TUF Brazil premieres Sunday night on TUF.tv
“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” premieres Sunday night at midnight Eastern on TUF.tv. Ahead of the first international season of TUF, take a look at the 32 hopefuls for the show.
Featherweights
Alexandre Ramos
Nickname: Sangue
Age: 23
Record: 5-0
Fighting out of: Curitiba
Features: Sangue built his career on Brazilian events like Brave FC, where he made his pro debut, and also on Brazilian Fight League. Aside from his win via decision over Marcos Bicudo, all his bouts were finished in the first round by submission or knockout.
Rony Mariano Bezerra
Nickname: Jason
Age: 27
Record: 10-3
Fighting out of: Mossoró
Features: Single dad with two kids. “Jason” has won seven of his fights via submission, including a triangle victory over Felipe “Sertanejo” Arentes, who now fights in the UFC. Bezerra also fought Renan Barão in 2006, with a loss via split decision.
Godofredo Pepey
Age: 24
Record: 8-0
Fighting out of: Fortaleza
Features: Pepey teaches jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai, showcasing his versatility. Six of his wins are by submission and the other two by knockout.
Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini
Nickname: Vina
Age: 31
Record: 19-3-1
Fighting out of: Curitiba
Features: Vina’s record shows he’s good both standing and on the ground with six wins by knockout and 13 by submission. None of his wins have been decided by the judges.
Anistávio Medeiros
Nickname: Gasparzinho
Age: 23
Record: 12-7
Fighting out of: Natal
Features: Anistávio has plenty experience for a 23-year-old. Of his 19 bouts, he has two losses to big names Renan Barão and Willamy Freire.
Johnny Gonçalves
Nickname: Cabeça
Age: 22
Record: 4-0
Fighting out of: Taubaté
Features: The student is a specialist in Muay Thai, which he also teaches. Two of his four wins are by knockout.
Hugo Viana
Nickname: Wolverine
Age: 29
Record: 5-0
Fighting out of: Salvador
Features: The physiotherapist is undefeated in MMA with all his wins by decision.
Fernando Duarte Guerra
Age: 28
Record: 10 -1
Fighting out of: Dourados
Features: Married. Fernando is a physical education teacher. Fighting MMA professionally since 2009, he has six wins by decision.
Rodrigo Damm
Age: 31
Record: 9-5
Fighting out of: Vila Velha
Features: Married with three kids, Damm is the most experienced featherweight on the show. He has fought in big international events such as Bodog Fight, Sengoku and Strikeforce.
John Teixeira
Nickname: John Macapá
Age: 25
Record: 12-0-1
Fighting out of: Macapa
Features: Teixeira began his career with four wins by armbar. He has managed eight victories by submission, two by knockout and three by decision.
Rafael Bueno
Age: 24
Record: 7-1
Fighting out of: Bragança Paulista
Features: Rafael is a fighter, but also makes a living as a coach. He is 7-1 with five finishes.
Wagner Campos
Nickname: Galeto
Age: 30
Record: 11-3
Fighting out of: Pinhais
Features: Married with two kids. “Galeto” is a pro in MMA since 2006. He likes to fight standing up and has won six fights by knockout. One of his losses was to John Lineker, a Brazilian who recently signed with the UFC.
Peter Noble
Age: 25
Record: 10-0-1
Fighting out of: Rio de Janeiro
Features: Noble is one of the great promises of the famous Brazilian Top Team gym. He has finished all of his fights with seven knockouts and three submissions.
Fabricio Guerrero
Age: 21
Record: 10-0-1
Fighting out of: Santana
Features: Single father with a son. Fabricio is the youngest fighter in the show. Although he’s just 21, he’s proven to be tough in the cage. He is undefeated in 11 fights.
Lim Dileno
Age: 27
Record: 7-0
Fighting out of: Manaus
Features: Seven of his victories have come by submission, showing variations between guillotine (four), rear naked choke (two) and armbar.
Giovanni da Silva Santos Jr.
Nickname: Soldado
Age: 24
Record: 10 – 1
Fighting out of: João Pessoa
Features: Married with kids. Soldado made his debut in MMA with a loss in 2006. Later he recovered and started a 10-fight winning streak with five by knockout.
Middleweight
Sergio Moraes
Age: 29
Record: 6- 1
Fighting out of: Sao Paulo
Features: Single father of two kids. Moraes is a four-time jiu-jitsu world champion. Of his six career wins, five have been by submission.
Cezar Ferreira
Nickname: Mutante
Age: 26
Record: 4-2
Fighting out of: Belo Horizonte
Features: Married with a son. Mutante’s last two fights were in the U.S., including a win over Chaun Sims. Strong standing up, three of his four wins have come by knockout.
Leonardo Mafra
Nickname: Macarrão
Age: 22
Record: 5-0
Fighting out of: Balneário Camboriú
Features: With an MMA career in southern Brazil, Macarrão has three wins by knockout – all in the first round. Aggressive in his standup game, the Chute Boxe Academy fighter bets on his punching power to win in the Octagon.
Daniel Sarafian
Age: 29
Record: 7-2
Fighting out of: Sao Paulo
Features: Strong in the ground game, with six of his seven victories won by submission, Sarafian shows a wide range of moves, including guillotine, armbar and triangle choke.
Gustavo Sampaio
Nickname: Labareda
Age: 35
Record: 5-1
Fighting out of: Brasília
Features: Specialist in kickboxing, Labareda is also strong on the ground, getting three of his five wins by submission. He has some international experience, with two wins in two tournaments in Spain.
Fabio Luiz Vital Coast
Nickname: Bolinho
Age: 28
Record: 9-0-1
Fighting out of: Natal
Features: Undefeated in 10 MMA fights, Bolinho has won eight by decision. He also won by TKO against Nilton Santos at Platinum Fight in 2009, where he last fought.
Richardson Moreira
Nickname: Monstrão
Age: 27
Record: 3-0
Fighting out of: Campinas
Features: With three wins in three fights, Monstrão has yet to be pushed past the first round. Adding up the time of his three fights, the Team Nogueira athlete has only fought a total of 4:56. Outside the ring, Monstrão is a graduate in engineering.
Renee Strong
Age: 24
Record: 7-1
Fighting out of: Fortaleza
Features: With two victories by knockout, two by submission and three by decision, Forte has a good career in MMA. His only loss was by knockout against Mario Sartori in IFC in August 2011. HE has been fighting professionally since 2006.
Joao Paulo de Souza
Nickname: Tuba
Age: 28
Record: 8-4
Fighting out of: Curitiba
Features: With 12 fights on his record, including one at Wembley Stadium in London, Tuba has good experience in MMA. His last five fights went to the judges, and he lost only the last one to Valentino Petrescu.
Francisco Drinaldo
Nickname: Massaranduba
Age: 33
Record: 10-1
Fighting out of: Brasília
Features: Fighter hired by Jungle Fight, “Massaranduba” is undefeated in his last four fights. With four knockouts, three submissions and three wins by decision, he only lost to the experienced Yuri Marajó in Jungle Fight 22 in September 2010.
Thiago Rela
Age: 22
Record: 3-1
Fighting out of: Itatiba
Features: With his three victories by submission, his only loss in 2010 came when he was submitted by Alvaro Head in a Campinas Fight. His specialty is the rear naked choke, which has won him three bouts.
Charles Maicon
Age: 33
Record: 8-1
Fighting out of: Sorocaba
Features: Undefeated in his last eight fights, his only loss came in his debut in 2007. After that, he built an eight-win streak by knockout, and all in the first round. His nine fights in the cage have lasted only 6:26.
Gilberto Galvão
Nickname: Giba
Age: 28
Record: 17-4-1
Fighting out of: Balneário Camboriú
Features: With 11 of his 17 victories by submission, Giba shows he is an expert on the ground. He is strong and also relies on his ground and pound to halt his opponents.
Thiago de Oliveira Perpetual
Nickname: Bodão
Age: 24
Record: 8-1-1
Fighting out of: Santo André
Features: Coming off four consecutive wins, six of Bodão’s last eight wins have come by knockout. His only loss was in 2009, to Danilo Pereira, in Full Fight 2.
Samuel Trindade
Age: 25
Record: 6-1
Fighting out of: Boa Vista
Features: With his career built in MMA in Northern Brazil, Trindade has been undefeated in his last six fights following a loss to Ronnys Torres in 2009. He has won three fights by submission and one by knockout.
Delson Heleno
Nickname: Pé de Chumbo
Age: 34
Record: 23-6
Fighting out of: Teresópolis
Features: The veteran is an expert in the ground game, winning 12 of his fights by submission. The jiu-jitsu world champion had his last fight in November 2011 in Rio de Janeiro.