29-year-old Daniel “Daniboy” Felipe is an interesting lightweight prospect out of São Paulo, Brazil. Training out of Fight Leste, Felipe began his combat sports career in kickboxing, winning multiple titles, including a K-1 championship in 2016. He transitioned to MMA in 2023 and has competed twice a year since 2024. Before going any further, I have to address his terrible level of competition. Felipe hasn’t just been crushing cans in Brazil but in Chile as well. He’s the OFL lightweight champion, but he won that title against a 12-18 opponent. Most of the guys he’s beaten have no business being in the cage with him. He’s back in Chile this Saturday against Gerald Morales, a slick grappler who should finally give us some answers about Felipe’s potential.
Despite the competition, I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Felipe, though I have a few concerns. Standing 6’1″, he has an excellent frame for lightweight and fights with a traditional Muay Thai style. He stands upright, plants his feet, manages distance well, and throws powerful kicks. Felipe is flat-footed but maintains a solid high guard. He likes to sit at his preferred range, where he can land without giving his opponent the same opportunity. It can be frustrating watching him because he’s low-volume and often waits for opponents to make the first move. However, he’s a dangerous counterpuncher with good timing and reactions. I’d like to see more killer instinct because the weapons are certainly there. Felipe has a good jab, one-two, and left hook to the body. Unsurprisingly, his kicks are his biggest weapon. He attacks the body, moves up, and throws devastating leg kicks.’
Although it’s been against lesser opposition, I’ve also been impressed with Felipe’s takedown defense. Taller fighters often struggle with balance when defending takedowns, but that hasn’t been an issue for him. Against the cage, he does a good job fighting hands and widening his base. Even when opponents have gotten deep on takedowns, he’s shown good hips and used the whizzer effectively to stay upright.
I’m giving Felipe this much attention because he has the physical tools to succeed. The problem is that he’s already 29 and hasn’t done himself any favors with how his career has been managed. He needs to be competing in more established promotions against opponents who will actually push him to improve. It’s easy to look impressive against the level of competition he’s been facing, but that doesn’t tell us much about his ceiling. We’ll see how he looks against Morales, but afterward, I’d like to see him competing in LFA. If he wants to stay in South America outside Brazil, SFH is another option. If he returns to Brazil, Jungle Fight, Shooto Brasil, or SFT would all make more sense for his development. At this stage of his career, it’s time to stop padding the record and start testing his actual potential.
