Rodrigo Damm (; born 3 February 1980) is a Brazilian retired professional

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 ...

who last competed in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight b ...

division of the UFC. A professional since 2004, he also competed for World Victory Road, Strikeforce, Jungle Fight,

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

, and was a competitor on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil''.

Background

Damm began training 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 ...

when he was 16 years old, and also competed in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. He is a seven-time national champion in both sports as well as a world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Damm made his professional mixed martial arts debut in October 2004, losing via split decision to Luciano Azevedo. In the years following that loss, he went on an 8 fight win streak while fighting all over the world including Japan, Russia and South Korea.

Strikeforce

Damm made his United States MMA debut at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz against

Gilbert Melendez Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightwe ...

for the Strikeforce Interim Lightweight Championship. Damm returned to the promotion in 2011, where he faced Justin Wilcox in the main event at Strikeforce Challengers: Wilcox vs. Damm. He lost the fight via doctor stoppage between the first and second round due to a cut.

The Ultimate Fighter

In March 2012, Damm appeared as a fighter on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil''. In the opening elimination fight, he defeated

Fabrício Guerreiro Fabrício de Assis Costa da Silva (born July 24, 1990), better known as Fabrício Guerreiro, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is known to have competed in Bellator's Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, Guerreiro ...

by submission (rear naked choke) in round 2 to get into the TUF house. Damm was selected fourth (eighth overall) by

Vitor Belfort Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavyw ...

to be a part of Team Vitor. During the show, Damm often came to blows with Anistavio "Gasparzinho" Medeiros, as Gasparzinho's prankster attitude constantly annoyed the more serious Damm. In the quarterfinals, Damm was matched up against undefeated

John Teixeira John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

. After three closely contested rounds, Damm won via split decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Damm made his UFC debut at

UFC 147 ''UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 23, 2012 at Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Background The finals in the featherweight and middlewe ...

on 23 June 2012 where he faced his rival from the TUF, Gasparzinho. He won the fight via submission in the first round, earning a ''Submission of the Night'' bonus in the process. Damm fought Antonio Carvalho on 17 November 2012 at UFC 154. Damm lost a back and forth fight via split decision. Damm next fought Mizuto Hirota at

UFC on Fuel TV 10 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2'' is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. This season consisted of 12 episodes and a live finale in Brazil. The season tournam ...

on 8 June 2013. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision. Damm was expected to face Hacran Dias at UFC Fight Night 29. However, the bout was scrapped just days prior to the event after Damm was sidelined due to a

kidney stone Kidney stone disease, also known as nephrolithiasis or urolithiasis, is a crystallopathy where a solid piece of material (kidney stone) develops in the urinary tract. Kidney stones typically form in the kidney and leave the body in the urine ...

attack. Damm moved back to

and faced Ivan Jorge on 15 February 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 36 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 36'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 15, 2014, at the Arena Jaraguá in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Backg ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Damm faced Rashid Magomedov on 31 May 2014 at

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3'' is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It is the sixth series to be produced outside the United States and the third to film ...

He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Damm faced Al Iaquinta at

UFC Fight Night 50 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 ...

on 5 September 2014. Iaquinta defeated Damm via third-round TKO. Damm faced Evan Dunham on 3 January 2015 at UFC 182. He lost the fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion. Following his release, Damm posted this statement to social media. "I stopped, retired from MMA. I'm not training hard enough for quite some time. I go to my BJJ gym two or three times a week, when I can. I keep training but for my own pleasure. I'm enjoying my family. I spent a lot of time away from home and traveling, now I can watch my kids grow up. I think I'm gonna start doing business with my dad at his woodshop. This should be my future"

Personal life

Rodrigo's sister Carina Damm is also a mixed martial artist.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts 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 strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

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 ...

** Submission of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–9 , Evan Dunham , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 182 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 12–8 , Al Iaquinta , TKO (punches and elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:26 ,

Mashantucket, Connecticut Mashantucket is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northeast part of the town of Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, United States. It consists of land held by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The Foxwoods Resort Casino is in the northeast p ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 , Rashid Magomedov , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale: Miocic vs. Maldonado , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 12–6 , Ivan Jorge , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jaraguá do Sul Jaraguá do Sul () is a city in the north of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. History The city was founded on July 25, 1876, by engineer and Brazilian Army colonel Emílio Carlos Jourdan and his family. The city was originally named jus ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–6 , Mizuto Hirota , Decision (split) , UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–6 , Antonio Carvalho , Decision (split) , UFC 154 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 10–5 , Anistavio Medeiros , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 , Belo Horizonte, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5 , Justin Wilcox , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Strikeforce Challengers: Wilcox vs. Damm , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , Stockton, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–4 ,

Maximo Blanco Maximo Blanco (born October 16, 1983) is a Venezuelan professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, Blanco is the former Lightweight ...

, TKO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championships 13 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:45 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Ivan Iberico , Decision (unanimous) , Jungle Fight 17: Vila Velha , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Vila Velha, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 ,

, KO (punches) , Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:02 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 ,

Eiji Mitsuoka is a retired Japanese professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2012, Mitsuoka fought for the UFC, DREAM, World Victory Road, PRIDE, Shooto, Cage Force, DEEP and King of the Cage promotions. Mitsuoka's nick ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:13 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

Jorge Masvidal Jorge Masvidal (born November 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Masvidal has been competing professionally since 2003; he ...

, TKO (punch) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:38 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Johil de Oliveira , Decision , Universidade Fight Show 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Espirito Santo, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Ryan Bow , KO (punches) , BodogFIGHT: Vancouver , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Santino DeFranco , Submission (rear-naked choke) , BodogFIGHT Series II: Clash of the Nations , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:58 ,

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Kultar Gill , Submission (rear-naked choke) , BodogFIGHT: Clash of the Nations I , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:11 , Saint Petersburg, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Naoki Seki , Submission (armbar) , MARS 4: New Deal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:48 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Jyu Do Fan , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MARS Attack 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 ,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Luciano Silva , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Night of Fight 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:26 , Vila Velha, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Luciano Azevedo , Decision (split) , Shooto Brazil: Never Shake , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , São Paulo, Brazil ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

John Macapá John Teixeira da Conceição (born November 18, 1986), commonly known as John Macapá, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Teixeira has formerly competed fo ...

, Decision (split) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil , align=center, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil , align=center, , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A , Brazil ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Damm, Rodrigo 1980 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Brazilian male sport wrestlers Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Lightweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Brazilian people of German descent People from Vila Velha People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Espírito Santo