Another exciting homegrown fighter is making his way to “Dana White’s Contender Series” Tuesday night, and with a winner’s mentality.

Colton Loud, the 25-year-old flyweight, is in Las Vegas and ready to make his debut with 16 fights, both professional and amateur, in the bag. He plans to bring all his best weapons into the octagon Tuesday, knowing he packs a real punch and has collected knockouts with both his hands and his shattering knee. His real advantage come fight night, however, may be his mindset.

The Colton Loud Attitude

With his 100% finish rate, it’s easy to see how Colton Loud’s performances are just that: Loud. Explosive. Exciting. After his last win and his previous fights here at Peak FC, Loud has honed in on his energetic fighting style and his explosive work that tends to end in a stunning finish. When he walks into the fight of his life this week, he won’t be looking to play it safe.

“I truly believe in myself,” Loud said in an interview with Combat Sports Today. “I believe in my durability, and I’ll take risks, you know, to end the fight the way I need to end the fight. That’s exactly what they’re looking for in the UFC.”

And Loud has plenty of evidence to back up that confidence.

The 7-1 professional has an impressive set of finishes, with four coming by KO/TKO and three by submission. Six of those finishes have come in the first round.

That finishing instinct has become a defining part of Loud’s game, but it is not the only thing that makes him dangerous. Loud is a karate black belt and BJJ purple belt who has trained since he was just seven years old, giving him the ability to create danger whether the fight stays standing, moves into the clinch or hits the mat. That versatility could be especially important against Natividad.

A Dangerous Matchup

Christian Natividad enters the fight with something Loud knows all too well: momentum.

The 29-year-old Hawaiian is undefeated at 9-0 and has three professional wins by knockout, with six more coming by decision. He also comes into the matchup with experience against established regional competition, including LFA.

On paper, that creates an interesting contrast in comparison to Loud.

Natividad has yet to taste defeat as a professional, while Loud has already experienced what it is like to have a loss on his record. But Loud did not let that loss derail him. Instead, he used the adversity to return sharp and submit Cameron Miller with a D'Arce choke in just a minute and 10 seconds at PFC 40 before submitting Jacobo Martos in 22 seconds at Fury FC 117.

That ability to respond may be one of the most important parts of Loud’s story heading into Tuesday night. There is no guarantee that either man will get the perfect opportunity to showcase his preferred style, especially with the contrast in finishing rates between the two. But with both fighters carrying a reputation for putting opponents in danger, this is a matchup where hesitation could be more dangerous than aggression, which is exactly where Loud seems most comfortable.

The Peak FC Climb

Before Loud was preparing for his UFC opportunity in Las Vegas, he was hard at work building his name inside the Peak FC cage.

Loud made his professional Peak FC debut at PFC 24 in October 2022, stopping Jesse Sanderson by TKO in the first round. He followed that with a 17-second submission of Brendan Clarke at PFC 25, then added knockout victories over Jett Shell, Devon Jackson and Jesus Urbina across PFC 27, PFC 30 and PFC 31. His victory over Urbina solidified his flyweight champ status and his reputation as a whirlwind of action and power.

Colton Loud first round submission at PFC 25. Photo by Daisy Murray

His run with Peak FC was not without adversity. Loud suffered the first loss of his professional career against Jesse Tafoya at PFC 34 in March 2024, falling by D'Arce choke in the first round.

Eight months later, he returned to PFC 40 and delivered a familiar result: another first-round submission, this time with a D’Arce of his own. That stretch of fights helped turn Loud from a promising regional prospect into a fighter with a legitimate opportunity to compete for a UFC contract — and a well-earned one at that.

It also makes Tuesday night bigger than just one fight.

Peak FC was a proving ground for Loud before taking his talents to one of MMA’s biggest stages. It is his latest step in a career that has repeatedly been built around taking risks, finding finishes and getting back in the cage.

Photo by Daisy Murray

A New Breed of Fighter has Emerged

Loud has described himself as part of a “new breed” of fighter, and his record certainly gives that idea some weight.

His game does not appear to be built around waiting for the perfect opening or trying to win a slow, technical battle on the scorecards. He has finished opponents with punches, submissions and his knees, and his professional record contains zero decisions. He swings hard, throws snappy head kicks, and hurls devastating knees from the clinch. Audiences roar, and spectators are left stunned. This is a fighter that folks want to watch more and more. Loud’s engrained skills bolster his dynamic striking and well-rounded grappling skills, with his long-time karate foundation framing his swift straight-line attacks.

This is a fighter to fear both on the feet and on the canvas, and that makes his “Dana White’s Contender Series” opportunity all the more interesting. Here’s what could give Colton Loud the edge:

• Length and range: At 5-foot-10, Loud is unusually long for the flyweight division, giving him a significant height advantage over the 5-foot-5 Natividad. That length can create opportunities for straight punches, kicks and knees while allowing Loud to dictate the distance of the fight.

• A dangerous clinch game: Loud’s knees are one of the weapons that separate him from a typical volume striker. His ability to threaten with strikes in close means Natividad will have to think twice about simply closing the distance or pressuring forward.

• Submission ability: Loud is a BJJ purple belt and has shown he can turn a scramble into a fight-ending sequence.

• First-round finishing instinct: His kind of early-fight urgency could be especially valuable on Tuesday, where a fighter has a limited amount of time to make an impression on Dana White and the UFC matchmakers.

• Comfort anywhere: Loud isn't dependent on one path to victory. This gives Natividad multiple threats to account for. If the striking exchange doesn't produce the opening Loud wants, he has the grappling ability to create another one.

Photo by Daisy Murray

His skills have been polished and his hard work has laid the foundation for the biggest opportunity of his career. This is where fighters are being evaluated in real time by UFC matchmakers, with the ultimate goal of earning a contract through their thrilling performances. Loud already knows what kind of fighter he wants to be, and “thrilling” is putting it lightly.

Now he has three rounds, or however long it takes, to show the UFC exactly who he is. And if his history is any indication, he probably won't need much time. Tuesday night, the lights get a little brighter and the stakes much higher.

But for Colton Loud, the goal remains the same as ever: make it loud, make it exciting and leave with the finish.