Dhiego Lima (born January 31, 1989) is a Brazilian retired

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, incorp ...

who competed in the

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division of the

UFC 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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Lima was born and spent his early childhood in the Brazilian city of

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 ...

and began training in mixed martial arts as a teenager. He moved to the United States with his

brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

, settling in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Lima made his professional debut in 2010 competing for regional promotions across North America, including a five fight stint with

Maximum Fighting Championship Maximum Fighting Championship is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta. MFC’s former home, in Canada, is the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta, located just outside Edmonton, Alberta, but has also ...

. He compiled a record of 9 - 1, before auditioning for

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

''The Ultimate Fighter''

In December 2013, it was announced that Lima would a cast member on ''

The Ultimate Fighter 19 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 19'') is the nineteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The ...

'', representing ''Team Edgar'' at middleweight. Over the course of the show, Lima first defeated Tim Williams in the quarterfinals via submission (rear-naked choke). In the semifinals, Lima went on to defeat Roger Zapata via submission (armbar) to reach the finals.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Lima made his official UFC debut facing fellow castmate and ''Team Edgar'' teammate

Eddie Gordon Eddie Gordon (born Edmund Richard Gordon; 9 February 1959 in Biggin Hill, Farnborough, Kent) is an English music journalist, producer, DJ and music business personality. Early and personal life Born in Biggin Hill, Gordon was raised in Gravesen ...

in the middleweight finals on July 6, 2014

The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn'' (also known as ''The Ultimate Fighter 19'') is the nineteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. The ...

. Lima lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Subsequently, Lima was awarded both ''Performance of the Season'' bonuses for his submission finishes during the season. Lima was expected to face Pawel Pawlak in a welterweight bout on November 8, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 56 ''UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 56'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Ginásio Municipal Tancredo Neves in Uberlândia, Brazil, on November 8, 2014. Background After previously holding even ...

. However, Pawlak was forced to pull out of the fight due to injury and replaced by Jorge de Oliveira. Lima won the fight via unanimous decision. Lima faced

Tim Means Timothy Carl Means (born February 20, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist from Moriarty, New Mexico currently competing in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2004, ...

on February 28, 2015, at

UFC 184 ''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...

. Means won the fight via first-round TKO. Lima filled in as a short notice replacement against

Li Jingliang Li Jingliang (Chinese: 李景亮; pinyin: Lǐ Jǐngliàng; born March 20, 1988) is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes as a welterweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 13, 2022, he is #15 in the UFC welterweight ...

on May 16, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 66 ''UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 66'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 16, 2015, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. Background The event was the first that the organization has hosted ...

, replacing Roger Zapata. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round. On July 5, 2015, Lima confirmed his release from the UFC.

''The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''

In February 2017, it was revealed that Lima would compete again on the UFC's reality show in the 25th season on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''. Lima was the fourth pick overall for Team Dillashaw. He faced Hayder Hassan in the opening round and won by unanimous decision. He faced Gilbert Smith in the quarter finals, winning the bout in a third round sudden death victory. Smith announced his retirement after the loss to Lima. In the semi-finals, Lima faced teammate Tom Gallicchio and won by unanimous decision to be the first fighter in the finals.

UFC return

Three years after his first stint on the show, Lima faced teammate

Jesse Taylor Jesse Marcus Taylor (born January 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt fighter currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was ...

in the finals on July 7, 2017, at The Ulimate Fighter: Redemption Finale. He lost the back-and-forth fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Lima faced

Yushin Okami is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Okami has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Pancrase, M-1 Global, World Series of Fighting, DEEP, Professional Fighters League, and ONE Championship. Mixed martial arts caree ...

on April 14, 2018, at

UFC on Fox 29 ''UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on FOX 29'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 14, 2018, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Background After pr ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Lima faced

Chad Laprise Chad Laprise (born July 23, 1986) is a retired Canadian professional mixed martial artist who competed for the UFC in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, Laprise won '' The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Austra ...

on December 8, 2018, at

UFC 231 ''UFC 231: Holloway vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on December 8, 2018 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Background A UFC Featherweight Championship bout between M ...

. He won the fight by knockout in the first round. As the last fight of his The Ultimate Fighter contract, Lima faced

Court McGee Courtney Scott "Court" McGee (born December 12, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, McGee mostly fought in local prom ...

on April 27, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson. He won the fight via split decision. After the McGee fight, Lima signed a new contract with the UFC and faced

Luke Jumeau Luke Jumeau (born 12 February 1988) is a New Zealand mixed martial artist, and he competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Jumeau was born in Hamilton, New Zealand. Raised by a single moth ...

on October 6, 2019, at

UFC 243 ''UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 6, 2019, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Background The event was the ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Despite the win, Lima's manager revealed that they are going to appeal the split decision to be turned to unanimous. Lima was scheduled to face

Alex Morono Alexander Quincy Morono (born August 16, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently fights as a welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2010, Morono has also fought for Legacy ...

on February 8, 2020, at

UFC 247 ''UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 8, 2020 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship ...

. However, on January 22, 2020, Lima was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a neck injury. Lima was scheduled to face

Belal Muhammad Belal Muhammad (born July 9, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the UFC welterweight division. A professional since 2012, he has also competed for Bellator and Titan FC. As of October 24, 2022, he is #4 ...

, replacing Sean Brady on December 19, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 183 ''UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 183'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 41'' and ''UFC Vegas 17'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 19, 2020 at the UF ...

. However, Muhammed was diagnosed with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

during the week leading up to the event and the bout was scrapped from the card, and the bout was rescheduled to February 13, 2021, at

UFC 258 ''UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 13, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

Lima lost the fight via unanimous decision. Lima faced Matt Brown on June 19, 2021, at

UFC on ESPN 25 ''UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 25'' and ''UFC Vegas 29'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 19, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enter ...

. He lost the fight by knockout in the second round. In February 2022, Lima announced his retirement from competition in MMA.

Personal life

Dhiego Lima is the younger brother of the former Bellator Welterweight champion

Douglas Lima Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. ...

. He is also owner, along with his brother

, of American Top Team - Team Lima in

Lawrenceville, Georgia Lawrenceville is a city in and the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. It is a suburb of Atlanta, located approximately northeast of downtown. As of the 2020 census, the population of Lawrenceville was 30,629. In 2019, the ...

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

- Performance of the Season (Lima was awarded both Performance bonuses) *Runner up on ''

'' *Runner up on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption''

Titan Fighting Championship Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

* Titan FC Welterweight Championship (One Time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 , Matt Brown , KO (punch) , UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:02 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–7 ,

, Decision (split) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 14–7 ,

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

Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 97,335. Sunrise was incorporated in 1961 and founded ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–7 ,

, KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the la ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:43 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5 ,

Jason Jackson Jason Jackson (born May 12, 1972) is an American sportscaster and writer. He worked for ESPN from 1995 until 2002 for sending inappropriate messages to a female co-worker. best known as the host of ''NBA 2Night''. Jason is currently the TV Host/C ...

, TKO (punches) , Titan FC 42 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 , Coral Gables,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 ,

David Michaud David Michaud (born November 10, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2009, he formerly competed for the Professional Fighters League, Legacy Fighti ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Titan FC 39 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Coral Gables,

, United States , , - , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Antonio Trócoli , Decision (unanimous) , Legacy FC 53 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:25 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Jorge de Oliveira , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Saint Preux , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uberlândia Uberlândia () is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. It is the second largest municipality in the state of Minas Gerais after the state capital Belo Horizonte. Its population in 2020 was 699,097, making it the fou ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–2 ,

, KO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

Ricky Rainey Ricky Rainey (born June 29, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2011, Rainey has previously competed for Bellator and in the UFC's Welterweight division. Mixed martial arts career Early career After compi ...

, Decision (split) , XFC 25: Boiling Point , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Roger Carroll , TKO (punches) , Wild Bill's Fight Night 53 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:06 ,

Duluth, Georgia Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, Duluth had a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Nick Hinchliffe , Decision (unanimous) , MFC 34 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 ,

Nathan Coy Nathan David Coy (born July 24, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2008, he has also competed for Bellator, the MFC, and Strikeforce. ...

, Decision (unanimous) , MFC 32 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Jamie Toney , KO (punches) , MFC 30: Up Close & Personal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Josh Taveirne , Submission (rear-naked choke) , MFC 29: Conquer , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:35 ,

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Bill Fraser , KO (punch) , MFC 27 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:36 , Enoch, Alberta, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Keon Caldwell , Submission (armbar) , Sportfight X - 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:44 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kenny Moss , Submission (triangle choke) , Sportfight X - 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:28 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Steve Montgomery , Submission (triangle choke) , Fight Party , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:41 ,

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Tom Gallicchio , Decision (unanimous) , rowspan=3, The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , rowspan=3,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Gilbert Smith , Decision (unanimous) , (airdate) , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Hayder Hassan , Decision (unanimous) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Roger Zapata , Submission (armbar) , rowspan=3,

, (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:34 , rowspan=3,

, United States , , - , win , align=center, 2–0 , Tim Williams , Submission (rear-naked choke) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:36 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Adam Stroup , Decision (unanimous) , (airdate) , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lima, Dhiego Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Brazilian male mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Goiânia Living people 1989 births Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu