Philipe Lins was a rising, unbeaten light heavyweight from Brazil when he signed with Bellator in 2014, but never got things going in the promotion. He was let go after winning three of six fights, and realized he needed to change things up in 2018.
Excited with the idea of a million-dollar tournament at Professional Fighters League, “Monstro” moved up to heavyweight and made quite a first impression in July, knocking out Alex Nicholson at PFL 4. Guaranteed to make the heavyweight playoffs, Lins stopped teammate Caio Alencar and Jared Rosholt on the same night to earn a spot in the final.