Leandro Higo (born January 19, 1989) is a Brazilian

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 competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also competed for

Resurrection Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

and

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

. As of June 28, 2022, he is #7 in the Bellator Bantamweight Rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Higo made his

debut on August 21, 2015 vs. Terrion Ware at RFA 29, winning by rear-naked choke at the end of round 3. Following a first round victory over Melvin Blumer at RFA 32, he won the RFA

title with a first round rear-naked choke victory against Joey Miolla at RFA 37. Higo made his debut with

in the company's debut at LFA 1: Peterson vs. Higo, defeating

Steven Peterson Steven Timothy Peterson (born May 29, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Peterson currently competes in the Featherweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2010, Peterson ha ...

via unanimous decision to win the inaugural LFA Bantamweight Championship.

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil

Higo competed in the

division on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4. He defeated Maycon Silvan in the elimination round via first round arm-triangle choke, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Bruno Rodrigues Mesquita via first round rear-naked choke. After Giovanni Santos was forced to leave the season due to an infection, Higo reluctantly accepted to replace Santos to face Matheus Mattos in another quarterfinal bout. However, his rib injury sustained in the previous week's bout with Mesquita worsened and he was forced to withdraw.

Bellator MMA

Higo made his Bellator debut as a late replacement for

Darrion Caldwell Darrion Caldwell (born December 19, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler, who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion ...

against

titlist

Eduardo Dantas Eduardo Dantas (born 3 February 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Dantas mostly fought for the Bellator MMA where he was the former two-ti ...

in a non-title bout at Bellator 177, losing via split decision. Higo faced

Joe Taimanglo Joe Taimanglo (born June 27, 1984) is a Guamanian professional mixed martial artist of Chamorro ethnicity who competes in Bellator's Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2004, Taimanglo has also formerly competed for Pacific Xt ...

on October 6, 2017 at Bellator 184, winning via unanimous decision. Higo earned an opportunity to compete for the Bellator Bantamweight Championship vs.

on March 2, 2018 at Bellator 195, losing via first round guillotine choke. For his next bout, Higo moved up to

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 ...

and faced

Aaron Pico Aaron Pico (born September 23, 1996) is an American mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler who currently competes in the featherweight division of Bellator MMA. As a freestyle wrestler, Pico competed at 65 kilograms, where he placed ...

Bellator 206 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) ** ...

on September 29, 2018. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. After the failed attempt in featherweight division, Higo returned to the bantamweight division to face Shawn Bunch at Bellator 228 on September 28, 2019. He won the fight via submission in the second round. Subsequently he signed a new exclusive, multi-fight contract with Bellator. Higo was expected to face Johnny Campbell in a bantamweight bout at Bellator 241 on March 13, 2020. However, Campbell withdrew from the bout due to an injury and was replaced by Dominic Mazzotta, the bout continuing as a featherweight bout. Higo then faced Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 249 on October 15, 2020. Higo missed the contracted weight, but went on to win the bout via second-round submission. Higo faced

Bellator 259 Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by Bellator MMA at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event featured a Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the ...

on May 21, 2021. At the weigh-ins, Higo weighed in at 137.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Higo was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Caldwell. Higo won the bout via split decision.

Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix

Higo faced

Danny Sabatello Danny Sabatello (born March 31, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. As of December 13, 2022, he is #5 in the Bellator Bantamweight Rankings. Background Coming from a Sicilian fa ...

in the quarter-finals of the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix at

Bellator 282 ''Bellator 282: Mousasi vs. Eblen'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on June 24, 2022 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, United States. Background Gegard Mousasi defended his Middleweight t ...

on June 24, 2022. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Personal life

Higo has a son.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 21–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...

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, Decision (split) ,

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–5 , Ricky Bandejas , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 249 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 , Shawn Bunch , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 228 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:34 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 ,

, TKO (elbow and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:19 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

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, Submission (guillotine choke) , Bellator 195 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (33. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 184 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 ,

, Decision (split) , Bellator 177 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, Hungary , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , LFA 1: Peterson vs. Higo , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 , Joey Miolla , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA 37 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Melvin Blumer , TKO (punches) , RFA 32 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 ,

Prior Lake, Minnesota Prior Lake is an exurban city southwest of Minneapolis seated next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city lies south of the Minnesota River in an area kn ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Terrion Ware , Submission (rear-naked choke) , RFA 29 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Eduardo de Souza Silva , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Coliseu Extreme Fight 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Alagoas Alagoas (, ) is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is the city of Maceió. It ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Francisco Antonio Araujo Rodrigues , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Arena Fight 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Rio Grande Do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", ref ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Alex Silva , Decision (unanimous) , Conquista Kombat Championship , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Janailson Kevin Pereira Lima , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Fort MMA 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:04 ,

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

Iliarde Santos Iliarde Santos (born September 25, 1980) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, Titan FC, and Jungle Fight. Mixed martial arts career ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Jungle Fight 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Pará Pará is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian state) ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Erinaldo dos Santos Rodrigues , Decision (unanimous) , WFE 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Wagner Campos , Decision (unanimous) , WFE 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Marcos Vinicius Costa Silva , TKO (retirement) , Recife Fighting Championship 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:58 ,

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Dudu Dudu , KO (punch) , Nocaute Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:05 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Gleidson Alves Martins , Submission (triangle armbar) , Guamare Fight 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:45 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Arivaldo Batista da Silva , KO (punch) , Nordeste Fight Vale Tudo 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:12 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Diego Tubarao , Submission (armbar) , Nordeste Fight Vale Tudo 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:50 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Jose Mario Tome , Submission (armbar) , Arena Fight - Limoeiro 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 , Ceara, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Rodrigo Barbosa , Submission (triangle choke) , MZI: Fight 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:49 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Gilson Gilson , Submission (armbar) , Nordeste Mega Fight Vale Tudo 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:50 ,

, Brazil ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , Reginaldo Vieira , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Maycon Silvan , Submission (arm triangle choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Higo, Leandro 1989 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Bellator male fighters Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu