The UFC has bolstered its roster by signing several European stars who seemingly won’t have to fight for their place in the promotion.
In recent years, the vast majority of top talent that exists outside of the UFC have had to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn their shot.
There are exceptions to that rule and this appears to be the case for a recent spree of signings who will join the ranks based on what they have accomplished outside of the Octagon alone.
Following UFC Atlanta, where Malcolm Wellmaker stole the show and earned Sean O’Malley comparisons, and UFC Baku this weekend, where Jamahal Hill takes on Khalil Rountree Jr in the main event, here are some new and exciting faces for fight fans to keep an eye out for.
Shem Rock and Ante Delija join the UFC roster amongst other new names
Alongside several other notable signings, there are two new names on the UFC roster who have ties to some of the biggest stars in the sport.
After the news was reported by Patrick McCorry, Shem Rock confirmed via his Instagram that he has signed to the UFC after becoming a free agent.
The submission specialist is one of Paddy Pimblett’s teammates at Next Generation MMA in Liverpool, England, having emerged as a European star during his time in OKTAGON.
Rock has built a record of 12-1-1 at 31 years old, having not lost since October of 2021.
Another name that will be very familiar to European fight fans is Ante Delija who won the PFL heavyweight tournament in 2022 after beating the likes of Matheus Scheffel and Renan Ferreira.
Delija parted ways with PFL earlier this year, fighting once on FNC where he stopped UFC veteran Yorgan De Castro in the first round.
The Croatian has long been mentored by MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop and has become one of Tom Aspinall’s main training partners in recent years, working alongside the interim champion and the likes of Phil De Fries, Mick Parkin and Modestas Bukauskas.
Delija’s signing was confirmed by MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.
The UFC also signs two Polish former KSW champions to their roster
Two other major European names have also signed with the UFC with Polish fighters Robert Ruchala and Jakub Wiklacz announcing the news themselves.
Ruchala (11-1) is a former two-time interim featherweight champion in KSW, with his only career defeat coming to top talent Salahdine Parnasse.
Wiklacz (16-3-2) is KSW’s former bantamweight champion, having defended the belt three times with his last outing being a submission win over his rival, Sebastian Przybysz, in their fifth encounter.
UFC stars like Dricus du Plessis, Jan Blachowicz and Mateusz Gamrot all achieved great success in KSW before making their mark inside the Octagon.