The Ultimate Fighter Brazil: An Introduction to the Cast and Coaches

The Ultimate Fighter is a show about 16 fighters living in a house together and battling for a six-figure UFC contract. In a few days, it finally goes international.

Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort is expected to co-headline a loaded UFC 147 card on June 16 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, against Wanderlei Silva, "The Axe Murderer.'' But before they settle their score, the two will coach teams of eight fighters, with four middleweights and four featherweights per team after the elimination rounds go down.

Of course, before the season begins, we'll need to get a better idea of the 16 men who will compete for their chance to become the next Ultimate Fighter, as well as the two men that will serve as the head coaches before they compete in Rio.

Alexandre Ramos (5-0)

From the camp that the Rua Brothers and Andre "Dida" Amade created comes Alexandre "Sangue" Ramos, who is a a featherweight who should not be overlooked this season on TUF.

The 5-0 prospect comes in with a jiu-jitsu game that can't lose and a left hook that can't miss, as well as knees that will make a great fighter look amateur if it lands directly on the chin.

He comes out to fight in an orthodox stance and brings the pace that people associate with the lighter weight classes. That has made him a thrill to watch so far in his still-young career and could make him the fighter to ultimately favor during this season.

Sergio Moraes (6-1)

Sergio Moraes actually hasn't fought since 2010, when he rebounded from his only career loss to submit Manuelo Morales. But for a fighter who looks like he's just a tad undersized for a middleweight,  Moraes does two things very well.

First, apart from the occasional wild strike that he'll throw to thwart his opponent's timing, he maintains a clear composure that helps him to not get too aggressive. That, in turn, prevents him from playing into his opponent's game plan.

Second and most significantly, he maintains his ability to work what many would call a world-class jiu-jitsu game. Anyone who has seen it live or at least seen it on YouTube knows the beauty of the game Moraes implements and the way in which he uses it to chalk up victories.

We've seen guys enter TUF at a weight class clearly above their own and still win it all. But can Moraes do the same this season?

Rodrigo Damm (9-5)

Rodrigo Damm is 9-5 as a professional, 5-1 by way of submissions, with Eiji Mitsuoka being the lone fighter to have submitted Damm. At 32 years of age, the longtime lightweight will drop to 145 in his quest to become the second featherweight to win The Ultimate Fighter.

However, Damm has not fought professionally since April Fool's Day of last year when Justin Wilcox forced a doctor stoppage at Strikeforce Challengers 15. Reegardless of whether or not he gets through to the featherweight final, the next time he fights will make it over a year since he has fought professionally.

Nevertheless, he's a Strikeforce, Sengoku and Shooto Brazil veteran. And as the most familiar fighter to fans of the sport, he should breeze through the tournament, right?

Well, if this were the current "Live" season, and if Damm were still at 155l, he'd have a great shot to win. But we're going to have to see exactly how he puts it all together at 145 before we write that Damm is the clear favorite to win.

Cezar Ferreira (4-2)

Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira is a Vitor Belfort prodigy, if you want to know about this kid in a nutshell.

His most recent loss was a knockout in his last fight. His first pro loss came by way of decision. But all in all, the kid finishes strong just like his mentor, despite only a six-fight span in the sport and the two losses.

It also doesn't hurt that his knockout power is as insane as Vitor's was whenever he finds a home for one of his hands. But despite his capabilities, some may see him as the underdog.

Perhaps it's because sometime the favorites get knocked out of the competition somewhat early, and sometimes, the clear favorites don't even get past the elimination round.

Ferreira's run could result in another case of an early favorite being knocked out before the tournament even starts, or it could result in a somewhat rare case of the early favorite winning the whole thing.

Rony Mariano Bezerra (10-3)

After a split-decision loss in his MMA debut, Renan Barao put together the surreal insanity that is his current streak of 28 pro wins and just one no-contest.

The sixth win of "The Streak" came when Barao walked into Cage Fight Nordeste in November 2006 with a 5-1 pro record and left with a split-decision victory over Rony "Jason" Mariano Bezerra.

Six years later, Barao is the consensus No. 3 bantamweight in the world, and "Jason" is a part of the first all-Brazilian cast of The Ultimate Fighter.

By the way, they call him "Jason" because he dons the infamous hockey mask of Jason Voorhees. But he might as well be called "Jason" because all but one of his 10 wins have come before the end of the first round, and because when he finishes, it comes before anyone realizes it's happened, much like a Jason Voorhees' murder.

As it stands, the only time he's ever been to a decision was against Barao. That he finishes fast and owns seven submission wins, with three wins by some form of KO, might give the other 15 featherweights something to think about this season.

However, even if they should stand and trade, who says "Jason" won't oblige?

Leonardo Mafra Teixeira (5-0)

Leonardo Mafra Teixeira is a young Chute Boxe prospect and a rising Brazilian welterweight who is only five fights deep into his career. But he has three first-round TKO finishes and two back-to-back wins by unanimous decision.

The mere fact that I say welterweight, however, could give one an indication as to why he might be a bit of an underdog. But if he feels confident that the jump in weight is not going to prove problematic, maybe he is a fighter who fans should not discount this season.

Godofredo Pepey (8-0)

The career of Godofredo Pepey goes something like this: 

He's undefeated in eight pro fights. In those wins, he's had seven first-round finishes and six submission wins. Of those, five have been an actual form of submission, four involved taking his opponent's arm to force the tap, and in three he actually forced the tap by armbar.

He's won two fights by TKO, one by punches and the other by forcing his opponent to quit on the stool. He has one win by triangle armbar and another by way of guillotine choke (in the only fight that Pepey won in the third round).

And none of his fights ever hit the judges' scorecards.

Any other questions?

Wait until this season starts.

Daniel Sarafian (7-2)

Daniel Sarafian will ride a four-fight win streak into his next fight. But if he should improve to 5-0, will the 7-2 Sarafian become the next Ultimate Fighter?

One thing Sarafian has going for him is that he has six submission wins inside of the cage in a nine-fight career. So he's definitely not a fighter to overlook.

But will his short stint in the sport have any adverse effect when it comes time to step in the cage, regardless of who he faces?

Marcos Vinicius "Vina" Borges Pancini (19-3-1)

One of the more experienced fighters this season in the 145-pound division, Marcos Vinicius "Vina" Borges Pancini ,brings in TKO wins like the one in this video to the UFC gym in Brazil.

For simplicity's sake, we can just call him "Vinicius Vina" from here on out, at least until "Vinny Vina" catches on somewhere as much as "Vinnie Vega" or "Vic Vega" caught on back in the day.

Hopefully, he's not going to shoot Marvin in the face or dance with a straight razor in a room with a cop tied to a chair, but he will keep his composure if he lands something.

After all, who wants to be accused of having no cardio with only three minutes to go in the first round?

Besides, Vina has two of his three losses by decision and one loss by knockout due to a slam, so keeping his cool has been something of a must.

Hey, if it means he'll bring a three-fight win streak into his UFC debut, along with six wins by KO/TKO and 13 wins by submission, he can come out totally emotionless for all anyone cares.

The bottom line is the "W," and Vina has 19 of them. So there's no cause for concern at the moment.

Gustavo Sampaio (5-1)

Gustavo Sampaio is one of the many in this season with a reputation for finishing fights in victory, holding two TKO and three submission wins against a unanimous-decision loss in his third pro fight.

In short, Sampaio is an aggressive sort who constantly attacks. At this point in his career, he seems like he might be able to finish the fight from just about anywhere, which only makes him that much more of a fighter to pay attention to this season, provided he makes it into the house.

Anistavio Medeiros (14-7)

What does it say when a fighter is good on the feet, but so intense in his ground game that he's willing to battle his foe on the ground, against the cage, to see who can force the leg-lock first?

In the case of 14-7 Anistavio Medeiros, it says, "Watch out for this kid. He's got submissions."

Seriously, if you want to judge the kid's record on his submission game alone, he's gone 5-1 by heel hook, 5-0 by armbar, 1-2 by rear-naked choke, and he's never made anyone tap to strikes. But Willamy Freire made Medeiros tap to punches.

Still, he's come a long way from his fights against Freire and Renan Barao. But will his experiences help him to become the next Ultimate Fighter?

Richardson Moreira (3-0)

Richardson Moreira is the least experienced fighter on this season, and many will think him a favorite solely because of his affiliation to Team Nogueira. But despite his 3-0 record, he does have a TKO win and two submission finishes, and all three victories came in the first round.

Questions will surround this man early about whether he will be able to contend with the cream of the 185-pound crop, especially considering that Moreira was once a heavyweight and some have their questions about his stand-up skills.

But if he should respond well to the weight cut, he could prove himself as the darkhorse in the 185-pound field for this season.

Johnny “Cabeça” Gonçalves (4-0)

Officially, Johnny “Cabeça” Gonçalves is listed at 4-0, though Sherdog has him listed at 0-1-1.

Maybe Sherdog was thinking of a different Goncalves, or maybe 0-1-1 was his amateur record.

Anyway, it was pretty difficult trying to introduce the kid to y'all without an idea of who he's beaten. But if you read the Sports Globo article linked in the introduction slide, you know that half of his wins are by knockout and the other half are by judges' decision.

We don't know if both decisions were unanimous, but we do know that—regardless of whether the record really is unblemished—Goncalves will do everything in his power to make sure that we pay him some attention when the season starts.

Fabio Luiz Vital Da Costa (9-0-1)

Fabio Luiz Vital da Costa has a record that will throw new fans of the fighter off at first glance. Eight of his nine wins are by decision, and seven out of the eight decision-wins were unanimous.

His only TKO win was in his last fight, and that win came by making his opponent quit in the corner at the end of the second round. But if any of the middleweights could be anticipated to be a grinder in this field, Costa might be somewhere in the top 3.

The first eight fights of his career were from 2003 to 2005. But after a unanimous decision win against Savio Maia in 2005, he wouldn't have another fight until 2009, when he went 2-0. Since then, he has not fought professionally.

Whether or not he makes it to UFC 147 in the middleweight finals, his next fight will be his first in three years, and that's where the real questions about Costa will begin.

Hugo Viana (5-0)

Hugo "Wolverine" Viana is 5-0 with four unanimous decision wins and one split-decision win. What  that says at first glance is that he tends to appeal to the judges a lot.

Seriously, five decisions in his first five fights?

Insane.

However, while his ground game is not always the most exciting in the world, he is constantly relentless in trying to finish whenever he is able to attack from the full mount. If you watch his fight with Dingo Sampaio, the man has the cardio to push a flyweight-type pace while contending with some of the best at 145 pounds.

Not only that, but if you look at this video, Viana rocks his sideburns like Wolverine, which is quite epic in itself, and also makes one wonder exactly what may happen when the upcoming season of TUF begins and the rest of the housemates have to put up with this fancy-bearded fighter.

Renee Forte (7-1)

Renee Forte trains out of Nova Uniao and has three decision wins, with two TKO wins and two submission wins.

He went 6-0 as a pro fighter from 2006 to 2010, but opened 2011 with a knockout loss to Mario Sartori, from which he rebounded to defeat Renan Santo by TKO due to retirement.

Calm and collected in his fights, Forte shows effectiveness on the ground, especially inside his opponent's guard, and his submission defense is on the level that one might expect from a Nova Uniao fighter.

Fernando Duarte Guerra (10-1)

Fernando Duarte Guerra owns a win over Marcos VInicius Pancini, and he also owns the distinction of having gone to a decision in all but four wins.

Heck, even his only pro loss was a unanimous-decision loss. But on the rare occasions in which he does finish, he does employ a persistent jiu-jitsu game, and thus far, he has shown a willingness to remain as active as possible from any position.

That's why he's on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. If this guy learns any bit as quickly as he works his game plan in the cage, he might be one of the darkhorses of this season.

Joao Paulo de Souza (8-4)

Joao Paulo de Souza holds three unanimous-decision victories, two split-decision victories, two TKO wins and a knockout victory in his MMA debut.

Paulo's first split-decision win came in 2008 against Eduardo Camaleao. That fight saw him take some early punishment only for him to rally back and get the better of Camaleao for the remaining two rounds (on two judges' scorecards), employing power shots and showing his aggression throughout the majority of the fight.

Paulo would go on to earn a more clear win in a unanimous-decision win over Camaleao in 2009, and he would go on to win twice more before losing a majority decision to Valentino Petrescu at BAMMA 6.

Whether he gets to employ that same strategy in his elimination-round bout may determine how much of that aggression we get to see this season.

John Teixeira (13-0-1)

John Teixeira's biggest strength is more mental than physical.

Sure, he's 5'7" and some might say unproven in MMA. But clearly, that's why he's on TUF.

He wants to not only evolve as a fighter but he also wants to prove he's worthy of taking on stronger competition. He feels he will be able to progress well enough in the sport to accomplish those goals.

Add in the patience he shows before he finds his moment to finish, and what you have left is a kid who presents more answers than questions about where he could stand in the long run at 145 pounds, provided he makes an impressive run on TUF.

Francisco Drinaldo (10-1)

If Francisco Drinaldo sounds like a familiar name to you, that's because Drinaldo's been around since 2006. The only fight he's lost since coming into the sport was a recent stumble against Yuri Alacntara.

Otherwise, the man is a finisher who has only two unanimous-decision wins and one majority-decision win against a corner stoppage, two TKO wins (with one coming by way of punches and soccer kicks) and a knockout win over Derrick Burnsed.

Fun fact: He's a southpaw with a powerful left hand, and when he drops one with it, it's lights out. 

A training partner of Rani Yahya and Paulo Thiago, Drinaldo has been one of the middleweight division's most often overlooked names, but now that he has the TUF stage on which to present himself, the Jungle Fight veteran will look to make the world take note of him.

Rafael Bueno (7-1)

Rafael Bueno ended 2011 with a submission loss—the first defeat of his career. But on his brighter side of things, most of his fights end early, mostly by submission, but with two knockout victories as well.

The only fight to have not ended in rounds 1 or 2 is his pro debut, which came as a third-round KO.

Fans of fast action, especially from a grappling perspective, will find a reason to like this kid. He finds a way to attack a body part, and he's constantly working to get the submission before anyone watching realizes that he's even close to getting it.

That's been a recurring theme so far with a lot of the TUF Brazil featherweights. But can we anticipate a submission game quite like this in the other fighters?

I doubt it very sincerely.

Thiago Rela (3-1)

Thiago Rela is only 3-1 in his career, with all three wins being first-round submission wins and the lone loss being a unanimous-decision defeat. But for a kid who has been rocked and dropped in his career once before, he maintains some good submission defense. When he gets the top position, he maintains it long enough to work his jiu-jitsu game and score a quick submission win.

The only question relates to the weight of this young man. He typically fights at 170 and will have to prove that the jump in weight was the correct move.

But despite a record that most would dispute on the basis of questionable competition, the 22-year-old does show great promise and does have the potential to shock quite a few of the skeptics.

Wagner Campos (11-3)

Wagner Campos is without question a fighter who, at first glance, has something that could make him  a favorite or a dark horse to win the season for the featherweights.

In addition to his KO power and his ground game, his footwork and his movement in the cage stand out.

He might be a bit undersized for a featherweight on TUF. If he should win, a trip to bantamweight would best suit him. But perhaps the fact that he is undersized for 145 means that he has an edge on some of the featherweights.

He is able to get inside of his opponents to throw them off guard before enacting his game plan, whether it be by throwing heat or taking his foes down to smack their face.

Charles Maicon (8-1)

Charles Maicon was knocked out in his first pro fight. But since then, he's scored eight wins, with half of those coming by TKO due to punches and the other half coming by knockout due to either a punch or punches.

Maicon's last win came against Kellis Santos, currently 11-11-0, who was knocked out by punches in just 17 seconds. That only adds on to the hype that makes Maicon one of the men who could be an early favorite in this season.

Pedro Nobre (11-0-1)

Pedro Nobre is 11-0-1 with a recent 49-second submission win by north-south choke earlier this month.

The man went to a draw in his third pro fight. But he's finished all 11 of his fights with only one win coming in the third round. That win came by a thunderous head kick.

The rest of the finishes came in the first or second round. But if he recently took a fight (albeit one in which he finished his opponent), what would that say about whether he made it on the show?

Contrary to what others have speculated, I remain optimistic about what he was able to accomplish on the show, regardless of how long he lasted throughout his tenure on the show (or the elimination round).

Besides, even if a fighter never gets past the elimination round, that doesn't close the door on his shot to enter the UFC.

Don't believe it? Just ask Costa Philippou.

Gilberto Galvao (19-4-1)

Gilberto Galvao is one of this upcoming season's more experienced fighters. While he has two knockout victories, the majority of his wins are by one form or another of submission.

Many would say he looks for the submission a bit more than he should for a guy who has proven to have a solid stand-up regimen. But why try to fight like a striker if the grappling game has worked well for him so far?

If his grappling ability is the part of his game that has pushed him to this point in his career, perhaps it's on his opponent's hands to try to find a way to neutralize it, and not on Galvao's hands to try to force another way to win just to earn the argument of being "well-rounded."

Fabricio De Assis Costa Da Silva (14-1, 1 NC)

Fabricio de Assis Costa da Silva, better known as Fabricio Guerreiro, is on a three-fight streak after suffering his first career loss this past July in a controversial 48-second TKO loss to Rafael Bastos.

The loss to Bastos was avenged this past August. In some minds, it was justice served. Some felt the stoppage in the first fight with Bastos came earlier than it should have.

Also of note is the grappling game and the ground game of Guerreiro, both of which have played a vital role in his success. Now that he's on TUF, the time has come to see if he's able to elevate that offense to a whole other level as he prepares to try to stake his claim to the opportunity of a lifetime by winning that contract.

Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo (8-1-1)

Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo's career is a total of five TKO wins by punches, one KO win by punches, one submission win by rear-naked choke at 59 seconds of the first round and a unanimous decision win against a submission loss and a draw.

Perpetuo started off as a light-heavyweight, but made the drop to middleweight and will look to display his full potential at that weight. That has us wondering what he will be able to show at his new weight of 185 pounds.

Dileno Lopes (8-0)

Dileno Lopes has been reported by some and ranked by others as one of the world's top flyweight prospects, which raises questions of how big he will look for the featherweight division when he competes on the show against Rony "Jason" Mariano Bezerra in the elimination round.

One thing fans can definitely expect is his jiu-jitsu game, which is really his bread and butter.

As a matter of fact, not only has he shown great jiu-jitsu skills, but also has won seven of his eight career fights by way of submission, with four of the seven coming by guillotine choke.

If size is not a problem, the only other question is how well-rounded this 23-year-old prospect is at this point in his career. He seems to have great potential. And if there's anything we have yet to see from him at this level of competition, he will show us what we're missing once this season kicks off.

Samuel Trindade (6-1)

Samuel Trindade is seen as one of the season's most well-rounded fighters. His record does feature a knockout with two wins by armbar, a submission win by exhaustion midway through the second round and two unanimous-decision wins.

Some would nonetheless question the competition of Trindade and accuse his record of being inflated, and some would also point out that Ronys Torres' win over Trindade raised questions about whether Trindade would even hold a candle to the talent in the UFC. But when it comes to TUF, it's what happens on the show that counts.

All Trindade has to do is bring it every time from the elimination-round bout to the finals. If he wins it all, he'll blast off in no time.

Giovanni da Silva Santos Jr. (10-1)

If the career of Giovanni "Soldado" da Silva Santos Jr. sounds like something you've seen before, it's a sign that you might wind up liking this dude.

He lost his debut in the first round by triangle choke, and the "10" in his current 10-1 pro record followed that loss.

The 10-fight streak contains five TKO wins by punches, with four of the five coming in the second round, as well as three unanimous-decision wins, a split-decision win in his last fight and a first-round submission win by armbar. But it's tough to say whether he's a solid striker or a grinder or a fighter with underrated submissions and grappling at this point in time.

We'll get a good idea of how good he is when the show starts. But until then, speculation will have to be our friend when it comes to this guy.

Delson Heleno (23-6)

Delson Heleno is the most experienced middleweight on this season, as well as one of the most well-known, having fought the likes of Brad Blackburn, Jay Hieron, Tyler Stinson, Dennis Hallman, Antonio McKee, Jorge Patino, Mike Dolce, Waachiim Spiritwolf, LeVon Maynard, Yuya Shirai and Gideon Ray.

Not only that, but among the 23 wins in his career is a submission win over Jake Ellenberger. His most recent win came in the first round by way of a key-lock.

Not bad for a dude who stands at 23-6 as a pro. But can his experience carry over into the UFC Gym in Brazil for TUF this season?

Head Coach: "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva

There is only one Axe Murderer, and he not only goes down as one of the greatest Mixed Martial Artists in the history of MMA, but he also heads the Wand Fight Team when he's not at Kings MMA innovating his legendary offense.

Unsurprisingly, Master Rafael Cordeiro and others from Wanderlei Silva's camp at Kings MMA will be helping the PRIDE legend to prepare Team Wanderlei throughout this season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Wanderlei may be a nice guy in and out of the gym, but this season is going to bring out the competitiveness in both Wanderlei and Vitor without much question.

Head Coach: Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort

The Phenom is riding a nice two-fight win streak, but on TUF, it's about more than just the wins over Yoshihiro Akiyama and Anthony Johnson.

It's about the coaching ability of Belfort against the coaching ability of Wanderlei Silva. And in the past, the competitive atmosphere has often brought out the best in some fighters and the worst in others.

It'll take a while before we get a good idea of where Wanderlei will fit in with the coaches of TUF past. But considering one of the men on this season is a prodigy of "The Phenom," it will be a thrill to see what Vitor will be able to do this season, which marks the first time either Vitor or Wanderlei have ever coached a season of TUF.

Who Will Become the Next Ultimate Fighters?

In 15 seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, 21 men have claimed the title of "The Ultimate Fighter," with three of those going on to win the UFC World Championship belt in their division.

After "The Comeback" season, which was the fourth season of TUF, none of the winners has gone on to either challenge for a title or face off in a title eliminator. But Nate Diaz is honing in on the title which he hopes stays around Benson Henderson's waist.

Ultimate Fighter winner No. 22 will be crowned on June 1st when the season finale of TUF: Live happens. Two weeks later, on June 15th, coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort will weigh in for their UFC 147 bout.

The same UFC 147 bout will also feature the middleweight and featherweight finals of the all-Brazil season of TUF.

Who will become the next Ultimate Fighters?

Tune in on June 16th, MMA world, to find out!