Felipe Franco

0-1
Record
Age / DOB 25
(Jan 22, 2001)
Height 6' 1"
Weight 205 lbs.
Reach 76"
Stance Orthodox
Career Averages
1.81 Sig. Strikes / Min
50.0% Sig. Strike Acc.
2.55 Absorbed / Min
38.0% Strike Defense
3.02 TD Avg / 15 min
37.0% TD Accuracy
87.0% TD Defense
0.0 Sub. / Fight
Loss Methods (1)
KO/TKO 0
Submission 0
Decision 1

Fight History

Result / Opponent
Event & Date
Method/Round
Links
Comments
Decision R3 5:00
Totals
FighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
Mário Pinto 0 34 of 58 58% 137 of 166 2 of 14 14% 0 0 6:15
Felipe Franco 0 21 of 60 35% 60 of 100 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:00
Per Round
RdFighterKDSig. Str.Sig. Str. % Total Str.TDTD % Sub. AttRev.Ctrl
1 Mário Pinto 0 16 of 28 57% 37 of 49 0 of 2 0% 0 0 0:28
Felipe Franco 0 9 of 25 36% 16 of 32 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
2 Mário Pinto 0 9 of 20 45% 39 of 53 1 of 5 20% 0 0 2:20
Felipe Franco 0 3 of 19 15% 11 of 27 0 of 1 0% 0 0 0:00
3 Mário Pinto 0 9 of 10 90% 61 of 64 1 of 7 14% 0 0 3:27
Felipe Franco 0 9 of 16 56% 33 of 41 0 of 0 --- 0 0 0:00
Significant Strikes
FighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
Mário Pinto 34 of 58 58% 25 of 48 6 of 7 3 of 3 20 of 42 13 of 15 1 of 1
Felipe Franco 21 of 60 35% 13 of 51 7 of 8 1 of 1 13 of 51 8 of 9 0 of 0
Significant Strikes Per Round
RdFighterSig. Str.Sig. Str. % HeadBodyLeg DistanceClinchGround
1 Mário Pinto 16 of 28 57% 12 of 23 2 of 3 2 of 2 12 of 23 4 of 5 0 of 0
Felipe Franco 9 of 25 36% 6 of 21 2 of 3 1 of 1 8 of 24 1 of 1 0 of 0
2 Mário Pinto 9 of 20 45% 6 of 17 2 of 2 1 of 1 6 of 16 3 of 4 0 of 0
Felipe Franco 3 of 19 15% 1 of 17 2 of 2 0 of 0 2 of 18 1 of 1 0 of 0
3 Mário Pinto 9 of 10 90% 7 of 8 2 of 2 0 of 0 2 of 3 6 of 6 1 of 1
Felipe Franco 9 of 16 56% 6 of 13 3 of 3 0 of 0 3 of 9 6 of 7 0 of 0
Expert Picks (12)
AN
Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Mar 15, 2026 (6 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

Angelo picks Mário Pinto as the better fighter, noting Felipe Franco's record is fraudulent and he was submitted by a short-notice gym teacher. However, he warns that Franco's wrestling could be enough to win, comparing him to Jailton Almeida. He advises caution and says he will likely stay away from betting this fight.

staying away from betting; Franco might be Jailton Almeida 2.0
"Mario should be able to knock Felipe's head clean off of his body. I'm still going to probably stay away from this fight or at least not go all in on it because Felipe might be Jolt Nomeda 2.0."
BI
Big Brady Expert Confident picked Mar 16, 2026 (5 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

Big Brady is extremely confident in Mário Pinto, calling Felipe Franco a 'fake fighter' and this signing 'despicable.' He notes that Franco's wins are against terrible competition (shopping mall fighters) and that he got exposed on the Contender Series. Pinto, on the other hand, is a good fighter with good striking and wrestling, as shown in his last fight against John Lineker. He predicts a second-round knockout for Pinto.

Mário Pinto by second-round KO
"Give me Mario Pinto to win this fight. I think he finishes Felipe Franco. I'll say second-round knockout for Mario Pinto."
CO
Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Mar 18, 2026 (3 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

Cody agrees, noting Pinto's youth and ability to win standing or on the ground. He expects a dominant performance.

"Mario Pinto, easy win."
CO
Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Mar 20, 2026 (1 day before fight)
Mário Pinto

Connor agrees with Zane, picking Pinto. He notes that Franco is a beast but too raw to navigate this level, and that Pinto's size and reach advantage will be decisive. Connor also mentions that Pinto can be passive and wait for mistakes, but Franco's lack of experience makes that a viable strategy.

Odds comment: Pinto opened -300, now -900; Franco opened +250, now +600. Connor says the odds are too wide but still picks Pinto.
"I just don't think, yeah, I'm agreeing with you. I think Franco is way, there's something there, but he's way too raw to navigate this level of fighting."
DA
Daniel Vreeland Expert Confident picked Mar 17, 2026 (4 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

Daniel Vreeland picks Mário Pinto to win by first-round knockout. He highlights Pinto's size, striking, and takedown defense, while criticizing Franco's lack of heavyweight experience and suspect chin. He expects a big level difference.

"I'm going Mario Pinto by first round knockout."
DA
Daniel Vreeland Expert Confident picked Mar 18, 2026 (3 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

Daniel is very confident in Pinto, calling him a top heavyweight prospect. He thinks Franco is a sacrificial lamb who will struggle with takedowns and gas out. He expects Pinto to finish him in round one, possibly by knockout.

"I think Mario Pinto is going to launch this dude's head into the fifth row."
DI
Diary of a Pro Gambler Expert picked Mar 20, 2026 (1 day before fight)
No clear pick

Pinto is better everywhere, but at -957 in a heavyweight fight, the odds are absurd. Franco is low-level but has puncher's chance. Dog or pass.

"I would not be betting Pinto at, you know, 1.10, minus 957, um in a heavyweight fight where it only takes one shot to get knocked out."
LU
Lucrative James Expert Lock picked Mar 15, 2026 (6 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

James picks Mário Pinto with high confidence, calling it as close to a lock as possible. He notes that Franco has a weak record and was finished on DWCS, while Pinto is a much better striker. He predicts a first-round finish.

Mário Pinto inside the distance
"Mario Pinto is going to dominate him, man. Pinto is going to finish this fight inside one round, maximum two rounds, probably one round."
MM
MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Mar 17, 2026 (4 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

The host picks Mário Pinto by knockout. He notes Pinto's well-rounded game and superior striking, while Franco is a light heavyweight moving up on short notice with poor durability. He expects Pinto to keep the fight standing and land a big shot for a KO. He is hesitant on the under 1.5 rounds due to Franco's potential to clinch.

"I'm still picking Pinto to win. I don't think Franco has much of a chance at all. And I'm going to go Pinto by knockout."
PA
Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Mar 18, 2026 (3 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

Paul thinks Pinto is a clear step up in competition for Franco, who has only first-round wins against weak opposition. He expects Pinto to win easily.

"I will not be clicking Franco's name this week. I will tell you that much."
TH
The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Mar 19, 2026 (2 days before fight)
Mário Pinto

The MMA Guru picks Mário Pinto to finish Felipe Franco in the second or third round. He notes Franco has never fought a good opponent and lost on the Contender Series, while Pinto looked well-rounded against Jinata Denz with good grappling. He expects Franco to be dangerous early but fade, allowing Pinto to find a finish later.

finish in the second or third round
"I'm going to say that he finishes Felipe Franco by finish in the second or third round."
ZA
Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Mar 20, 2026 (1 day before fight)
Mário Pinto

Zane picks Mário Pinto, noting that Pinto is a solid fighter with fundamental striking and wrestling, while Franco is too raw and has only beaten regional cans. He points out Pinto's size advantage (4 inches taller, 3-inch reach) and that Franco struggled against the only decent opponent he faced. Zane thinks Franco should be in LFA, not the UFC.

Odds comment: Pinto opened -300, now -900; Franco opened +250, now +600. Zane says the odds are too wide but still picks Pinto.
"I can't imagine Franco winning this frankly, but he's a can crusher right now, only one regionally because he was a far better athlete in far better shape than his competition."