Vinicius Moreira

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Moreiraand the second or paternal family name is Castro.

Vinicius Moreira
Born	Vinicius Moreira Castro (1989-02-28) February 28, 1989 (age 35) Planaltina, Federal District, Brazil
Other names	Mamute
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Division	Light heavyweight Heavyweight
Reach	76 in (193 cm) [1]
Style	BJJ [2]
Fighting out of	Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
Team	Five Rounds
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu [3]
Years active	2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	22
Wins	14
By knockout	2
By submission	12
Losses	8
By knockout	4
By submission	1
By decision	3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Vinicius Moreira Castro (born February 28, 1989) ^[4] is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light heavyweight division. He is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background

Inspired by Minotauro Nogueira's fights in Pride FC, Moreira started training jiu-jitsu in 2006 as his first martial art. ^[2] After growing unmotivated by jiu-jitsu, he started training mixed martial arts in 2015, making his professional debut in the following year. ^{[2] [3]}

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Moreira began his MMA career by compiling an MMA record of 8–1 by competing mainly within the Brazilian regional MMA circuit as well as in India for Super Fight League. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Dana White's Contender Series Brazil

Moreira faced John Allan on August 11, 2018, at Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 3. ^[8] He won the fight via submission with a triangle choke and was awarded with a UFC contract. ^[9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Moreira made his UFC debut against Alonzo Menifield on January 19, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw. ^[10] He lost the fight via technical knockout due to punches in the first round. ^[11]

Moreira then faced Eryk Anders on June 29, 2019, at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos. ^[12] He lost the fight via knockout due to punches in the first round. ^[13]

Moreira next faced Paul Craig on September 21, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens. ^[14] He lost the fight via submission with a rear-naked choke in the first round. ^[15]

Moreira was scheduled to face Tyson Pedro on February 23, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker. ^[16] However, Pedro withdrew from the bout in early January due to an undisclosed injury. ^[17]

Moreira was expected to face Modestas Bukauskas on July 15, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 172. ^[18] However, on July 3, Moreira tested positive for COVID-19 and was removed from the event. ^[19]

On January 15, Moreira received a public warning by USADA due to an out-of-competition positive test for anastrozole in September 2020. He had provided a supplement that was proven to be tainted with the substance. ^[20]

Moreira was scheduled to face Ike Villanueva on January 30, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 186. ^[21] In late December 2020, the UFC opted against holding an event on a planned January 30 date and decided to reschedule several bouts to January 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Magny vs. Chiesa. ^[22] He lost the fight by knockout in the second round. ^[23]

On February 4, 2021, it was announced that Moreira was released from his UFC contract. ^[24]

Post UFC

Moreira made his first appearance after his UFC release against Rodrigo Duarte on August 8, 2021, at Brazilian Fighting Series 1. He won the bout after the bout was stopped by the doctor after the first round. ^[25]

Moreira faced Aleksandr Maslov at Open Fight Championship 9 on August 27, 2021, for the OFC Heavyweight Championship. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. ^[26]

Moreira faced Mikhail Mokhnatkin on December 19, 2021, at Open Fighting Championship 15. He lost via unanimous decision. ^[27]

Moreira returned against Sergey Dyakonov at MMA Series 53 on June 24, 2022. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. ^[28]

Moreira faced Maico Machado for the inaugural SC Light Heavyweight Championship at "Soldado Combat 3" on August 24, 2024 and won the championship by first round arm-triangle choke submission. ^[29]

Championships and accomplishments

• Jungle Fight
  • Jungle Fight Light Heavyweight Championship (One time; current)
• Fam Fight MMA
  • FFMMA Heavyweight Championship (One time) ^{[30] [31]}
• Soldado Combat
  • SC Light Heavyweight Championship (First, inaugural, current)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

22 matches	14 wins	8 losses
By knockout	2	4
By submission	12	1
By decision	0	3

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	14–8	Andre Miranda	Submission (kneebar)	Jungle Fight 131	October 19, 2024	3	0:26	Brasília, Brazil	Won the Jungle Fight Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win	13–8	Maico Machado	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Soldado Combat 3	August 24, 2024	1	1:23	Brasília, Brazil	Won the inaugural SC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win	12–8	Daniel Bucher	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Soldado Combat 1	February 4, 2024	1	1:04	Brasília, Brazil
Win	11–8	Willian Roberto Alves	Submission (armbar)	Fight Music Show: Fight Night	May 12, 2023	1	0:53	Curitiba, Brazil
Loss	10–8	Sergey Dyakonov	Decision (unanimous)	MMA Series 53	June 24, 2022	3	5:00	Moscow, Russia
Loss	10–7	Mikhail Mokhnatkin	Decision (unanimous)	Open Fighting Championship 15	December 19, 2021	3	5:00	Moscow, Russia
Loss	10–6	Aleksandr Maslov	Decision (unanimous)	Open Fighting Championship 9	August 27, 2021	3	5:00	Ekaterinburg, Russia	For OFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win	10–5	Rodrigo Duarte	TKO (doctor stoppage)	Brazilian Fighting Series 1	August 8, 2021	1	5:00	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Return to Heavyweight.
Loss	9–5	Ike Villanueva	KO (punch)	UFC on ESPN: Magny vs. Chiesa	January 20, 2021	2	0:39	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss	9–4	Paul Craig	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens	September 21, 2019	1	3:19	Mexico City, Mexico
Loss	9–3	Eryk Anders	KO (punches)	UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos	June 29, 2019	1	1:18	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Loss	9–2	Alonzo Menifield	TKO (punches)	UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw	January 19, 2019	1	3:56	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win	9–1	John Allan	Submission (triangle choke)	Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 3	August 11, 2018	2	3:40	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	8–1	Jason Radcliffe	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	SFL 2018 Semifinals: Haryana Sultans vs. U.P. Nawabs	March 11, 2018	1	4:07	Mumbai, India
Win	7–1	Sachin Kumar	Submission (armbar)	SFL 2018: Sher-E-Punjab vs. Haryana Sultans	March 2, 2018	1	1:24	Mumbai, India
Win	6–1	Amit Thapa	Submission (rear-naked choke)	SFL 2018: Haryana Sultans vs. Mumbai Maniacs	February 17, 2018	1	1:05	Mumbai, India
Win	5–1	José Aparecido Santos Gomes	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	SFL 2018: Haryana Sultans vs. Bengaluru Tigers	February 10, 2018	2	N/A	Mumbai, India	Return to Light Heavyweight.
Loss	4–1	Rafael Celestino	KO (punches)	Shooto Brazil 77	October 27, 2017	1	2:27	Brasília, Brazil	Catchweight (195 lb) bout.
Win	4–0	Renan Ferreira	Submission (armbar)	Fam Fight Night	September 3, 2016	1	3:37	Goiânia, Brazil	Won the vacant FFMMA Heavyweight Championship.
Win	3–0	Vinicius Lima	Submission (keylock)	The Warriors Combat 3	August 13, 2016	2	4:39	Brasília, Brazil	Heavyweight debut.
Win	2–0	Gustavo Moralis	TKO (punches)	Magal Fight 1	April 16, 2016	1	1:54	Alexânia, Brazil
Win	1–0	Gabriel Scheufler	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Fight K Águia	October 11, 2015	1	2:57	Gama, Brazil	Light Heavyweight debut.

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
2. Christian Stein (January 17, 2019). "Get to know Vinicius Moreira ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 1 in Brooklyn". mmajunkie.com.
3. Mateus Machado (December 17, 2018). "Prestes a estrear no UFC, Vinícius Mamute revela 'quase desistência' e volta por cima no MMA; confira" (in Portuguese). r7.com.
4. Mixed martial arts show results Date: August 11, 2018
5. "MMA Event brings Military on Fight Card". Bem Parana. 2016-09-19. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
6. "Brasília hosts the 77th edition of Shooto Brasil". Super Esportes. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
7. Renjith Ravindran (2018-03-02). "Super Fight League: Defending champions Sher-E-Punjab knocked out by Haryana Sultans". MMA India. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
8. Guilherme Cruz (2018-08-20). "UFC announces 15 fights for Dana White's Contender Series Brazil". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
9. John Morgan (2018-09-07). "Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 3 results: Four fighters get UFC deals". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
10. Jack Crosby (2019-01-13). "UFC Fight Night 143 fight card: TJ Dillashaw vs. Henry Cejudo, Greg Hardy headline ESPN debut in Brooklyn". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
11. Dan Doherty (2019-01-19). "UFC Brooklyn Results: Alonzo Menifield Runs Through Vinicius Moreira in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
12. Natalie Zamudio (2019-06-24). "Eryk Anders Declares 'I'm Back' After Working with Hypnotist". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
13. Ryan Fortune (2019-06-29). "UFC Minneapolis Results: Eryk Anders Starches Vinicius Moreira in 78 Seconds". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
14. Tristen Critchfield (2019-07-27). "Sergio Pettis vs. Alex Perez, Two Other Contests Confirmed for UFC Mexico City on Sept. 21". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
15. Andrew Southwick (2019-09-22). "UFC: Paul Craig beats Vinicius Moreira by submission in Mexico". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
16. "UFC Auckland adds three fights, including Tyson Pedro vs. Vinicius Moreira". MMA Junkie. 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
17. Farah Hannoun (2020-01-02). "UFC Auckland: Tyson Pedro reveals he's out of his fight vs. Vinicius Moreira in New Zealand". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
18. Guilherme Cruz and Mike Heck (2020-06-10). "Former Cage Warriors champ Modestas Bukauskas, Vinicius Moreira agree to fight at July 15 UFC event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
19. Tudor Leonte. "Anderson dos Santos, Vinicius Moreira Out of July 15 'Fight Island' Card After Positive COVID-19 Tests". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
20. Staff (2021-01-15). "Statement on Vinicius Moreira Castro". ufc.com. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
21. DNA, MMA (2020-10-19). "Villanueva en Moreira vechten voor eerste UFC overwinning op 30 januari 2021". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
22. Aaron Malone (2020-12-23). "Mike Jackson makes UFC return following CM Punk win, Fight Island card scrapped - Fight announcement roundup". fightful.com. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
23. Jay Anderson (2021-01-20). "UFC Fight Island 8 Results: "Hurricane" Ike Villanueva Lands, Turns Out Lights on Vinicius Moreira". cagesidepress. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
24. Guillherme Cruz, Damon Martin (2021-02-04). "TUF Brazil winner Antonio Carlos Junior, 11 others no longer under contract with UFC". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
25. "Brazilian Fighting Series 1 | MMA Event". Tapology. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
26. "Open Fighting Championship 9: Maslov vs Moreira | MMA Event". Tapology. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
27. "Open Fighting Championship 15 | MMA & Boxing Event". Tapology. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
28. "Попов победил Сильву в главном поединке турнира ММА Серия-53, со-главный бой закончился массовой потасовкой: видео - 24 июня 2022 - Sport24". sport24.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-07-09.
29. tapology.com (2024-08-24). "Soldado Combat 3". tapology.com. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
30. "Fam Fight Night – Desafio Supremo Faça na Caveirâ estremeceu Goiânia". Revista Lutas. 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
31. Amy Kaplan (2019-09-01). "Potential Prospect: The UFC should sign Renan "Problema" Ferreira". Fansided. Retrieved 2020-06-16.

External links

• Vinicius Moreira at UFC
• Professional MMA record for Vinicius Moreira from Sherdog