Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira (born November 26, 1992) is a Brazilian professional

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 signed to the

PFL PFL may refer to: Sport * Professional Fighters League, an American mixed martial arts league * Peel Football League, an Australian rules football league * Pioneer Football League, an NCAA Division I FCS football conference * Professional Futsa ...

. He competed in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division of the

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).

Background

Born in

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

, Nascimento met his mentor, Everton Rabelo de Andrade, at a

LAN party A LAN party is a social gathering of gamer, participants with personal computers or compatible game consoles, where a local area network (LAN) connection is established between the devices using a router (computing), router or network switch, switc ...

while playing video games. Andrade taught kids and young adults martial arts in the city, and invited Nascimento to be part of the team. In October 2010, the teenager entered his gym and started his MMA career.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Starting his professional career in 2012, two months after the death of his mentor, Nascimento got a perfect 8–0 record on the regional Brazilian scene, finishing his opponent in all eight bouts, 4 by submission and 2 by TKO. Nascimento was invited to Dana White's Contender Series 22 and faced Michal Martinek on July 30, 2019. He won the bout via arm triangle in the first round, gaining a UFC contract in the process.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Nascimento faced

Don'Tale Mayes Don'Tale O'Neil Mayes (born January 16, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), achieving a 6–9 record, and 1 no contest in the promotion. Back ...

on May 16, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris. He won the bout via second round rear naked choke. Nascimento faced

Chris Daukaus Christopher Paul Daukaus ( ; born September 25, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of Cage Fury Fighting Championships. He previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the ...

on October 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. He lost the bout via first minute KO. Nascimento was scheduled to face

Alan Baudot Alan Dimitri Baudot (born 1 February 1988) is a French mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division. He has previously fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Alan Baudot was born on the slopes of the Croix-Rous ...

on May 22, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. However, after Baudot was injured, the bout was moved to UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés held on July 17, 2021. Nascimento won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the'' Performance of the Night'' award. However, Nascimento’s urine test from the fight tested positive for

ritalinic acid Ritalinic acid is a substituted phenethylamine and an inactive major metabolite of the psychostimulant drugs methylphenidate, dexmethylphenidate and ethylphenidate. When administered orally, methylphenidate is extensively metabolized in the liv ...

, a metabolite of psychostimulant drugs

methylphenidate Methylphenidate, sold under the brand names Ritalin ( ) and Concerta ( ) among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It may be taken Oral adm ...

and

ethylphenidate Ethylphenidate (EPH) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and a close analog of methylphenidate. Ethylphenidate acts as a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor, meaning it effectively boosts the levels of the norepinephrine and do ...

. As a result, Nascimento received a six-month suspension, retroactive to the test. He was also fined a total of $1,945.36, for the violation and subsequent legal fees. The bout was also overturned to a no contest. Nascimento was scheduled to face Tanner Boser on April 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 205. However, Nascimento withdrew from the event for unknown reasons, and he was replaced by Alexander Romanov. Nascimento was rebooked against Tanner Boser for September 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song. Nascimento won the fight via split decision. Nascimento faced

Ilir Latifi Ilir Latifi (born July 28, 1983) is a Swedish mixed martial artist who fights in the Heavyweight division, most recently in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A two-time national wrestling champion and a professional MMA competitor since 2008, ...

on May 20, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 223. He won the fight via split decision. Nascimento faced

in a rematch on November 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 231. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Nascimento faced former

UFC Heavyweight Championship 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 clas ...

challenger

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts i ...

on May 11, 2024, at

UFC on ESPN 56 ''UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 56'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 11, 2024, at the Enterprise Center, in St. Louis, Missouri, United State ...

. After being knocked down, he lost the fight via technical knockout from ground punches in the third round. Nascimento faced Alexander Romanov on November 2, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 246. Nascimento lost the fight via unanimous decision. On November 8, 2024, it was reported that Nascimento was removed from the UFC roster.

Professional Fighters League

Nascimento debuted with 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) promot ...

at PFL 4 on May 1, 2025 and defeated Abraham Bably by split decision. In the semifinals, Nascimento faced

Oleg Popov Oleg Konstantinovich Popov (, 31 July 1930 – 2 November 2016) was a Soviet and Russian clown and circus artist. He was awarded People's Artist of the USSR in 1969. Early life Popov was born on 31 July 1930, the son of a clock-repairman. At a ...

at PFL 7 on June 27, 2025. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (One Time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PFL 7 (2025) , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 (1) , Abraham Bably , Decision (split) , PFL 4 (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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 (1) , Alexander Romanov , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:49 ,

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 (1) ,

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

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, ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Hill , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, 9–1 (1) , Tanner Boser , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 8–1 (1) ,

, NC (overturned) , UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:29 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:05 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Michal Martinek , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Dana White's Contender Series 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:16 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Everton dos Anjos , Submission (kimura) , JF Fight Evolution 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

Juiz de Fora Juiz de Fora (; ), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, approximately from the state border with Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro. According to the 2022 census the current population is 54 ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Fabio Moreira , Submission (armbar) , BH Sparta 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Fabricio Nascimento Silva , Submission (triangle choke) , BH Sparta 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ricardo Jordano , TKO (punches) , Full House Battle Home 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Rafael Caixeta , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Full House Battle Home 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:43 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Cicero Augusto , TKO (punches) , Full House Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

, Brazil ,

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nascimento, Rodrigo 1992 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Martial artists from Belo Horizonte Martial artists from Minas Gerais 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen