Vagner Rocha (born June 6, 1982) is a Brazilian

submission grappler Submission wrestling, also known as submission grappling, submission fighting, or simply grappling, is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on ground fighting and submission techniques. It is a hybrid discipline that incorporates element ...

and former 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 ...

, who competed in the featherweight division. He is the 2017

Combat Jiu-Jitsu Submission wrestling, also known as submission grappling, submission fighting, or simply grappling, is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on ground fighting and submission techniques. It is a hybrid discipline that incorporates element ...

Worlds lightweight champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Primarily known for his expertise in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Rocha began his

MMA 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 ...

career in 2009. In addition to regional promotions in his adopted state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, Rocha has competed for

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) ** ...

and

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Vagner made his UFC debut on June 11, 2011, against

Donald Cerrone Donald Anthony Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American former professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and actor. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions of the Ultima ...

UFC 131 ''UFC 131: dos Santos vs. Carwin'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Background Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to face J ...

, replacing an injured

Mac Danzig Mac Danzig (born January 2, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist, who competed as a lightweight in several MMA promotions, most notably the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season six. Background Da ...

. Cerrone dominated Rocha by utilizing leg kicks, Rocha lost via unanimous decision. In his second UFC bout, Rocha defeated

Cody McKenzie Cody Steven McKenzie (born December 16, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2007, McKenzie mostly competed in his regional circuit, before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to appear on '' Th ...

on September 17, 2011 at

UFC Fight Night 25 ''UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 25'' or ''UFC Fight Night: Battle on the Bayou'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 17, 2011 at the Ernest N. Moria ...

. Rocha submitted McKenzie via rear naked choke in the second round. Rocha was expected to make his featherweight debut against Mike Brown on January 15, 2012, at

UFC on FX 1 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 ( ...

. However, Brown was forced from the bout with an injury. Rocha instead made his featherweight debut against

Jonathan Brookins Jonathan Brookins (born August 13, 1985) is an American former mixed martial artist who competed as a featherweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Brookins has mostly fought in Florida, as well a ...

on February 15, 2012, at

UFC on Fuel TV 1 The year 2012 was the 20th year in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. 2012 started with UFC 142, UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes and ended with UFC 155, UFC 155: dos Santos ...

. He lost the fight via KO in the first round. After the loss to Brookins, Rocha was subsequently released from the promotion.

Fight Time Promotions

Rocha faced Mike Bruno on November 2, 2012, at Fight Time 12. Rocha won the fight by submission due to a triangle choke in the second round. Rocha faced Kamrin Naville on February 15, 2013, at Fight Time 13. Rocha won the fight by unanimous decision. Rocha faced J. P. Reese on April 26, 2013, at Fight Time 14. Rocha won the fight by submission in the fifth round. Rocha faced journeyman Randy Barroso on August 23, 2013, at Fight Time 16. Rocha won the fight by submission in the first round.

Return to UFC

On April 20, 2014, it was announced that Rocha would return at

UFC 172 ''UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 26, 2014, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The event was released on DVD on July 29, 2014. The DVD was distr ...

to replace

Yancy Medeiros Yancy Medeiros Jr. (born September 7, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforc ...

, who shifted in the card to face Jim Miller, against Joe Ellenberger. However, Rocha suffered a last-minute training injury and the bout was removed from the card. Rocha faced Jake Matthews on November 8, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 55 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 55'', or ''UFC Fight Night Sydney'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia on November 8, 2014. Background This event was the fou ...

. He lost the fight due to technical submission in the second round. Rocha was expected to face promotional newcomer Joseph Duffy on March 14, 2015, at

UFC 185 ''UFC 185: Pettis vs. dos Anjos'' was a mixed martial arts event held on March 14, 2015, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Background The event was the third that the UFC has hosted in Dallas, Texas. The event was headlined by a ...

. However, Rocha pulled out of the bout in early February citing injury and was replaced by Jake Lindsey. Rocha was subsequently released from the promotion.

Professional grappling career

Rocha competed against

Xande Ribeiro Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro (born January 20, 1981) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, mixed martial artist and submission wrestler. He is a two-time World Black Belt Absolute (open weight) World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, five-time World Black Bel ...

in a superfight at BJJ Bet on September 6, 2020, and the pair fought to a draw. He then fought Gabriel Almeida in the co-main event of Fight 2 Win 157 on November 14, 2020, submitting him with an inside heelhook and earning 'Submission of the Night'. For his final match of the year, he was booked against Jon 'Thor' Blank at Who's Number One on December 11, 2020. In the end, Rocha won by split decision. On January 16, 2021, Rocha was scheduled to face William Tackett in the main event of Fight 2 Win 160, but had to withdraw due to undisclosed reasons. He returned to competition on February 19, 2021, in the main event of Fight 2 Win 164 against

Yuri Simões Yuri Simões (born June 18, 1990) is a Brazilian grappler, BJJ practitioner and mixed martial artist who has competed in the ONE Championship. He is a three time ADCC World Champion in two different weight divisions. Early life and education ...

and defeated him by decision. He was then scheduled to compete against

Gordon Ryan Gordon Ryan (born July 8, 1995) is an American Submission wrestling, submission wrestler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, considered by many to be the greatest no–gi grappler of all time due to his many accomplishments. Ryan is a seven-time ...

in the main event of Who's Number One on March 26, 2021. Rocha lost the match by submission, tapping to a triangle choke. He returned to Who's Number One on May 28, 2021, to face

Josh Hinger Josh Hinger (born May 28, 1982) is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor as well as former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Hinger is three-time champion at the World No-Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Cha ...

and won a decision against him. Rocha received an invite to compete at the

2022 ADCC World Championship The 2022 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was an international submission grappling tournament held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, from 17–18 September 2022. Background The ADCC World Championship is a sub ...

as a result of his silver medal in 2019. Rocha went 3–1 at the event and won a bronze medal in the 88 kg division. On December 4, 2022, Rocha fought in a Combat Jiu-Jitsu superfight against Ty Freeman at Subversiv 8, submitting him with a rear-naked choke. Rocha was handed a three-year suspension from IBJJF competition by

USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

as a result of refusing to submit a sample for testing on December 23, 2022.

2023

Rocha was then invited to compete in an openweight tournament at

UFC Fight Pass UFC Fight Pass is an American subscription-based video streaming service owned by the UFC's parent company, TKO Group Holdings, that launched in December 2013. History Fight Pass showcases live and on-demand mixed martial arts, submission grap ...

Invitational 4 on June 29, 2023. Rocha defeated Fellipe Andrew in the opening round but lost to the eventual winner,

Nick Rodriguez Nicholas Pete Rodriguez (born August 30, 1996) is an American professional submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt, commonly known as Nicky Rod. A former amateur wrestler, Rodriguez won in 2018 the ADCC West Coast Trials ...

, in the semi-final. Rocha competed at the Tough Roll Winter Grand Prix on June 29, 2023, winning a decision against Uros Silic. Rocha was booked to compete against Victor Silveiro at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 on December 10, 2023. He won the match by submission with a rear-naked choke.

2024

Rocha competed against Luke Griffith in the first Pit Submission Series event on January 26, 2024. He beat Griffith by decision. He then competed at the ADCC Atlantic City Open on February 10, 2024 and won gold in the under 91 kg division. Rocha faced

Nicholas Meregali Nicholas Meregali (born 27 May 1994) is a Brazilian submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor. A multiple time world, Pan, European and Brazilian champion at colored belts, Meregali is a 3x IBJJF black belt World C ...

in the main event of Who's Number One 23 on May 10, 2024. He lost the match by submission. Rocha was invited to compete in the under 77 kg division of the

2024 ADCC World Championship The 2024 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship was an international submission grappling tournament held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, in August 2024. Background The ADCC World Championship is a submission grappling tourna ...

. He beat Jeremy Skinner, Jonnatas Gracie, and Elijah Dorsey by decision before being submitted by

Micael Galvão Micael Ferreira Galvão, commonly known as Mica Galvão, (born 8 October 2003) is a submission grappler, Luta Livre and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor from the Brazilian state of Amazonas. A highly decorated athlete competing ...

in the final and winning a silver medal. He also entered the men's absolute division, where he beat Fabricio Andrey in the opening round and was submitted by

Giancarlo Bodoni Giancarlo Bodoni is an American submission grappler and Brazilian jiujitsu black belt competitor from Miami, Florida. He is a two-time champion at the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship. Biography Giancarlo Bodoni was born on Octo ...

in the quarter-final. Rocha competed against Calon Sabino in the main event of Pit Submission Series 8 on October 11, 2024. He won the match by submission.

Titles and accomplishments

*Fight Time Promotions **Fight Time Lightweight Championship (Two times) **ISKA Lightweight Championship (One time) * Combat Jiu Jitsu Worlds ** Combat Jiu Jitsu World Championship - Lightweight (current) *ADCC ** Bronze medal at 88 kg (2022) ** Best match at

(2022)

Personal life

He is married, has 2 children, and currently resides in

Pembroke Pines, Florida Pembroke Pines is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) north of Miami. It is a suburb of and the fourth-most populous city in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Pembroke ...

where he teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Vagner Rocha Martial Arts. Both Rocha's son Achilles and his daughter Jasmine train under him and both are frequent competitors in primarily no-gi grappling. Jasmine is a black belt in BJJ & his son Achilles is a purple belt. Rocha announced on January 22, 2025 that he was hospitalized with heart failure, although he has since made a recovery.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Yoislandy Izquierdo , Decision (unanimous) , Fight Time 35: A New Era , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

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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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Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

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New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

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

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Bret Bergmark Bret Bergmark (born November 24, 1973) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. A competitor from 2002 until 2010, Bergmark has fought for the WEC, Strikeforce, and Pancrase. Biography Bret was born in Novato, California, the s ...

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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 ...

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Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona� ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rocha, Vagner 1982 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Pembroke Pines, Florida Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian emigrants to the United States Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Doping cases in Brazilian jiu-jitsu 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen