Denzel Freeman, UFC Qatar weigh-in Credit: Youtube/UFC
Marek Bujilo and Denzel Freeman are the latest additions to the UFC’s heavyweight division. They’ll be debuting opposite one another at UFC Qatar this Saturday, on a card headlined by lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker. Ian Machado Garry and Belal Muhammad feature in the co-main event, in a key welterweight fight featuring a top contender taking on a former champ.
Marek Bujilo
Standing at six-foot four
Fighting at 265 lbs (heavyweight)
32-years-old
Fighting out of Elk, Poland
Training out of Dragon’s Den Fight Club
A pro record of 6-0
3 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions
Denzel Freeman
Standing at six-foot one
Fighting at 260 lbs (heavyweight)
34-years-old
Fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Training out of Pound 4 Pound Muay Thai
A pro record of 6-1
4 KO/TKOs, 1 Submissions
I scout talent every day, so when the UFC signs someone I’ve never heard of, it’s an immediate red flag. Bujło is a Polish heavyweight who has cruised to six straight first-round finishes, but the opposition has been extremely weak—his opponents are a combined 25–46, and not a single one has a winning record. He’s a BJJ black belt and relies heavily on that grappling edge, but given the level of competition, it’s hard to gauge what that belt actually means in practice.
Tape is limited, but the pattern is consistent: clinch entries, leverage-based trips, and immediate work from top position. His jiu-jitsu looks clean—he floats to dominant positions, lands short elbows, and hunts submissions—but most of his finishes come less from technique and more from opponents shelling up. We still don’t know how he looks when someone pushes back. There are simply too many unknowns to make a confident assessment: What happens if he can’t hit his takedowns? Can he strike at all? He has the frame but doesn’t seem to understand how to use it. And with no fight lasting beyond 1:42, cardio is a glaring red question mark. Heavyweights often have gas issues, but this is extreme. Bujło is an intriguing grappler, but expectations should be kept very low until he’s tested.
Freeman’s signing, on the other hand, was no surprise. A Greco-Roman wrestler, U.S. Marine Corps officer, and even a former WWE developmental signee, he was always going to transition well to MMA. His early career was inconsistent, but recently he’s leveled up with strong back-to-back wins over Hugo Cunha and UFC heavyweight Steve Asplund. His lone loss is a fight many believe he actually won, so he has a legitimate case to be undefeated.
Freeman uses a wide, karate-style stance and rarely forces his wrestling—he blends everything behind his striking entries. His stand-up isn’t polished overall, but his rear-leg kicking game is a real weapon. He throws a sharp head kick, often creating space with a hand swipe before exploding through it, and he follows up well with body kicks into combinations. His biggest issue is cage control: he backs up too easily and willingly fights off the fence. He’s durable—never finished—but he doesn’t wear punches well, and his defensive reactions can get him into trouble. Still, his athleticism and the constant threat of the takedown usually bail him out.
As a wrestler, he can score takedowns from space or in the clinch, and he has solid ground-and-pound. His grappling control, however, is a tier behind—he loses positions in transitions and doesn’t always secure rides cleanly. At heavyweight, though, pure athleticism plus wrestling fundamentals can carry a fighter a long way. The concern is whether his lack of octagon control caps his ceiling against elite competition. Right now, he profiles as a borderline top-15 heavyweight.
This matchup hinges on how real Bujło’s grappling skill is once he faces someone who won’t fold at first contact. On paper, Freeman is taking a step down from his last three opponents. Bujło may be dangerous on the mat, but taking down a high-level wrestler is a much different ask than throwing around regional heavyweights. The pick is clearly Freeman—wrestling over jiu-jitsu, proven competition over mystery, and far fewer unknowns.
