Ben Nguyen

Scouting report

Ben Nguyen was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, started taekwondo at 12 and built his career in Brisbane. In March 2014 he knocked out Julian Wallace in 25 seconds at Nitro MMA 11 to win the bantamweight title, and the clip went viral. He joined the UFC at flyweight in 2015 and went 4-3. His best night came in Auckland in June 2017, when Tim Elliott replaced Joseph Benavidez and Nguyen submitted him in 49 seconds.

Peak ratings

Ben Nguyen: the Sioux Falls taekwondo kid who made his name in Brisbane

Nguyen went to college to become an engineer and worked days as a computer technician before he committed to fighting. In 2012 he attended the Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Scholar Athlete program in Thailand, then based himself in Brisbane. He won the Nitro MMA bantamweight title with the Wallace knockout and defended it once, beating Reece McLaren on a decision on October 11, 2014. UFC.com ranked him tenth on its 2015 newcomer list. His UFC record ended at four wins and three losses.

Nguyen, rating by rating

Boxing. 76. He started his UFC career with a punch finish. Alptekin Ozkilic went down at 4:59 of round one at UFC Fight Night 65 in Adelaide in May 2015.

Kickboxing. 76. Taekwondo came first, at age 12, and his UFC profile lists a third-degree black belt. Muay Thai was added later.

Wrestling. 70. His listed backgrounds are taekwondo, Muay Thai, judo and jiu-jitsu, with no wrestling base. Jussier Formiga submitted him in round three at UFC 221 in Perth.

BJJ. 76. Two of his four UFC wins were rear-naked chokes. Ryan Benoit tapped at 2:35 of round one at UFC 193 in Melbourne, and Elliott tapped in 49 seconds.

Strength. 68, the weakest of his eight. He is listed at 5 ft 5 in with a 65.5 inch reach, so he usually gives up size at flyweight.

Durability. 74. Louis Smolka stopped him with punches and elbows at 4:41 of round two at UFC Fight Night 91 in July 2016. The card was in Sioux Falls, his hometown.

Cardio. 82, his best. He went three full rounds with Geane Herrera in Melbourne in November 2016 and won a unanimous decision. He went the distance again against Wilson Reis in December 2018.

Fight IQ. 75. Elliott replaced Joseph Benavidez as his opponent in June 2017, and Nguyen finished him in the first round. It earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

Cardio is the top rating, and the Elliott finish was quick

Cardio at 82 is the number to draft him for. The Wallace knockout is the fight people remember, partly because Wallace had pressed a fist to Nguyen's chin at the weigh-ins. But the McLaren decision and the Herrera decision show he can work for fifteen minutes. The Elliott finish in Auckland took 49 seconds and came against a replacement opponent.

Strength is the gap at 68, and bigger grapplers found it

Formiga submitted him with a rear-naked choke at 1:43 of round three at UFC 221 on February 11, 2018. Reis beat him on the scorecards in Adelaide that December, and the UFC released him afterward. He signed with Rizin in January 2019 and lost to Kyoji Horiguchi in the first round in Yokohama that April, at a 132 pound catchweight.

Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Ben Nguyen is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Ben Nguyen's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.