Markus Perez Echeimberg (born June 22, 1990) 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 ...

currently competing in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division. A professional since 2013, he has also fought for

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

(UFC), Jungle Fight and the

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 ...

, where he is the former Middleweight Champion.

Background

Echeimberg started training Kung-Fu style

Eagle Claw Eagle Claw (; pinyin: yīng zhǎo pài; ''eagle claw school'') is a style of Chinese martial arts known for its gripping techniques, system of joint locks, takedowns, and pressure point strikes, which is representative of Chinese grappling ...

in 2008 to impersonate

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

and later transitioned to

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

(MMA) after his brother took him to a jiu-jitsu class. Prior competing full-time in MMA, Markus worked as an

information technology Information technology (IT) is a set of related fields within information and communications technology (ICT), that encompass computer systems, software, programming languages, data processing, data and information processing, and storage. Inf ...

engineer at technology school and he was also a freelanced

software developer Software development is the process of designing and Implementation, implementing a software solution to Computer user satisfaction, satisfy a User (computing), user. The process is more encompassing than Computer programming, programming, wri ...

, and he quit his job and college to teach

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

and competed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to make a living so he could pursue MMA full-time. After made it to the preliminary round of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, he gained his parents support as they realized his seriousness of his MMA career choice.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Echeimberg fought in the Brazilian-based promotions and amassed of a record of 9–0 prior joining UFC after winning the

(LFA) middleweight championship.

The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil

Echeimberg was chosen to be a fighter on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3''. In the opening elimination round, he lost to Guilherme Vasconcelos via submission (rear-naked choke) in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Less than two months after winning the vacant

(LFA), Echeimberg was signed by UFC. Perez made his UFC debut on December 9, 2017, against Eryk Anders, replacing John Phillips, at UFC Fight Night 123. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. His next fight came on May 12, 2018, against James Bochnovic at

UFC 224 ''UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 12, 2018, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The UFC was initially targeting a UFC Wome ...

. He won the fight via a submission. On August 25, 2018, Perez faced Andrew Sanchez, replacing Antonio Braga Neto, at UFC Fight Night 135. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Perez faced promotional newcomer Anthony Hernandez on February 2, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN+ 2 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 30, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), Wells Fargo Center in ...

. He won the fight via technical submission in the second round. Perez was scheduled to face promotional newcomer Deron Winn on June 22, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 11 However, it was reported on May 9, 2019, that Perez pulled out of the fight due to injury. Perez was scheduled to face Jack Marshman on November 16, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN+ 22 ''UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Gastelum'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 22'' and ''UFC Vegas 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 17, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterpri ...

. However, Marshman was pulled from the event for undisclosed reason and he was replaced by Wellington Turman. Perez faced Wellington Turman on November 16, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Perez was scheduled to face Alessio Di Chirico, replacing Abu Azaitar, on April 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the event was eventually cancelled. Perez was scheduled to face Eric Spicely on August 1, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan. However, Spicely was removed from the fight on the day of the event's weigh-in for health issues related to his weight cut. Perez will now face Charles Ontiveros Perez was scheduled to face Rodolfo Vieira on October 11, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 179 ''UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 179'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 37'' and ''UFC Fight Island 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 11, 2020 at ...

, However, on September 21, Vieira pulled out due to undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer

Dricus du Plessis Dricus du Plessis (born 14 January 1994), also known by his initials DDP, is a South African professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting ...

. Perez lost the fight via knockout in round one. Perez faced Dalcha Lungiambula, replacing Isi Fitikefu, on January 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 20. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. On February 4, 2021, it was announced that Perez was released from his UFC contract.

Post-UFC career

Perez was scheduled to face Shane O'Shea at Titan FC 68 on March 26, 2021. However, the bout was cancelled due to an unknown reason. Perez was scheduled to face Christiano Frohlich on July 2, 2021, at LFA 110. The bout was scratched days before the event for unknown reasons. Perez faced Zac Pauga on October 17, 2021, at Cage Warriors 130. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Perez faced Filipe Moitinho on December 19, 2021, at Thunder Fight 33. He won the bout via guillotine submission 33 seconds into the bout. Perez faced Emiliano Sordi at Gamebred FC 4 in a bare-knuckle MMA bout on May 5, 2023, losing the bout via unanimous decision.

Global Fight League

On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Perez was signed by Global Fight League. However, in April 2025, it was reported that all GFL events were cancelled indefinitely.

Championships and achievements

** Legacy Fighting Alliance Middleweight Champion (One time) *Thunder Fight ** Thunder Fight Middleweight Champion

Personal life

Echeimberg's moniker "Maluko", an adaptation of the word "maluco" which means "crazy" in Portuguese, was given by his teammates, who thought he was crazy after he asked his coach if he could wear

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...

pants and shoes while he was boxing training to impersonate

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 14–7 , Emiliano Sordi , Decision (unanimous) , Gamebred Fighting Championship 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

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Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–6 , Filipe Moitinho , Submission (guillotine choke) , Thunder Fight 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

São Bernardo do Campo São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 810,729 (2022 census) in an area of . According to 2021 data from ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 , Zac Pauga , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 130 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5 , Dalcha Lungiambula , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Magny vs. Chiesa , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

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São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Anthony Hernandez , Technical Submission (anaconda choke) , UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:07 ,

Fortaleza Fortaleza ( ; ; ) is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeastern Brazil. It is Brazil's 4th largest city—Fortaleza surpassed Salvador, Bahia, Salvador in 2022 census with a population of slightly over 2.4 mi ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 , Andrew Sanchez , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , James Bochnovic , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:28 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 , Eryk Anders , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Ian Heinisch , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , LFA 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county located in the United States, U.S. Colorado, state of Colorado. It has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sect ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Ildemar Alcântara , Decision (unanimous) , Arzalet Fighting Globe Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Paulo Thiago , Decision (unanimous) , Thunder Fight 7 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Fabricio Almeida Gonçalves , KO (spinning back elbow) , Aspera Fighting Championship 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:34 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Anderson Melo , TKO (punches) , Battle of Kings , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Ilhéus Ilhéus () is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 211 km south of Salvador, Brazil, Salvador, the state's capital. The city was founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the mos ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Rafael Silva , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Thunder Fight 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Giovani Colombo , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Interior Fight: Fight For Your Destiny , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Bruno da Silva , Submission (kneebar) , Jungle Fight 58 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

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Professional boxing record

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" , - ! !Result !Record !Opponent !Type !Round, time !Date !Location !Notes , - , 3 , Win , 1-0 , style="text-align:left;",

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who was most recently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship where he lost via KO to Lorenzo Hunt. He former ...

, TKO (ankle injury) , 3 (6), , Apr 1st, 2023 , ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Markus Living people 1990 births Brazilian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian male Muay Thai practitioners Martial artists from São Paulo Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen