5 Things You Might Not Know About Rodolfo Vieira

Rodolfo Vieira shoulders the burden of meeting overbearing hype with real-world results. So far, so good—with one exception.

The 32-year-old submission grappling savant will ride an impressive 8-1 record into his next Ultimate Fighting Championship assignment. Vieira has won three of his four bouts inside the Octagon. He last appeared at UFC on ESPN 26, where he rebounded from his shocking upset loss to former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Anthony Hernandez five months prior with a rear-naked choke submission of Dustin Stoltzfus on July 17.

As Vieira awaits word from UFC matchmakers, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He thrives in close-quarters confrontation.

Vieira holds the rank of black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Julio Cesar Pereira. A five-time BJJ world champion, he also struck gold at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Vieira carries the deserved and well-earned reputation as one of the greatest grapplers to ever enter mixed martial arts.

2. His late start was worth the wait.

“The Black Belt Hunter” did not make his mixed martial arts debut until he was 27 years old. Vieira submitted Zarylbek Daniyar with a rear-naked choke in the Arzalet Fighting Globe Championship 1 main event on Feb. 10, 2017. Daniyar raised the white flag 2:27 into Round 1.

3. He remains true to his roots.

Vieira’s otherworldly grappling skills have translated seamlessly to MMA, evidenced by the fact that he has finished all eight of his victories on the ground. Seven of those eight wins—he put away Alexander Neufang with mounted ground-and-pound under the Absolute Championship Berkut banner in March 2018—have resulted in submissions. His methods of choice: four rear-naked chokes and three arm-triangle chokes.

4. Like-minded assassins form his inner circle.

The Rio de Janeiro native operates out of the Fusion X-Cel academy—the same Ocoee, Florida, gym that two-time ADCC Submission Grappling World Championships gold medalist and former Strikeforce middleweight titleholder Ronaldo Souza calls home.

5. His skills have made him a highly sought-after commodity.

Vieira has already competed in five different countries during his brief but eventful nine-fight mixed martial arts career. He has fought three times in his native Brazil, three times in the United States, once in Australia, once in Poland and once in Uruguay.