Who is Juancamilo Ronderos?

Juancamilo Ronderos is set to replace Raulian Paiva on short notice tonight at UFC Fight Night 188. Paiva was scheduled to lock horns with David Dvorak in an enticing flyweight bout, but a rough weight cut meant that Paiva wasn't able to compete as planned.

Many thought Dvorak, who is riding an insane 15-fight win streak, would be forced off the card - but Juancamilo Ronderos came along to save the day.

Who is Juancamilo Ronderos?

Juancamilo Ronderos currently holds a 4-0 professional MMA record. His bout against Dvorak will mark his first appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The 26-year-old hasn’t fought since back in December of 2019 when he edged out a split-decision win over Eric Shelton on a WXC card.

The Colombian was scheduled to compete against Rodney Kealohi in an LFA card back in March only for the fight to fall through. However, he now has the biggest opportunity of his career against a man who has a real shot at earning a title opportunity in the near future.

Meanwhile, Paiva is expected to be rebooked in the next couple of months after he fully recovers from his nasty weight cut. However, one man’s loss is another man’s gain.

Juancamilo Ronderos trains out of Xtreme Couture and was actually tipped to fight Fury FC flyweight champion C.J. Vergara on an episode of Dana White’s Contender Series. He has now been able to jump the queue to make his UFC debut - such is the nature of short-notice fights.

Ronderos has 13 straight wins, dating all the way back to his amateur days. However, fans are curious to see whether or not he can make such a notable step up in competition.

David Dvorak has wins over Bruno Silva and Jordan Espinosa to his name in the UFC. If he can secure a third win, and potentially even a finish, he can show the UFC that he can be a company guy and fight whoever they put in front of him.

Juancamilo Ronderos, however, isn’t going to lie down and miss out on the biggest opportunity of his career.