# Niklas Stolze

Niklas Stolze (born December 28, 1992) is a German mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2014, he most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

## Background

Stolze began his career in Combat Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 15, then switched to kickboxing two years later through his coach Sascha Poppendieck. But the goal was always MMA, deciding in 2014 to pursue a career as an MMA professional. On top of MMA, Stolze also completed training as a welder.
He is the first East German to be signed to the UFC.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Stolze spent most of his pre-UFC career fighting on the European regional scene, compiling a 12–3 record, with two of his losses coming the way of unanimous decision at BAMMA, losing to Terry Brazier at BAMMA 27 and Chris Stringer at BAMMA 30.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Stolze made his UFC debut, as a replacement for Shavkat Rakhmonov, against Ramazan Emeev on July 26, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till. Stolze lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Stolze was scheduled to face Mounir Lazzez on July 31, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland. However, Lazzez pulled out just a few days before the event due to visa issues and was replaced by Jared Gooden. He lost the fight via knockout in round one.
Stolze faced Benoît Saint-Denis on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik. Stolze lost the bout after getting submitted in the second round.
On June 9, 2022, it was announced that Stolze was released from the UFC.

### Oktagon MMA

Stolze faced Andrej Kalašnik on November 18, 2023, at Oktagon 49, winning the bout via first-round knockout.
In his sophomore performance, Stolze faced Máté Kertész on Marc 23, 2024 at Oktagon 55, being submitted in the second round via rear-naked choke.
Stolze faced Matouš Kohout on September 7, 2024, at Oktagon 60, winning the bout via flying knee TKO in the first round.

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 21 matches | 14 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 1 |
| By submission | 5 | 2 |
| By decision | 3 | 4 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| | | Jessin Ayari | | Oktagon 68 | March 8, 2025 | | | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Win | 14–7 | Matouš Kohout | TKO (flying knee and punches) | Oktagon 60 | September 7, 2024 | 1 | 2:04 | Oberhausen, Germany | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 13–7 | Máté Kertész | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Oktagon 55 | March 23, 2024 | 2 | 2:42 | Stuttgart, Germany | |
| Win | 13–6 | Andrej Kalašnik | KO (punches) | Oktagon 49 | November 18, 2023 | 1 | 3:40 | Cologne, Germany | |
| Loss | 12–6 | Benoît Saint-Denis | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik | June 4, 2022 | 2 | 1:32 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Lightweight bout. |
| Loss | 12–5 | Jared Gooden | KO (punch) | UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland | July 31, 2021 | 1 | 1:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–4 | Ramazan Emeev | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till | July 26, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 12–3 | Omar Jesus Santana | Decision (unanimous) | Nova FC 1 | April 13, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Balingen, Germany | |
| Win | 11–3 | Christian Draxler | TKO (punches) | Cage FS 9 | February 2, 2019 | 1 | 3:43 | Graz, Austria | |
| Win | 10–3 | Jan Janka | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Oktagon 7 | July 28, 2018 | 2 | 3:32 | Prague, Czech Republic | |
| Win | 9–3 | Johannes Michalik | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Hype FC 8 | May 12, 2018 | 1 | 2:47 | Bremen, Germany | Return to Welterweight. |
| Loss | 8–3 | Chris Stringer | Decision (unanimous) | BAMMA 30 | July 7, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 8–2 | Mahmod Faour | Decision (unanimous) | Magdeburger Cage 1 | April 1, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Magdeburg, Germany | Lightweight debut. |
| Loss | 7–2 | Terry Brazier | Decision (unanimous) | BAMMA 27 | December 16, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 7–1 | Maxime Vanelstraete | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Imperium Fighting Championship 5 | August 27, 2016 | 2 | 3:25 | Leipzig, Germany | |
| Win | 6–1 | Johannes Grebe | Submission (armbar) | Superior FC 14 | May 21, 2016 | 1 | 2:32 | Düren, Germany | |
| Win | 5–1 | Rastislav Hanulay | Decision (unanimous) | Imperium Fighting Championship 4 | March 26, 2016 | 2 | 5:00 | Leipzig, Germany | |
| Win | 4–1 | Florent Conte | TKO (punches) | Imperium Fighting Championship 3 | October 10, 2015 | 2 | 4:39 | Leipzig, Germany | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Sebastian Reimitz | Decision (split) | Ravage: Finest MMA | August 29, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Hamburg, Germany | |
| Win | 3–0 | Max Rose | KO (head kick) | Imperium Fighting Championship 2 | April 4, 2015 | 1 | 1:28 | Leipzig, Germany | |
| Win | 2–0 | Nils Fischer | Submission (guillotine choke) | La Onda Fight Club | March 15, 2015 | 1 | 0:50 | Magdeburg, Germany | Catchweight (176 lb) bout. |
| Win | 1–0 | Lauris Leitans | TKO (punches) | Imperium Fighting Championship | June 1, 2014 | 1 | 1:48 | Leipzig, Germany | Welterweight debut. |