Leandro Higo (born January 19, 1989) is a Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also competed for

Resurrection Fighting Alliance The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Houston, Texas. It was created as a result of the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merger in 2016. History Resu ...

and

Legacy Fighting Alliance The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Houston, Texas. It was created as a result of the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merg ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Higo made his

debut on August 21, 2015 vs. Terrion Ware at RFA 29, winning by rear-naked choke at the end of round 3. Following a first round victory over Melvin Blumer at RFA 32, he won the RFA

title with a first round rear-naked choke victory against Joey Miolla at RFA 37. Higo made his debut with

in the company's debut at LFA 1: Peterson vs. Higo, defeating

Steven Peterson Steven Timothy Peterson (born May 29, 1990) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. Peterson competed in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since ...

via unanimous decision to win the inaugural LFA Bantamweight Championship.

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil

Higo competed in the

division on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4. He defeated Maycon Silvan in the elimination round via first round arm-triangle choke, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Bruno Rodrigues Mesquita via first round rear-naked choke. After Giovanni Santos was forced to leave the season due to an infection, Higo reluctantly accepted to replace Santos to face Matheus Mattos in another quarterfinal bout. However, his rib injury sustained in the previous week's bout with Mesquita worsened and he was forced to withdraw.

Bellator MMA

Higo made his

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

debut as a late replacement for

Darrion Caldwell Darrion Caldwell (born December 19, 1987) is an American retired mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who competed in the bantamweight division. He formerly competed in Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamwei ...

against

titlist Eduardo Dantas in a non-title bout at Bellator 177, losing via split decision. Higo faced Joe Taimanglo on October 6, 2017 at Bellator 184, winning via unanimous decision. Higo earned an opportunity to compete for the Bellator Bantamweight Championship vs.

on March 2, 2018 at Bellator 195, losing via first round guillotine choke. For his next bout, Higo moved up to

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

and faced

Aaron Pico Aaron Pico (born September 23, 1996) is an American mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He started out his career in Bellator MMA, w ...

Bellator 206 Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

on September 29, 2018. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. After the failed attempt in featherweight division, Higo returned to the bantamweight division to face Shawn Bunch at Bellator 228 on September 28, 2019. He won the fight via submission in the second round. Subsequently he signed a new exclusive, multi-fight contract with Bellator. Higo was expected to face Johnny Campbell in a bantamweight bout at Bellator 241 on March 13, 2020. However, Campbell withdrew from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Dominic Mazzotta, the bout continuing as a featherweight bout. Higo then faced Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 249 on October 15, 2020. Higo missed the contracted weight, but went on to win the bout via second-round submission. Higo faced

Bellator 259 Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by Bellator MMA at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event featured a Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the ch ...

on May 21, 2021. At the weigh-ins, Higo weighed in at 137.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Higo was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Caldwell. Higo won the bout via split decision.

Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix

Higo faced Danny Sabatello in the quarter-finals of the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix at

Bellator 282 ''Bellator 282: Mousasi vs. Eblen'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on June 24, 2022, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, United States. Background Gegard Mousasi defended his Middleweight ...

on June 24, 2022. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Post Grand Prix

Higo was scheduled to face James Gallagher on March 10, 2023 at Bellator 292. However, in Mid February, Gallagher pulled out of the bout for unknown reasons. Higo was scheduled to face Nikita Mikhailov on June 16, 2023 at Bellator 297. However, the bout was scrapped when Mikhailov came down with a sickness. The bout was rescheduled for August 11, 2023 at

Bellator 298 ''Bellator 298: Storley vs. Ward'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on August 11, 2023, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. Background The event marked the promotion's fou ...

. Higo won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the second round. On short notice, Higo faced James Gallagher on March 22, 2024 at

Bellator Champions Series 1 ''Bellator Champions Series 1: Anderson vs. Moore'' (also known as ''Bellator Champions Series Belfast'' and ''Bellator 302'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, that took place on March 22, 2024, at the SSE Arena in Belfas ...

. Higo came out victorious via unanimous decision after a strong third round. Higo was scheduled to challenge Patchy Mix for the Bellator Bantamweight Championship on November 16, 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 6. However, this event was later announced to be cancelled due to unspecified reasons.

Professional Fighters League

On February 21, 2025, the promotion officially revealed that Higo joined the 2025 PFL Bantamweight Tournament. In the quarterfinal, Higo was scheduled to face Magomed Magomedov on April 11, 2025, at PFL 2. However, Magomedov withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Josh Rettinghouse. In turn, Rettinghouse was not medically cleared and was replaced by Marcirley Alves. He lost the fight via split decision.

Personal life

Higo has a son.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 23–7 , Marcirley Alves , Decision (split) , PFL 2 (2025) , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–6 , James Gallagher , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 22–6 , Nikita Mikhailov , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:50 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–6 , Danny Sabatello , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–5 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–5 , Ricky Bandejas , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 249 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 , Shawn Bunch , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 228 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:34 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 ,

, TKO (elbow and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:19 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–4 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 195 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located near the Texas state border. The population was 400 at the 2020 census. Geography Thackerville is situated near the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and State High ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Joe Taimanglo , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 184 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 , Eduardo Dantas , Decision (split) , Bellator 177 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, Hungary , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , LFA 1 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Joey Miolla , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA 37 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Melvin Blumer , TKO (punches) , RFA 32 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 ,

Prior Lake, Minnesota Prior Lake is an exurban city southwest of Minneapolis, next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city is south of the Minnesota River in an area k ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Terrion Ware , Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA 29 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Eduardo de Souza Silva , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Coliseu Extreme Fight 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Alagoas Alagoas () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Francisco Antonio Araujo Rodrigues , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Arena Fight 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Rio Grande Do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", refe ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Alex Silva , Decision (unanimous) , Conquista Kombat 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Janailson Kevin Pereira Lima , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fort MMA 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:04 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 ,

Iliarde Santos Iliarde Santos (born September 25, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, Titan FC, and Jungle Fight. Mixed martial arts care ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Jungle Fight 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Erinaldo dos Santos Rodrigues , Decision (unanimous) , WFE 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Wagner Campos , Decision (unanimous) , WFE 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Marcos Vinicius Costa Silva , TKO (retirement) , Recife FC 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Dudu Dudu , KO (punch) , Nocaute Fight 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Gleidson Alves Martins , Submission (triangle armbar) , Guamare Fight 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:45 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Arivaldo Batista da Silva , KO (punch) , Nordeste Fight Vale Tudo 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Diego Tubarao , Submission (armbar) , Nordeste Fight Vale Tudo 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:50 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jose Mario Tome , Submission (armbar) , Arena Fight: Limoeiro 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 , Ceara, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Rodrigo Barbosa , Submission (triangle choke) , MZI: Fight 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:49 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Gilson Gilson , Submission (armbar) , Nordeste Mega Fight Vale Tudo 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:50 ,

, Brazil ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Reginaldo Vieira , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Maycon Silvan , Submission (arm triangle choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Higo, Leandro 1989 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bellator male fighters Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen