  Antonio Carlos JuniorRecord after: 3-0 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night: Dos Anjos vs. LeeMay 17, 2019 |
| W |  Cezar FerreiraRecord after: 2-0 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. PonzinibbioNov 16, 2018 |
| W |  Justin SumterRecord after: 1-0 | KO/TKORound 1 · 3:37 | Dana White's Contender Series 2.7Jul 31, 2018 |