Fresh Ink: Meet the 9 fighters the UFC signed in July 2023
The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.
Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, “Dana White’s Contender Series” signees, or the increasingly rare straight-up additions. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.
“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.
Check out the July 2023 list below.
Yanis Ghemmouri
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvKcOexsWmF/
Record when signed: 12-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Featherweight
Age: 28
Debut: Sept. 2 vs. Caolan Loughran (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night in Paris
The UFC’s return to Paris continues to be spruced up with local talent. Among the French fighters set to compete is promotional newcomer Yanis Ghemmouri, a teammate of UFC lightweight Fares Ziam. Prior to his UFC signing, Ghemmouri competed for BRAVE CF where he was undefeated with two knockout wins in three appearances.
Bogdan Guskov
Bassil Hafez
Record when signed: 8-3-1
Signing type: Short notice
Weight class: Welterweight
Age: 31
Debut: July 15 loss to Jack Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) via split decision at UFC on ESPN 49 in Las Vegas
Bassil Hafez faced a tall task for his UFC debut and while he didn’t win, he gained a lot of fans for his effort. On less than one week’s notice, Hafez signed with the UFC to fight Jack Della Maddalena. Not only did Hafez hold his own, he found much success in the fight – and even won the bout on one judge’s scorecard. Regardless of outcome, Hafez, a former CFFC welterweight champion, exponentially grew his stock.
Josiah Harrell
Caolan Loughran
Record when signed: 6-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 28
Debut: Sept. 2 vs. Yanis Ghemmouri (12-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night in Paris
Ireland has a fourth native representative on the UFC roster. Weeks after Shauna Bannon joined Ian Garry and Conor McGregor in the UFC, Caolan Loughran enters the mix. The Cage Warriors bantamweight champion at the time of his signing, Loughran earned the title in May with a second-round knockout of Dylan Hazan. The TKO was his seventh career finish.
Rhys McKee
Record when signed: 13-4-1
Signing type: Straight up
Weight class: Welterweight
Age: 27
Debut: Sept. 2 vs. Ange Loosa (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night in Paris
Welcome back to the UFC, Rhys McKee. After his first promotional stint came to an abrupt end in late 2020 after just two fights (against Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Morono), McKee immediately began his rebuild. After a knockout win over Aleksi Mantykivi, McKee won the vacant Cage Warriors welterweight championship with a finish of Justin Burlinson. In April, McKee defended that title successfully with a doctor stoppage win over fellow UFC alum Jim Wallhead.
Charlie Radtke
Mairon Santos
Val Woodburn
