Lightweight
Chris Gruetzemacher
“Gritz”·
Page, United States
Pro record
15-5-0
Model Elo
1476
#1272 of 1994
- Age
- 37
- Height
- 5'8"
- Reach
- 68"
- Stance
- Orthodox
- Team
- MMA LAB - Glendale, AZ
- Born
- Page, United States
- UFC debut
- Dec 11, 2015
Profile
Overview
Chris Gruetzemacher hits more than he gets hit, and three of his four UFC losses still ended on the ground. A Lightweight from MMA LAB in Glendale, Arizona, "Gritz" is 3-4 in the UFC and 15-5-0 overall across all promotions.
The pattern is easy to read. His striking numbers sit well above the UFC average. His submission defense is the weak point.
UFC Career
He debuted on the Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale in December 2015 and took a unanimous decision over Abner Lloveras. Then came two submission losses, to Chas Skelly in the second round and Davi Ramos in the third, with 50 seconds left in that fight.
He answered at UFC 223 with a second-round TKO of Joe Lauzon, his only UFC finish. A knockout loss to Alexander Hernandez in 1:46 of the first round followed, and a decision win over Rafa Garcia came after that. His last fight in this run was a third-round submission loss to Claudio Puelles, so he carries a one-fight losing streak into his next bout.
His longest UFC win streak is one fight. Wins and losses have alternated for most of his run.
Fighting Style
Chris Gruetzemacher is a busy, accurate striker. He lands more per minute than most UFC fighters and connects at a high rate. His defense is about average, though, and he takes more shots than most.
He is hard to take down and rarely shoots for takedowns himself. He also rarely hunts submissions. That makes his three submission losses the odd part of his record, since opponents are not getting him to the mat often.
His lone finish in the UFC is a second-round TKO. His other two wins came by decision.
Notable Wins
- Joe Lauzon — KO/TKO, round 2, UFC 223 (2018)
- Rafa Garcia — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Strickland (2021)
- Abner Lloveras — unanimous decision, round 3, Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale (2015)
Quick Facts
- Division: Lightweight
- UFC record: 3-4
- Professional record (all promotions): 15-5-0
- UFC debut: 2015
- Stance: Orthodox
- Height / reach: 5'8" / 68"
- Team: MMA LAB - Glendale, AZ
- Born: Page, United States
Written from MMA ProTips fight data, updated Nov 10, 2026.
UFC by the numbers
- UFC record
- 3–4
- since 2015
- Finish rate
- 33%
- 1 of 3 wins
- 1st-round finishes
- 0
- Elite wins
- 0
- vs opponents rated 1700+ at the time
- Longest win streak
- 1
- Current streak
- L1
- losses in a row
- Octagon time
- 1h 13m
- avg 10:26 per fight
- Opposition
- 1538
- avg opponent Elo (1500 = average)
Best wins
Ranked by the opponent's Elo rating going into the fight.
- 1572opp. Elo
KO/TKO, R2 · UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta · Apr 6, 2018
- 1500opp. Elo
unanimous decision, R3 · The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber Finale · Dec 10, 2015
- 1459opp. Elo
unanimous decision, R3 · UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Strickland · Jul 30, 2021
Career stats (UFC)
Career UFC averages. The white tick on each bar marks the UFC average.
Striking
UFC avg 3.35 · better than average
UFC avg 3.95 · below average
UFC avg 45% · better than average
UFC avg 52% · about 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 · below average
Where the strikes land
Where the strikes are thrown
Average fight time: 9:45
Fight history (7)
| Res | Opponent | Method | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| L |  Claudio PuellesRecord after: 3-4 | submissionRound 3 · 3:25 | UFC Fight Night: Font vs. AldoDec 3, 2021 |
| W |  Rafa GarciaRecord after: 3-3 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. StricklandJul 30, 2021 |
| L |  Alexander HernandezRecord after: 2-3 | KO/TKORound 1 · 1:46 | UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. SilvaOct 30, 2020 |
| W |  Joe LauzonRecord after: 2-2 | KO/TKORound 2 · 5:00 | UFC 223: Khabib vs. IaquintaApr 6, 2018 |
| L |  Davi RamosRecord after: 1-2 | submissionRound 3 · 0:50 | UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. OrtegaDec 8, 2017 |
| L |  Chas SkellyRecord after: 1-1 | submissionRound 2 · 2:01 | UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean ZombieFeb 3, 2017 |
| W |  Abner LloverasRecord after: 1-0 | unanimous decisionRound 3 · 5:00 | The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber FinaleDec 10, 2015 |