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Though he’s making his UFC debut this weekend, Lins is someone who has been on the radar of serious fight fans for a number of years, first gaining prominence as an emerging light heavyweight prospect before spending time in both Bellator and the Professional Fighters League, where he shifted to the heavyweight division and finished his 2018 campaign by defeating former UFC competitor Josh Copeland to win the company’s inaugural heavyweight season.
Now the 34-year-old Brazilian makes the move to the Octagon, where he’s slated to square off with the division’s longest tenured representative, former champ Andrei Arlovski, in a bout that will provide an immediate understanding of where the newcomer fits in.
Entering on a four-fight winning streak, Lins is a proven finisher, having earned 12 of his 14 career wins by stoppage, with two thirds of those coming by way of strikes. Injuries have slowed his career since he popped up on the prospect radar and kept him out of the cage for all of 2019, but Lins looked like a natural fit at heavyweight during his four-fight run under the PFL banner, which also included stoppage wins over former UFC competitors Alex Nicholson and Jared Rosholt in addition to his tournament finale victory over Copeland.
The 41-year-old Arlovski has struggled to find much success over the last couple years but remains a dangerous litmus test for any new addition to the heavyweight ranks. Seasoned and savvy, the former champion has continued to adapt his style, mixing in more wrestling and clinch work to go with his top-level striking.
While a win over Arlovski won’t vault Lins into the thick of the title chase, it would serve as a higher than normal baseline for a new arrival to the division and position him to potentially make an expedited ascent in the heavyweight ranks.