Rob Font, born June 25, 1987, from Leominster, Massachusetts, United States, is a mixed martial artist currently ranked no.3 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.
The 34 year-old of Puerto Rican descent, holds a record of 19-4. Font holds notable wins over Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Moraes, Sergio Pettis, and Thomas Almeida.
With a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and white mongkol in Muay Thai, Font’s fighting style is that of a complete mixed martial artist, being competent in all areas and aspects detailed within his even spread of victories with 8 via TKO/KO, 4 by submission and 7 through decision.
However, a staple of Font’s arsenal is his crisp jab that he uses to great effect, not only to stifle his opponents, but also allow him to get his offense going and build combinations off of the jab. The jab works well for Font as he often likes to push the pace and incorporate it to back his opponents up and then line them up for a big strike.
Rob Font’s professional career started in 2011, winning his debut in under 3 minutes; however, he lost his second fight via unanimous decision, but this early setback didn’t stop Font. After this loss, Font put on a 9-fight win streak earning him his debut in the UFC in 2014 against George Roop, a bout which didn’t last long; Font put an end to the action at just 2:19. Font returned to the octagon in 2016, beating Joey Gomez but later on in the year suffered his first defeat in the UFC.
After this loss, Font went on a bit of a rollercoaster journey suffering another 2 defeats in his next 5 fights; however, since losing to Raphael Assunção in 2018, Font has gone on an impressive 4-fight win streak against the division’s elite.
In this run, Font has defeated former champion Cody Garbrandt, former championship contender Marlo Moraes and current Bellator champion, Sergio Pettis. So, this begs the question, who’s next? How far is Font off a title shot? Now that you have a brief background into Font’s career, let’s take a look at his sharp ‘n’ snappy Top 5 MMA Finishes! (in descending order)
5. Vs. Matt Schnell – TUF 24 Finale (Dec. 3, 2016)
After a loss in his previous fight to John Lineker, Font looked to get back on track in his fight against Matt Schnell.
At 30 seconds into round 1, and after a fast open from both fighters, Font lands a takedown, but Schnell is very active from the bottom and continually scrambles. Font maintains calm and takes Schnell’s back during the scramble.
Font controls Schnell with a body lock and starts to threaten a rear-naked choke, but Schnell defends well. Font releases his body lock and tries to move to mount but allows Schnell the space to get back to his feet.
With 2:10 on the clock, Font shows us his best Anderson Silva impression with a front kick to the chin that rocks Schnell back to the fence, upon which Font begins to unload, however, Schnell recovers well.
With 1:35 left in the round, Schnell bites on a fake, and is greeted by a Font rising knee that knocks him off his feet. Now, Font tries to find a finish as Schnell tries to survive and turns to his back but gets flattened out, and eventually gets knocked out via strikes at 3:47 of round 1.
What a way to get back on track after his first UFC loss with a first-round stoppage in devastating fashion!
4 . Vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade – UFC 213 (July 8, 2017)
After the first round finish of Matt Schnell, Font looked to continue this trend with his next fight against Andrade, however, fans would have to wait a little longer for a finish this time.
At 50 seconds into round 1, after an overextended uppercut, Font capitalizes and shoots a double leg takedown getting Andrade to the floor, but by the 2-minute mark, Andrade looks to get back to his feet. However, in doing so, he gets his neck caught in a standing guillotine attempt, but Font is unable to get the finish.
With 2 minutes left on the clock, Font unloads a jab, and right-hand-to-knee combination for the best action of the fight; however, this is halted due to an eye poke immediately after the combo, causing a break in proceedings.
With under 10 seconds left in the round, a knee from Font is caught, and Andrade takes him down but again becomes vulnerable to the guillotine, with the bell stopping the action in its tracks.
In round 2 for the most part, both fighters are very active without anyone getting the upper hand until later on. With 1:35 left on the clock, Font connects with a debilitating overhand right, and Andrade looks to be out on his feet.
Font unleashes ruthless uppercuts and knees in an effort to get the finish, but the resilient Andrade surprisingly manages to survive, whereupon Font opts to take Andrade down.
As Andrade tries to get back to his feet, Font locks in the guillotine he had been threatening throughout the contest, and Andrade looks to slam his way out, to no avail. Font gets the tap at 4:36 of round 2.
These back-to-back stoppages put Font in great stead as he worked his way up the UFC rankings.
3. Vs. Thomas Almeida – UFC 220 (Jan. 20, 2018)
Coming off his loss against Pedro Munhoz, Font was desperate for a good performance against Almeida, and he didn’t disappoint!
A minute into round 1, Font presses forward, backing Almeida up against the cage with a clinch but is unable to control Almeida for any significant period of time.
A common theme in any Font fight is his snapping jab, which serves him well against Almeida, who tries to time the jab and come over the top with a head kick. A very competitive first round ends with both fighters having successes but neither managing to stamp their dominance on the fight.
In round 2, at 25 seconds, a blistering straight left and right catches Almeida flush, and he nods his head in acknowledgment of the strike. Shortly after, another powerful right-hand lands, this time with more impact as it stumbles Almeida to the ground, but he somehow finds a way to his feet. Font again takes the fight back to the ground with a body lock takedown.
Once again, Almeida shows admirable stamina, and is able to quickly get back to his feet despite being rocked, and he looks to create some distance in order to recover. However, Font has different ideas and at 2:45, lands a right, high kick followed by a flurry of devastating uppercuts rendering Almeida unconscious at 2:24 of round 2.
Font made short work of the highly skilled Almeida and looked to surge on.
2. Vs. George Roop – UFC 175 (July 5, 2014)
After compiling an impressive 10-1 record, Font earned his UFC debut in 2014 and looked to come out with a bang.
In round 1, Font bides his time fighting the rangy 6’1” (1.85m) Roop, and takes the first 2 minutes to study the distance and his best route of attack. As he analyses the data, he outputs a monstrous overhand right that knocks Roop out cold at 2:19 of round 1.
This was a sizzling debut from Font with his quickest finish to date, earning him a well-deserved $50,000, Performance of the Night bonus.
1. Vs. Marlon Moraes – UFC Fight Night 183 (Dec. 19, 2020)
In Font’s toughest test at this point of his career, he stepped up to the occasion against former title contender, Marlon Moraes.
In round 1, Moraes comes out throwing heavy body kicks then quickly converts a takedown in under 10 seconds.
At 35 seconds in, Font sweeps Moraes but gets his neck caught whilst doing so. Font defends, but Moraes uses the guillotine to get back to his feet and again takes Font down.
With 2 minutes left on the clock, Moraes transitions to side control, giving Font enough time to shrimp out and get back to his feet.
Back on their feet now, Font begins to implement his superb, crisp jab that contuses on its target before unloading a three-punch combination that stumbles Moraes. He then lands another jab that staggers Moraes backwards.
A thunderous uppercut rising through Moraes’ guard floors him, whilst Font jumps on him to finish the fight at 3:47 of round 1.
This impressive fight won Font a $50,000, Performance of the Night bonus and gave him his most notable win by this point, as well as the best finish of his career so far…!
