Bruno Henrique Cappelozza (born May 20, 1989) is a Brazilian

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 ...

currently signed to the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

, where he competes in the

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

division. He is the 2021 PFL

world champion. Cappelozza has also competed in MMA promotions

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the sp ...

and Jungle Fight.

Early life

Cappelozza was born in

Jaú Jaú is a municipality in the center of the state of São Paulo, in Brazil. The population is 151,881 (2020 est.) in an area of . The elevation is . The city takes its name from the native fish species '' jau''. History The history of the city ...

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 Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where he first began to train in mixed martial arts. He commenced his martial arts journey at the age of 7, participating in disciplines such as karate, judo, and capoeira. Subsequently, he transitioned to Muay Thai, eventually making his debut in MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

Cappelozza made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2010, fighting for an MMA team owned by Brazilian soccer team

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista Sport Club Corinthians Paulista () is a Brazilian sports club based in the Tatuapé district of São Paulo. Although competing in a number of different sports, Corinthians is mostly known for its professional association football team that play ...

, commonly called Corinthians. At Corinithians, Cappelozza trained with former

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 ...

middleweight champion

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 an ...

. At the onset of the last decade, Cappelozza emerged as one of the promising talents in Brazilian MMA. Within his initial 10 bouts, he secured the Jungle Fight cruiserweight belt (up to 100kg), later adding the light heavyweight belt (up to 93kg) in 2016. Despite these achievements, his two international forays, both at

in Japan, ended in defeat. Notably, in July 2018, he faced future

UFC Light Heavyweight champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Jiří Procházka Jiří Procházka (; ; born October 14, 1992) is a Czech mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He was the ...

on July 28, 2018, at Rizin 11, starting strong but ultimately succumbing to a knockout in 1 minute and 23 seconds.Takanori Gomi knocks out Melvin Guillard at Rizin 11
''MMA Fighting'' 2018/07/29. Retrieved on 12 July 2020. Facing defeats and a series of injuries, Bruno, found himself at a career crossroads. Sidelined for months due to hand, knee, and biceps surgeries, his return to the national scene was marred by opponents backing out at the last minute. Pressure from friends and family to reconsider his life direction intensified, especially as he, his wife Jéssica, and son David lived uncomfortably in his parents' house. Bruno faced humiliation from friends and even lost some who were unsupportive. Despite his mother's suggestion to finish his physical education degree, he remained steadfast in pursuing his fighting career. During a challenging period, he crossed paths with

Ronny Markes Ronny Markes (born April 21, 1988), is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Markes has formerly competed for the UFC, King of the Cage, PFL, Bellator MMA, and M- ...

from Dominance MMA, becoming a sparring partner for Corey Anderson in the US. While the opportunity helped financially, it meant long separations from his family, causing deep emotional strain. In response to travel restrictions amid the new coronavirus pandemic, he opted to remain in Las Vegas for over eight months, which led to his opportunity to appear in the PFL Heavyweight season that commenced in April.

Professional Fighters League

2021 Season

In 2020, Cappelozza signed with the

and made his debut in the 2021 season. Cappelozza debuted at PFL 3, scoring a 46-second KO of Ante Delija. He knocked out Muhammad DeReese in the first round of his next fight at PFL 6 to secure the No.1 seed in the 2021 PFL Playoffs. In the Semifinals at PFL 8, Cappelozza stopped Jamelle Jones via second-round TKO to earn a place in the finals, opposite Delija, in a rematch from the 2021 PFL Regular Season. In the PFL heavyweight championship bout at PFL 10, a back-and-forth battle with multiple knockdowns, Cappelozza defeated Delija by unanimous decision to become the 2021 PFL Heavyweight Champion. Immediately following Cappelozza's championship win, he learned via phone that his father, Joao Cappelozza, died three days prior to the PFL Championship. His family withheld the information so he wouldn't be distracted while preparing for the fight.

2022 Season

Cappelozza launched 2022 season with a fight against Stuart Austin at PFL 2, which Cappeloza won in the first round with a knockout. In June 2022, at PFL 5, Matheus Scheffel defeated Cappelozza via unanimous decision, in a surprising upset. Despite that loss, Cappelozza still advanced to the playoffs, due to his earlier KO. That fight was nominated for “Upset of the Year” in the

World MMA Awards The World MMA Awards are awards presented by ''Fighters Only'' magazine to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of mixed martial arts. Winners are presented with the ''Fighters Only silver statuette''. The World MMA Awards are divided ...

. In July 2022,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

reported that Cappelozza would no longer compete in the PFL playoffs due to an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by Mattheus Scheffel in the semifinal fight against Denis Goltsov.

2023 Season

Cappelozza started off the 2023 PFL season in a rematch against Matheus Scheffel on April 7, 2023, at PFL 2. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. On May 9, 2023, it was announced that Cappelozza had failed a commission drug test and was pulled from the season. At the NAC meeting that month, it was announced that Cappelozza was suspended 9 months for testing positive for

Drostanolone Drostanolone, or dromostanolone, is an anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) of the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) group which was never marketed. An androgen ester prodrug of drostanolone, drostanolone propionate, was formerly used in the treatmen ...

and the victory was overturned to a no contest. He is eligible to return on January 7, 2024.

2024 Season

Cappelozza is scheduled to face former

Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. At the time of its inception in 2008, CEO Bjorn Rebney founded B ...

Vadim Nemkov Vadim Aleksandrovich Nemkov (russian: Вадим Александрович Немков; born 20 June 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and a four-time Combat Sambo World Champion. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweig ...

on February 24, 2024, at

PFL vs. Bellator ''PFL vs. Bellator: Champs'' was a mixed martial arts event co-promoted by Professional Fighters League and Bellator MMA that took place on February 24, 2024, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was the first MMA event held in Saudi ...

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** 2021 PFL Heavyweight Championship

Mixed martial arts record

, - , NC , align=center, , Matheus Scheffel , No Contest (overturned) , PFL 2 (2023) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

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, 15–6 , Matheus Scheffel , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 5 (2022) , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 , Stuart Austin , TKO (punches) , PFL 2 (2022) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 ,

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Ante Delija , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 10 (2021) , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is no ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Jamelle Jones , TKO (punches) , PFL 8 (2021) , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:33 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Muhammed DeReese , TKO (punch and head kick) , PFL 6 (2021) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5 , Ante Delija , KO (punches) , PFL 3 (2021) , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 ,

, KO (punches) , Rizin 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 , Lucas Rosa , TKO (punches) , Gladiator MMA 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:02 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 , Devani Martins Jr. , TKO (knee and punches) , Demolidor Fight 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:07 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 ,

Klidson Abreu Klidson Abreu (born 24 December 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist competing in the Heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Earl ...

, TKO (punches) , Jungle Fight 87 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:08 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–4 , Teodoras Aukštuolis , KO (punch) , Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 1 - Saraba , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:32 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Sandro Bezerra , TKO (punches) , Jungle Fight 82 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Marco Talebi Paulo , KO (punches) , Gladiator MMA 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 , David Teixeira , TKO , Gladiator MMA , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Vagner Curió , TKO (punches) , Real Fight 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 , Emiliano Sordi , Submission (guillotine choke) , Jungle Fight 35 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 ,

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, 3–2 , Dirlei Broenstrup , TKO (retirement) , Jungle Fight 32 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:46 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Jackson Mora , KO (punches) , Jungle Fight 28 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:28 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 , Marcelo Cruz , TKO (leg kicks and punches) , Jungle Fight 26 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:53 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 , Nelson Martins , Disqualification (illegal punches) , Jungle Fight 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:58 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , João Paulo Pereira , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Predador FC 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:34 ,

, Brazil ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cappelozza, Bruno Living people 1989 births Brazilian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Professional Fighters League male fighters Brazilian Muay Thai practitioners Sportspeople from Jaú Martial artists from São Paulo (state)