UFC 134 Rio Fight Card: The 50 Best Brazilian Fighters Currently in MMA

For the first time since October 1998, and only the second time ever, the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) will return to the country that has become the largest hotbed for talent in mixed martial arts (MMA). Two fighters who competed in that last UFC event in Brazil, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, have since returned to compete in the organization today.

Currently, every single one of the six currently rumored bouts for UFC 134 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil includes a Brazilian fighter. All indications are that trend will continue as the card fills out.

As the UFC looks to Brazilian talent to book fights for this event, here are the 50 best Brazilian fighters currently competing in MMA.

50. Renan Barao

Renan Barao has gone 25-0 with one no contest since dropping a split decision in his professional debut in April 2005.

After winning his first two fights in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) against Anthony Leone and CHris Cariaso in 2010, Barao is now scheduled to fight in the UFC for the first time at UFC 130 against Demetrious Johnson.

49. Fabio Maldonado

Since losing to Alexandre Ferreira in November 2007, Fabio Maldonado has gone on an eleven-fight winning streak and been given a spot in the UFC light heavyweight division. Prior to his loss to Ferreira, Maldonado also scored a technical knockout win over UFC middleweight Maiquel Falcao.

In his debut with the organization, Maldonado finished The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) almuni James McSweeney in the third round. Now, Maldonado will meet Kyle Kingsbury at the TUF 13 Finale in June 2011.

48. Alexandre Ferreira

Alexandre Ferreira lost to Vladimir Matyushenko in his UFC debut, but Ferreira has proven to be a dangerous submission artist over the course of his career. Ferreira has secured submissions in 17 of his 18 wins.

Most notably, Ferreira submitted Fabio Maldonado 27 seconds into their October 2007 fight with a kneebar.

47. Vitor Ribeiro

After taking more than a year away from fighting following his September 2007 loss to Gesias Cavalcante, former Shooto Welterweight Champion Vitor Ribeiro has not looked the same as he once was aside from a win over Katsuhiko Nagata in his return fight.

However, Ribeiro's three consecutive losses have come against stiff competition in Shinya Aoki, Lyle Beerbohm and Justin Wilcox. Still, Ribeiro is more likely to find himself absent from this list in the near future than on his way up.

46. Thales Leites

Just two years ago, Thales Leites was fighting Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Now, Leites finds himself competing in Swedish-based Superior Challenge against journeyman Jeremy Horn.

Leites, who has lost to Matt Horwich since leaving the UFC, is clearly no longer UFC top contender material, but it is hard to ignore that he has considerable talent with a win over Nate Marquardt on his record.

45. Gabriel Gonzaga

Gabriel Gonzaga's road to departure from the UFC wasn't nearly the car crash that Leites' was, but it still wasn't pretty. After unsuccessfully challenging Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Gonzaga proceeded to go 3-4 in his next seven fights.

While that record isn't anything to scoff at, the fact that Gonzaga's three wins came against fellow UFC castoffs Justin McCully, Josh Hendricks and Chris Tuchscherer might be.

At this point, it looks as Gonzaga will be remembered as a one-hit wonder for his ironic head-kick knockout of Mirko Filipovic in April 2007.

44. Ralek Gracie

The nephew of Royce and Rickson Gracie, 25-year-old Ralek Gracie could become the next fighter to carry on the legacy of the greatest family in the history of MMA. 

Ra. Gracie is currently undefeated in three professional fights and earned a unanimous decision victory over "The Gracie Hunter" Kazushi Sakuraba in his most recent fight.

43. Pedro Rizzo

Pedro Rizzo has gone 5-4 since his departure from the UFC and is determined to end his career in MMA's foremost organization.

Rizzo is currently on a three-fight winning streak with victories over Jeff Monson, Gary Goodridge and Ken Shamrock. The UFC currently has no plans to sign Rizzo, who will most likely need to earn a win or two against younger fighters on their way up to get that call.

42. Evangelista Santos

Consistency will always be a problem when a fighter employs the type of wreckless style that Evangelista Santos does. Santos has been unable to win more than two consecutive fights since 2005.

Santos' most recent bid for that run came to an end with a submission loss to Nick Diaz in the second round of their fight for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship.

41. Marcus Aurelio

Marcus Aurelio is 6-7 in his last 13 fights, but those seven losses have come against some of the best that the lightweight division has to offer.

Those seven losses also include split decision defeats to Evan Dunham, Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi. Aurelio also has a win over Gomi on his record.

40. Marcos Galvao

After suffering two knockout losses in the WEC against Brian Bowles and Damacio Page, it may have been another loss that finally put Marcos Galvao on the map.

Last weekend, Galvao fell short in a decision against Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren. Many actually believed that Galvao had won the fight.

Regardless, Galvao finally showed that he can hang with top-notch fighters in the loss to Warren.

39. Rafael Dos Anjos

In his last fight, Rafael Dos Anjos' three-fight winning streak came to an end in a submission loss to Clay Guida. Dos Anjos was forced to submit due to a jaw injury he suffered while pinned against the fence by Guida.

Dos Anjos has still not fought and has had no bouts scheduled since that August 2010 loss.

Dos Anjos holds wins over Terry Etim, Kyle Bradley and Rob Emerson. Tyson Griffin was also given all he could handle in a Fight of the Night performance with Dos Anjos.

38. Rafael Assuncao

After beating L.C. Davis in his final fight with the WEC, Rafael Assuncao suffered a knockout loss in his first fight with the UFC.

In that fight, Erik Koch, who had replaced Manny Gamburyan, earned his second straight Knockout of the Night award under Zuffa with a devastating punch.

Assuncao has now lost three of his last four fights with his other two losses coming against Urijah Faber and Diego Nunes.

37. Patricky Freire

With two consecutive wins by knockout, Patricky Freire will likely be the favorite to win the Bellator Lightweight Tournament when he meets Michael Chandler in the finals.

In the first round, Freire knocked out Rob McCullough. Then, Freire followed that up with a flying knee in one of the flashiest knockouts of 2011 against Toby Imada.

At 9-1, Freire's only loss of his career came against our 36th best Brazilian fighter.

36. Willamy Freire

Former Shooto Welterweight Champion Willamy Freire's 11 fight winning streak, which began with a win over Patricky Freire, came to an end in his UFC debut against Waylon Lowe.

Somewhat surprisingly, W. Freire was immediately released from the UFC after his loss to Lowe. W. Freire's next course of action remains unknown, but it is unlikely we have seen the last of this 23-year-old Brazilian.

35. Thiago Tavares

Thiago Tavares is expected to meet Spencer Fisher at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The fight against Fisher will be an opportunity for Tavares to bounce back from a disappointing knockout loss to Shane Roller in his last fight.

Tavares had likely won the first round of his fight with Roller before getting dropped less than halfway through the second round.

Tavares holds UFC wins over Manvel Gamburyan and Michihiro Omigawa. He also fought Nik Lentz to a draw.

34. Luiz Cane

Also expected to fight at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Luiz Cane's scheduled opponent is UFC newcomer Stanislav Nedkov.

Cane avoided a third straight loss in his last fight with a technical knockout of Eliot Marshall in the first round. Cane also holds victories against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Steve Cantwell.

33. Maiquel Falcao

Maiquel Falcao is currently on an eight-fight winning streak. In his most recent win, Falcao was impressive through the first two rounds against Gerald Harris, but ceased to attack in the third round, which caused quite an uproar from the fans in attendance.

Still, Falcao earned the decision win, but he will have to start finishing fights as strong as he begins them in order to begin earning fights with bigger-name opponents.

32. Edson Barboza

Edson Barboza is showing himself to be one of the best strikers in MMA after his first two performances inside the Octagon.

First, Barboza finished Mike Lullo with leg kicks. Then, he landed a spinning heel kick that may have sealed victory in his last fight against Anthony Njokuani.

Now, Barboza will meet another fighter who is dangerous on his feet in Takanori Gomi at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

31. Rani Yahya

Rani Yahya is coming off of an upset win over Mike Brown in his last fight, but critics will say that Brown taking the fight on short notice played a factor. Yahya will have a chance to quiet those critics when he faces fellow featherweight contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 131.

Yahya also holds notable wins over Eddie Wineland and Mark Hominick while with the WEC.

30. Patricio Freire

The brother of Patricky Freire, Patricio Freire is slightly more accomplished by having already competed in a Bellator tournament before this season.

Last year, Patricio Freire made it all the way to the finals of the Bellator Featherweight Tournament, but fell short in a split decision against Joe Warren. The loss was Patricio Freire's first and only one of his career.

With two knockout wins this year, Patricio Freire has once again advanced to the finals of the Bellator Featherweight Tournament, where he will meet Daniel Straus this time.

29. Gesias Cavalcante

Although Gesias Cavalcante has lost three of his last four fights, those defeats have come at the hands of stiff competition. Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Josh Thomson are the only fighters to defeat Cavalcante in well over six years.

Prior to his current slump, Cavalcante earned wins over fighters such as Vitor Ribeiro, Nam Phan, Caol Uno, Rani Yahya and Michihiro Omigawa.

28. Gleison Tibau

A winner of five of his last seven, Gleison Tibau has defeated Kurt Pellegrino, Caol Uno, Josh Neer and Jeremy Stephens just to name a few.

In nearly six years, Tibau's only losses have come against noteworthy fighters like Nick Diaz, Tyson Griffin, Joe Stevenson, Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller.

27. Rousimar Palhares

Rousimar Palhares is one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC when it comes to grappling. The only thing preventing him from being ranked higher on this list is his lack of wins against big-name opponents.

Palhares blew an opportunity to earn one of those in his fight against Nate Marquardt, when Palhares accused Marquardt of "greasing" mid-fight and paid the price in a knockout loss.

26. Charles Oliveira

After winning the first 14 fights over his career, Charles Oliveira tasted defeat for the first time against Jim Miller in his last fight.

Still, Oliveira is a bright young prospect and could become a mainstay contender in the UFC lightweight division. Oliveira won Submission of the Night honors in his first two UFC fights against Darren Elkins and Efrain Escudero.

25. Roger Gracie

One of the most accomplished jiu-jitsu practitioners the world has ever seen, Roger Gracie finally appears to be focusing his efforts on MMA.

After extending his record to 4-0 with a submission of Trevor Prangley, Gracie has a second fight scheduled within the same year for the first time in his MMA career. Gracie is now expected to meet Muhammed Lawal.

24. Renato Sobral

At 35 years old, Renato Sobral is probably not capable of capturing another major championship, but he is more than competent of taking out any mid-level opponent he faces.

In his last fight, Sobral lost to Dan Henderson in a fight that could have given him a shot at the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.

23. Jorge Santiago

The former Sengoku Middleweight Champion, Jorge Santiago will be returning to the UFC to face Brian Stann at UFC 130.

Santiago has won 11 of his last 12 fights and avenged his only loss included in that run against Mamed Khalidov.

Santiago was not overly successful in his last stint with the UFC. Back-to-back losses to Chris Leben and Alan Belcher marked the end of his stay with the organization.

22. Rafael Cavalcante

After rocking Dan Henderson in the first round, Rafael Cavalcante relinquished his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship to the 40-year-old fighter after a third-round knockout loss.

The loss brought an end to a three-fight winning streak for Cavalcante that featured a win over Muhammed Lawal.

21. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Although he easily could be on a three-fight losing streak, considering the controversial nature of his win over Jason Brilz, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira showed he still has something left in the tank in his last two fights.

Against Phil Davis and Ryan Bader, two of the most promising young light heavyweights in the sport, Nogueira showed good takedown defense and mounted some decent offensive strikes against the two excellent wrestlers.

20. Paulo Thiago

With decision losses to Diego Sanchez, Martin Kampmann and Jon Fitch, it is beginning to look like Paulo Thiago's career will proceed as a gatekeeper.

On the other hand, Thiago's knockout of Josh Koscheck shows that he is capable of earning an upset that put him on the path to a title shot.

Thiago had been expected to fight Johny Hendricks, but was forced to withdraw from the fight due to injury.

19. Carlos Eduardo Rocha

Carlos Eduardo Rocha suffered the first loss of his career in his last fight, but it came in a split decision against Jake Ellenberger, so there were certainly some good things to take from the bout.

Rocha had been undefeated in nine fights heading into the match-up with Ellenberger. Rocha's next opponent remains unknown at this time.

18. Thiago Silva

Thiago Silva's hopes at making a run at a title shot suffered a major setback in the aftermath of his last fight with Brandon Vera. Originally a victory for Silva, the outcome was reversed after it was discovered that Silva had cheated on his pre-fight drug test.

Silva will now have to sit out of action for one year. This follows a year-long absence that preceeded the fight with Vera that Silva was forced to undergo in order to rehabilitate a back injury.

17. Bibiano Fernandes

After winning seven straight fights, Bibiano Fernandes lost for the first time since September 2007. THe loss to Hiroyuki Takaya in his last fight also cost Fernandes his Dream Featherweight Championship.

Fernandes holds wins over Takaya, Joe Warren and several others. His next opponent has not yet been scheduled.

16. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has been battling injuries and health problems for the last couple years now, but it is still too early to count the 34-year-old Brazilian out. Nogueira's only losses of his career remain against Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett and Dan Henderson.

All sings point to a return at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, an opponent has not been named for Nogueira yet.

15. Wanderlei Silva

After going a disappointing 1-3 since re-joining the UFC as a light heavyweight, Wanderlei Silva may have found a new home at middleweight after his win over Michael Bisping. Unfortunately, injuries prevented Silva from maintaining the momentum he gained from that performance.

Almost a year and a half after his win over Bisping, Silva is expected to meet Chris Leben. This match-up comes after Silva turned down multiple offers for fights against Brian Stann, Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort.

14. Diego Nunes

Diego Nunes has responded to the first loss of his career against L.C. Davis with three hard fought wins. His wins over Raphael Assuncao, Tyler Toner and Mike Brown have set Nunes up with Kenny Florian in a fight that could determine the next challenger at featherweight.

Current UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo will meet Mark Hominick at UFC 129, which will take place on April 30, 2011 in Toronto, Canada.

13. Wagnney Fabiano

Wagnney Fabiano has had some damaging losses in the last couple years. First, Fabiano was submitted by Mackens Semerzier in a fight that was considered the upset of the year in 2009 by many. Then, Benavidez defeated Fabiano in a fight that could have given the Brazilian a chance to be considered a legitimate contender.

Nonetheless, Fabiano retains a solid resume' with wins over L.C. Davis, Fredson Paixao and Ian Loveland. 

12. Marlon Sandro

In his most recent fight, Marlon Sandro had an opportunity to be considered one of the two best featherweights in the world when he fought Hatsu Hioki in a meeting of the two best 145-pound fighters outside of the UFC.

Sandro lost to Hioki, however, and gave up his World Victory Road Featherweight Championship in the process. Since then, Sandro has signed with Bellator, but will not be competing in the promotion's featherweight tournament this season.

11. Ronaldo Souza

Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo Souza is currently riding a four-fight win streak, but he is in need of some tougher competition before he can earn a spot in the top ten on this list.

Souza's last loss cae against Gegard Mousasi in September 2008. His only other loss was by knockout in his professional debut in September 2003.

10. Antonio Silva

Antonio Silva is coming off of a win over Fedor Emelianenko, who is quite possibly the greatest fighter in MMA history, but he is also just two fights removed from having to mount a spectacular comeback against Mike Kyle.

During his six years as a professional, Silva has also earned wins over Ricco Rodriguez, Andrei Arlovski and others.

9. Demian Maia

There are few, if any, middleweights that are capable of beating Demian Maia on the ground. That said, his holes in his stand-up game were made glaring in fights with Nate Marquardt and Anderson Silva.

Maia has worked to improve in that area, though, and is now ready for another run at a title shot. With his next fight coming against a fringe contender in Mark Munoz, Maia could be well on his way if he is able to win his third consecutive fight.

8. Vitor Belfort

Before Vitor Belfort gets dismissed after being knocked out by Anderson Silva, remember how silly Silva has been able to make other great fighters look as well.

Before the loss to Silva, Belfort was on a five fight winning streak that included a dominating performance against former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. Belfort is hoping to compete at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

7. Fabricio Werdum

Since his unexpected knockout loss to Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum has won three fights and once again become considered a top heavyweight in the world.

After earning the biggest win of his career by submitting Fedor Emelianenko, Werdum will now enter an equally important fight as he meets Alistair Overeem in a fight between the two best heavyweights outside of the UFC. The winner of that fight will move on to the semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix to fight Antonio Silva.

6. Lyoto Machida

It's hard to fathom, but former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida could be released from the UFC if he loses his next fight against Randy Couture. Before his current two-fight losing skid, Machida had been udnefeated in 16 professional fights.

Still, it is important to remember how narrow the decision was in his loss to QUinton Jackson and everything he had accomplished not all that long ago. Machida has defeated Mauricio Rua, Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva and B.J. Penn.  

5. Thiago Alves

With his only losses in the last five years coming against Georges St-Pierre and Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves is undoubtedly one of the best welterweights in the world.

Prior to losing to St-Pierre and Fitch in consecutive fights recently, Alves went on an amazing four-fight run that included wins over Chris Lytle, Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck. Alves bounced back from those back-to-back losses with a win over John Howard and will now meet Rick Stroy.

4. Mauricio Rua

It may not have mattered against Jon Jones, but it has been clear that injuries and long layoffs take their toll on Mauricio Rua. Now, Rua will attempt to remain healthy and make another run at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.

His first fight after losing the belt will come in a rematch against Forrest Griffin, which will takes places at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

3. Junior Dos Santos

Junior Dos Santos did a very honorable thing in forgoing his title shot against Cain Velasquez to remain active and fight Brock Lesnar after coaching against him on TUF. With a win over Lesnar, Dos Santos will once again be named the top contender.

Since upsetting Fabricio Werdum in his UFC debut, none of Dos Santos' opponents have given him much of a challenge. In fact, Dos Santos has finished five of his six UFC opponents with Roy Nelson being the lone exception.

2. Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo has won 11 straight fights and is looking to join Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre as a third dominant champion in the UFC. Aldo will look to defend a UFC belt for the first time when he meets Merk Hominick at UFC 129.

An intriguing fight with Kenny Florian could be on the horizon, but very few other challenges await Aldo at featherweight.

1. Anderson Silva

Not only is Anderson Silva the greatest Brazilian competing in MMA right now, but he may have surpassed Royce Gracie as the greatest Brazilian fighter of all time.

Silva will likely never touch Gracie's accomplishments in terms of shaping the sport, but his dominance in this competitive age we are in is something that seems almost impossible when you take a step back and look at what Silva has done.

UFC 134: Results, News and More

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @BR_Sean_Smith.