Rony Mariano Bezerra (born March 21, 1984), better known as Rony Jason, is a Brazilian 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 competed in the

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, this ...

division of the

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 ...

. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Bezerra was also the Featherweight winner of

Globo Globo (meaning ''globe'' in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian) may refer to: *Grupo Globo, a Brazilian conglomerate primarily in mass media **TV Globo, a television network *** GloboNews, a television 24-hour news channel *** Globo (Portuguese TV c ...

's The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. His nickname is based on ''

Friday the 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

'' film character

Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a character from the ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in ''Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Mill ...

; he wears the Voorhees mask on his walk to the Octagon.

Background

Born and raised in Brazil, Bezerra 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 ...

at the age of 16, and was talented, winning various titles. Bezerra has also trained in

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, gen ...

and

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

. Bezerra attended law school before dropping out to further pursue a career in professional mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Bezerra made his professional MMA debut in 2006, where he fought Alessandro Cabeca in his professional debut, winning via second-round TKO. At only 2-0, Bezerra took a fight against another up-and-comer, and future UFC Interim Bantamweight Champion,

Renan Barão Renan Mota do Nascimento Pegado (born 31 January 1987), better known as Renan Barão, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and the former UFC Bantamweight Champion. He held one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA history - follo ...

. The fight was very closely contested and ended in a split decision loss for Bezerra. He won his next fight via submission before suffering his second loss to Joao Paulo Rodrigues de Souza. Bezerra bounced back from the loss with first round submission wins over future UFC fighter,

Felipe Arantes Felipe Arantes (born 9 February 1988) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Arantes mostly fought in Brazil before signing with the U ...

and tough journeyman, Felipe Alves. On December 5, 2009 at the Platinum Fight Brazil 2 fight card, Bezerra fought future Bellator contender, Genair da Silva. He lost the fight via doctor stoppage after the end of round two. After the loss, Bezerra went on a five fight winning streak, where he claimed multiple titles for several promotions, and was named BloodyElbow.com's 2012 #1 Bantamweight prospect, despite never fighting in the division.

The Ultimate Fighter

In March 2012, it was revealed that Bezerra was selected to be a participant on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil''. Bezerra defeated Dileno Lopes via technical knockout in the first round to move into the ''Ultimate Fighter'' house, and become an official cast member. Bezerra was selected as the first overall pick by

Wanderlei Silva Wanderlei César da Silva ( , , ; born 3 July 1976) is a Brazilian-American former mixed martial artist who competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He holds the record for the ...

, to be a part of Team Wanderlei. In the last quarterfinal fight, Bezerra was selected to fight his close friend and training partner Anistavio Meideiros. Bezerra won the fight via technical submission after applying an armbar to Meideiros, nearly breaking his arm which forced the referee to intervene and stop the fight. In the semi-final round, Bezerra was matched-up against Hugo Viana from Team Vitor. After three rounds, Bezerra was declared the winner via unanimous decision. The win moved him into the finals set to take place 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 ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Bezerra officially made his UFC debut at

on June 23, 2012 against

Godofredo Pepey Godofredo Castro (born July 2, 1987), better known as Godofredo Pepey, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently fights in the lightweight division of Brave Combat Federation. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Pepey has also comp ...

to determine the Featherweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Bezerra fought Sam Sicilia on October 13, 2012 at

UFC 153 ''UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 13, 2012, at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background Vitor Belfort was expected to face Alan Belcher at ...

. After a hard back-and-forth slug fest, Bezerra dropped Sicilia with a big right and finished with hammerfists to earn the second-round TKO stoppage. He won ''Knockout of the Night'' honors with his performance. Bezerra next faced The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes fighter Mike Wilkinson on June 8, 2013 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 ...

. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Bezerra was expected to face

Jeremy Stephens Jeremy Stephens (born May 26, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). A professional since 2005, he spent 15 years and competed in 33 bouts in the UF ...

on October 9, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 29. However, Bezerra pulled out of the bout citing an injury (

lumbar hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the groin. Groin hernia ...

). The bout eventually took place on November 9, 2013 at

UFC Fight Night 32 ''UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 32'') was a mixed martial arts event held on November 9, 2013, at the Goiânia Arena in Goiânia, Brazil. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Background Th ...

. Bezerra lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Bezerra faced Steven Siler on March 23, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 38. He won the fight via a controversial TKO stoppage in the first round. Siler was initially dropped by two punches from Bezerra. Siler, having his back on the mat, immediately threw an up-kick as soon as Bezerra proceeded to walk toward him. At the very same time the referee stepped in to stop the fight as a conscious Siler was attempting to defend himself. Bezerra faced

Robbie Peralta Roberto "Robbie" Andres Peralta (born March 14, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, the World Series of Fighting, ...

on May 31, 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 back-and-forth fight via split decision. Bezerra was expected to face Tom Niinimäki on December 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 58. However, Bezerra pulled out of the bout on December 10 and was replaced by promotional newcomer

Renato Moicano Renato Alves Carneiro better known as Renato Moicano (born May 21, 1989) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Moicano made a ...

. Bezerra faced

Damon Jackson Damon Blake Jackson (born August 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, Jackson competed for Bellator MMA and King of the Cag ...

on May 30, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 67. He won the fight via triangle choke submission in the first round. The victory also produced a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. On June 18, 2015, it was announced that Bezerra tested positive for

hydrochlorothiazide Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic medication often used to treat high blood pressure and swelling due to fluid build-up. Other uses include treating diabetes insipidus and renal tubular acidosis and to decrease the risk of kidney stones in th ...

, which is a banned

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...

, therefore his submission victory was overturned and he received a nine-month suspension. The UFC rescinded Jason's $50,000 "Performance of the Night" award. Bezerra faced

Dennis Bermudez Dennis Ross Bermudez (born December 13, 1986) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the UFC. Bermudez has been a professional MMA competitor since 2009. He has made a name for himself mainly fi ...

on August 6, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 92. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Bezerra faced

Jeremy Kennedy Jeremy Michael Fitz-Kennedy (born September 16, 1992) is a Canadian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Featherweight division of Bellator MMA. In addition to competing for Bellator, Kennedy has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting ...

on March 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 106. He lost the bout by unanimous decision. On October 10, 2017, Bezerra was released from UFC roster.

Post-UFC career

After being released from the UFC, Bezerra signed with Lux Fight League. He made his promotional debut against Diego Lopes at Lux 004 on March 15, 2019, losing the fight via unanimous decision. Bezerra made his sophomore appearance in the promotion against Edgar Díaz Guzman at Lux 005 on July 19, 2019. He won the fight via first-round knockout. Next Bezerra faced Alexander Grozin at RCC Intro 6 on November 16, 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Controversies

On November 9, 2013, after losing to

at UFC Fight Night 32: Belfort vs. Henderson, Bezerra punched a hole in a wall at the backstage where he required a dozen stitches and was suspended 30 days from Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA). In October 2017, two videos were released where Bezerra was seen yelling and striking his sister who was lying on the pavement with multiple bystanders attempting to restrain him.

Championships and awards

Mixed martial arts

** The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil Featherweight Tournament Winner ** Knockout of the Night (One time) **

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time - forfeited) *Max Fight **MF Featherweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 (1) , Alexander Grozin , Decision (unanimous) , RCC Intro 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administrat ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 15–8 (1) , Edgar Díaz Guzman , TKO (punches) , Lux Fight League 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:05 ,

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley of ...

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–8 (1) , Diego Lopes , Decision (unanimous) , Lux Fight League 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Mexico , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–7 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum , , 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, 14–6 (1) ,

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

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 14–5 (1) ,

, NC (overturned) , UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:31 ,

Goiânia Goiânia (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Goiás. With a population of 1,536,097, it is the second-largest city in the Central-West Region and the 10th-largest in the country. Its metropolitan area has a population ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 ,

, Decision (split) , 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, 14–4 , Steven Siler , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 , Natal, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 ,

, KO (head kick) , UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Mike Wilkinson , Technical Submission (triangle choke) , UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:24 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Sam Sicilia , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:16 ,

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, 11–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Belo Horizonte, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Reginaldo Vieira , Submission (armbar) , Max Fight 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Anderson de Deus , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , High Fight Rock 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Marlon Medeiros , Submission (triangle choke) , Max Fight 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:14 ,

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Diego Ribeiro , TKO (punches) , Face to Face 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 , Recreio dos Bandeirantes, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Jurandir Sardinha , Submission (triangle choke) , Win Fight & Entertainment 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Salvador Salvador, meaning " salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 , Genair da Silva , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Platinum Fight Brazil 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Felipe Alves , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Hawk Fight Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 , Rio Negrinho, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , Samurai Fight Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:53 ,

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area c ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–2 , João Paulo Rodrigues , Submission (stomp) , Platinum Fight Brazil 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:30 , Natal, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Renan Falcon , Submission (armbar) , Leal Combat MMA , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Mossoró Mossoró () is the second most populous city in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, and also the largest municipality of that state. It is equidistant (four hours' drive) from Natal (approximately 277 km or 172 miles), the state capi ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 ,

, Decision (split) , Cage Fight Nordeste , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Natal, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Fernando Gardner , KO (stomp) , Hikari Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A , Natal, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Alessandro Cabeca , TKO (punches) , Nordeste Mega Fight Vale Tudo 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:15 ,

, Brazil ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Hugo Viana , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Anistavio Medeiros , Submission (armbar) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Dileno Lopes , TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Brazil , , -

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jason, Rony 1984 births Brazilian male judoka Brazilian male kickboxers Brazilian male mixed martial artists Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian sportspeople in doping cases Brazilian male taekwondo practitioners Doping cases in mixed martial arts Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Ceará