Leandro Issa (born September 19, 1983) is a

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

from Brazil. Issa is a black belt in

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

and has won numerous BJJ competitions and tournaments including the Mundials and the Brazilian national championships. He is a member of the Evolve MMA fight team and is based in Singapore.

Mixed martial arts career

Fighting in Brazil

Issa made his professional MMA debut in October 2006 submitting Eduardo Felipe in the second round. He was handed the first loss of his MMA career in May 2007 when he was stopped in the third round by Japanese fighter

Takafumi Otsuka Takafumi Otsuka (born August 22, 1986) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2006, Otsuka is a two-time DEEP Bantamweight Champion ...

. In total Issa fought five times in Brazil during this period, winning three fights and losing two.

War Gods

Issa's first fight outside of Brazil was at War Gods in California. He defeated Ralph Lopez by rear naked choke in the opening round.

Art of War

Issa moved to Singapore to join the

Evolve MMA Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (not associated with Evolve Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) is a chain of martial arts academies. Founded by Chatri Sityodtong, it opened in January 2009. The gym includes several former and reigning UFC and ONE Championship World ...

fight team in January 2009. His first fight in Asia was for the

Art of War Fighting Championship The Art of War Fighting Championship (英雄榜/Art of War/AOW) was a Chinese professional mixed martial arts Promoter (entertainment), promotion based in Beijing, Beijing, China. The Chinese title "英雄榜" literally translated means "Gatheri ...

promotion in China. He submitted Korean fighter Yeong Gwang Choi with a triangle choke in the first round.

Martial Combat

In 2010 Issa signed with Martial Combat and he fought three times for this promotion, winning every single fight by way of first round submission. His win over Gui Quan Lin at Martial Combat 11 was his fifth consecutive first round submission win and he has finished all five fights with a different submission. In 2011 Issa decided he would drop down to the bantamweight division.

ONE Fighting Championship

On July 15, 2011 it was announced that Issa had signed with

One Fighting Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

. On July 18 it was announced that Issa would be facing unbeaten Korean Soo Chul Kim at ONE Fighting Championship: Champion vs. Champion at the

Singapore Indoor Stadium The Singapore Indoor Stadium, known exonymously as the Indoor Stadium, is an indoor arena located in Kallang, Singapore. It is within walking distance of the Singapore National Stadium, and collectively form a part of the wider Singapore Spor ...

on September 3. This fight was Issa's first as a bantamweight. Although Soo Chul Kil had a record of 4-1, Issa has been described as the toughest opponent he has ever faced. Issa won the fight via unanimous decision. Issa's next fight was against Japanese veteran

Masakazu Imanari is a Japanese former professional wrestler and current mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2000, he is a veteran of ONE Championship, DEEP, ZST, ...

at ONE Fighting Championship: Destiny of Warriors in Kuala Lumpur in June 2012. He won by unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In November 2013, it was announced that Issa had signed a contract with the UFC. His debut took place on January 4, 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim against Russell Doane. He lost the fight via technical submission in the second round. Issa next fought

Jumabieke Tuerxun Jumabieke Tuerxun ( kk, Жұмабек Тұрсын) is a Kazakh- Chinese mixed martial arts fighter and trainer. He currently fights as a Bantamweight. Early life Jumabieke is an ethnic Kazakh from the Chinese autonomous region of Xinjiang. ...

The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 19'') is the nineteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The ...

on July 6, 2014. He won the fight via submission due to an armbar in the third round. His efforts earned him his first ''Fight of the Night'' and ''Performance of the Night'' bonuses. Issa fought

Ulka Sasaki Ulka may refer to: * Ulka Gupta (born 1997), Indian film and television actress * Ulka Sasaki (born 1989), Japanese mixed martial artist * DRDO Ulka, Indian air-launched expendable target drone * BNS Ulka, establishment of the Bangladeshi Navy ...

on December 20, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 58 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 58'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Ginásio José Corrêa in Barueri, Brazil on December 20, 2014. Background The event was the second that the UFC has ho ...

. He won the fight in the second round via submission. Issa next faced

Iuri Alcântara Iuri Alcântara (born 4 August 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Alcântara mostly fought in Brazil before signing with World Extreme Cagefight ...

on August 1, 2015 at UFC 190. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Issa next faced

Taylor Lapilus Taylor Lapilus (born 8 April 1992) is a French mixed martial artist and boxer who currently competes in Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former TKO Major League MMA Bantamweight Championship. Backgroun ...

on September 3, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 93 ''UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 93'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 3, 2016, at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Background After ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Fight of the Night (One time) **

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–9 , Artem Belakh , Decision (unanimous) , ONE 162: Zhang vs. Di Bella , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, Malaysia , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 , Daichi Takenaka , TKO (punches) , ONE Championship: Dawn of Heroes , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:39 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location j ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 17–7 , Changxin Fu , Submission (armbar) , ONE Championship: Roots of Honor , , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 16–7 , Muin Gafurov , KO (punch) , ONE Championship: Kingdom Of Heroes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:24 ,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

, Thailand , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Roman Alvarez , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , ONE Championship: Spirit Of A Warrior , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 ,

Yangon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

, Myanmar , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Dae Hwan Kim , Decision (unanimous) , ONE Championship: Immortal Pursuit , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the n ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6 , Toni Tauru , TKO (punches) , ONE Championship: Kings and Conquerors , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:36 ,

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

, SAR, China , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

, Germany , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 190 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 ,

, Submission (neck crank) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:13 ,

Barueri Barueri ( or ) is a Brazilian municipality in the State of São Paulo located in the northwestern part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 276,982 (2020 est.) in an area of . Its boundaries are Santana de Parnaíba to ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 ,

, Submission (armbar) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn Finale , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 ,

Russell Doane Russell Allan Doane is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight Champion and King of the Cage Flyweigh ...

, Technical Submission (triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:59 , Marina Bay, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Yusup Saadulaev , Decision (unanimous) , ONE FC: Kings and Champions , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 , Soo Chul Kim , TKO (punches) , ONE FC: Rise of Kings , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:15 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, Malaysia , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Soo Chul Kim , Decision (unanimous) , ONE Fighting Championship 1: Champion vs. Champion , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Guo Qian Liu , , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Martial Combat 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:08 ,

Sentosa Sentosa Island, known mononymously as Sentosa, and formerly ''Pulau Belakang Mati'', is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore's main island. The island is separated from the main island of Singapore by a channel of water, the ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Ramsey Dewey , Submission (kimura) , Martial Combat 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 , Jiang Long Yun , Submission (armbar) , Martial Combat 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Yeong Gwang Choi , Submission (triangle choke) , Art of War 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Ralph Lopez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , War Gods , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish for "Salt Marsh or Salt Flats") is a city in California and the county seat of Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is the most populous city in Monterey County. Salinas is an urban area ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , Hudson Rocha , Submission (guillotine choke) , Rio FC 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Tony Marcos , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Combat Arena , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , Fury FC 3: Reloaded , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Leonardo Porto , Submission (triangle choke) , Segundo Muay Thai Festival , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

Niterói Niterói (, ) is a municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro in the southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay facing the city of Rio de Janeiro and forms part of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area. It was the state capital, as ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Eduardo Felipe , Submission (choke) , Top Fighter MMA 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Issa, Leandro 1983 births Brazilian male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu