Weightclass: Middleweight
Record: 4-0, 1 NC
Age: 26
Height: 5’11”
Born in: Hungary
Training out of: London Shootfighters
Combined opponents’ record (at the time they fought): 60-30
Key wins: Will Fleury
Anyone who’s a regular watcher of the UFC Embedded series you’d likely recognize Norbert Novenyi Jr as the guy often seen hanging around with MVP. What many might not realize is that he’s a top-class MMA prospect in his own right.
Novenyi comes from exceptional athletic stock. His father, Norbert Novenyi Sr, is an Olympic gold medalist who claimed gold for Hungary in the 90kg Greco-Roman wrestling division at the 1980 Moscow Games. Beyond wrestling, he also excelled in kickboxing, capturing a world title at the WAKO Championships. It’s easy to imagine that if MMA had been around in the 1980s, Norbert Sr would have been a strong contender for gold there too.
Norbert Jr inherited not only his father’s athletic genes but also his relentless drive. Recognizing the lack of high-level training opportunities in Hungary, he moved to London early in his MMA journey to join the renowned London Shootfighters. He’s been there ever since and now stands as one of MVP’s primary training partners.
When watching Norbert, you can clearly see MVP’s influence on his striking. He utilizes a similar karate-influenced stance and movement, though in a more aggressive and forceful manner. While MVP relies on timing and precision for his spectacular knockouts, Norbert focuses on pressure, power, and physicality. He also brings a stronger wrestling skill set than MVP, allowing him to blend striking entries into takedowns and dominate with ground-and-pound.
Norbert has already gained high-level experience with seven of his first eight pro fights taking place under the Bellator banner. During that run, he picked up wins over opponents such as Oktagon double champion Will Fleury and current KSW fighters Laid Zerhouni and Kamil Oniszczuk. His lone defeat came to Dalton Rosta—a fight that many thought could have been scored a draw after Norbert dominated the later rounds.
When Bellator merged into the PFL, Norbert chose not to sign with the PFL and instead joined MVP on his path to the UFC. He’s since signed with the French promotion Hexagone MMA, where he’s received a hero’s welcome due to both his father’s legacy and his own performances. In his Hexagone debut, Norbert stopped a late-notice Brazilian opponent in dominant fashion, though the UFC may not have been impressed by the opponent’s record.
This weekend, he faces Madalin Pirvulescu—a 7-3 fighter with PFL and KSW experience. On paper, it looks like another favorable matchup for Norbert. However, finding quality opposition outside major promotions can be difficult. If Norbert wins decisively, as expected, it should further strengthen his case for a UFC contract.
Given his combination of looks, charisma, exciting fighting style, and connection to a ranked UFC star in MVP, along with his English fluency and growing fanbase in Hungary—a country currently without a UFC representative—it’s hard to see why the UFC wouldn’t sign him soon.