Felipe Lima explains permanent move to featherweight before UFC Paris

Felipe Lima will return to featherweight at UFC Paris on Saturday, and he has no plans to go back to bantamweight. Although the Brazilian spent years competing at bantamweight and became an Oktagon champion in the division, Lima revealed that he was struggling with the weight cut and feeling weak during his previous fights. “Jungle Boy” explained that health reasons prompted him to permanently move up a division.

Felipe Lima Says Health Led to Featherweight Move

After making his bantamweight debut in 2018, Lima spent years competing in the division before winning the Oktagon title in 2023. After becoming champion, the Brazilian signed with the UFC, making his promotional debut by defeating Muhammad Naimov at featherweight. A few months later, Jungle Boy returned to the Octagon and defeated Miles Johns at featherweight again.

However, the Brazilian then decided to move back down to bantamweight and suffered a unanimous decision loss to Payton Talbott in June 2025. Lima's experience cutting down to 135 pounds ultimately convinced him that featherweight was a better fit for his body. Speaking to Ag Fight, Lima explained why he decided to make the move permanent.

"I moved up a division permanently because of how I felt during the fight," Lima said. "I was too weak, I was cutting too much weight… And fighting at featherweight is healthier. It's a division that's better suited for my body. I already did the tests at the PI, and they told me I'm a featherweight. So it's a healthier place for me to continue my career. It wasn't because I lost to Payton at bantamweight. It was more about my health."

Felipe Lima Initially Wanted to Stay at Bantamweight

Despite his struggles with the weight cut, Lima didn't immediately decide to move up. Having spent years competing at bantamweight and even becoming an Oktagon champion, the Brazilian believed that division offered a faster route to the UFC rankings.

"It was difficult to make the decision to move up because they already wanted to match me up against ranked fighters at bantamweight," Lima said. "So I thought that would be the easier path to get into the rankings and fight ranked opponents. That's why it took me a little while to make the decision."

Now back at featherweight, Lima will look to bounce back from his loss to Talbott when he returns to the Octagon to face Morgan Charriere at UFC Paris on Saturday.