Leonardo "Leo" Leite (born March 23, 1978, in

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

) is a retired Brazilian

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

jiu jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

practitioner, and mixed martial artist.

Martial arts career

Judo

Leite began his career in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

in 1984 at the Federal Club under Omar Brazil. In 1988, at age 10, he transferred to the

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football ...

and began to participate in official competitions of the Judo Federation of Rio de Janeiro and the

Brazilian Judo Confederation The Brazilian Judo Confederation ( pt, Confederação Brasileira de Judô (CBJ)) is the national body responsible for managing and promoting the sport of judo in Brazil, founded on 18 March 1969 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. The CBJ is a ...

. In 1997, he achieved a place in the Brazilian junior national team, and in 1998 the first call for leading the Brazilian judo team, which he continued until 2012. Leite also works as a TV commentator for Judo and

MMA 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 ...

events.

Jiu Jitsu

Parallel to his judo career, in 1993 he began his career in

jiu-jitsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

under the supervision of Alexandre Paiva, who coaches him still today. In 1999, Leite competed in the

World Jiu-Jitsu Championship The World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship (commonly known as the Worlds or Mundials) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held once every year by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. It is widely considered to be the most important and ...

, Jiu Jitsu's most important competition, for the first time. He was a brown belt then and was expecting to compete in that division. However, his coach Paiva had other plans for him, and two weeks before the event he promoted him to black belt. Leite won the competition, winning in the final against a legend in the sport,

Mario Sperry is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

MMA

In 2013, Leite started his MMA career. Competing in his native Brazil, he amassed a record of 4–0 in his first year in the sport. In 2014, Leite began fighting for

Legacy Fighting Championship 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, ...

in the United States. He won the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight titles while with the promotion. In 2017, Leite entered

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 ...

with an undefeated 10–0 record. In his first fight for the promotion, he faced Phil Davis on November 3, 2017 at Bellator 186. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. In his second fight for the promotion, Leite faced

Chris Honeycutt Chris Honeycutt (born July 25, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly fought in Bellator's Middleweight division. Background Born in Brook Park, Ohio, Honeycutt began wrestling at the age of four. Honeycutt attended North Ando ...

on July 13, 2018 at Bellator 202. He again lost the fight by unanimous decision. After almost 4 years away due to a nearly fatal case of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and a leg injury that required a long stay in the hospital, Leite returned for his farewell bout at LFA 132 on May 13, 2022 against Patrick Quadros. He won the bout via unanimous decision and retired from MMA.

Accomplishments

Judo

*Brazilian Olympic Team - Pekin 2008 and London 2012 *3x Pan American Champion *2x South American Champion *Three medals on the

World Judo Championships The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place) by the International Judo ...

Team competition *2x Second place on the Judo World Cup Championship *1x Third place on Judo World Cup Championship

Jiu Jitsu

*8x Brazilian Champion *4x World Champion *2x World Cup Champion *South American Champion heavy weight and open weight *6x Second place on Jiu-Jitsu World Championship

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Patrick Quadros , Decision (unanimous) , LFA 132 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 202 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1 , Phil Davis , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 186 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

University Park, Pennsylvania University Park (also referred to as Penn State University Park) is the name given to the Pennsylvania State University's main campus located in both State College and College Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post office was de ...

, United States ,

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

bout. , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Moise Rimbon , Decision (majority) , Fight2Night 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Julio Juarez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Iron FC 10: POP , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 ,

, Brazil , Won the Iron FC Light Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Matt Masterson , TKO (punches) , Final Fight Championship 25 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

, USA , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Ryan Spann , Decision (unanimous) ,

48 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , Lake Charles, Louisiana USA , Defended the Legacy FC Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Larry Crowe , TKO (knee & punches) ,

39 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:19 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

USA ,

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

debut; won the Legacy FC Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Myron Dennis , Submission (rear naked choke) ,

35 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 4:50 ,

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

USA , Won the Legacy FC Light Heavyweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Elias Mendonca , Submission (rear naked choke) , BC: Bitetti Combat 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:07 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Fabio Marongiu , Decision (unanimous) , WOCS: Watch Out Combat Show 31 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Diosman Nery de Jesus , Decision (unanimous) , BC: Bitetti Combat 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Alessandro Macedo , Submission (rear naked choke) , Fight Against Crack , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Submission grappling record

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:80%; text-align:left;" , - ! Result ! Weight category ! Opponent ! Method ! text-center, Event ! Year ! Stage , - , Win , , 100KG, ,

, , Points: 4x0, , BJJ World Championship, , 1999, , Final , - , Loss, , Absolute, , Fernando Margarida, , Points: 9x2, , BJJ World Championship, , 2000, , Semifinal , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Aurelio Fernandes, , Points, , BJJ World Championship, , 2000, , Final , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Ronald Bauer, , Points, , BJJ World Championship, , 2003, , Round1 , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Francisco Fernandes, , N/A, , BJJ World Championship, , 2003, , 4F , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Marcio Corleta, , Points: 4x2, , BJJ World Championship, , 2003, , Semifinal , - , Loss, , Over 100KG, ,

Fabricio Werdum Fabricio () is a Spanish male given name. Fabrício () is the Portuguese equivalent. Among those with the first name are: *Fabricio Coloccini, Argentine footballer *Fabrício Guerreiro (born 1990), Brazilian mixed martial artist *Fabricio Oberto, A ...

, , Points, , BJJ World Championship, , 2003, , Final , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Aurelio Fernandes, , Points: 2x0, , BJJ World Cup, , 2003, , Semifinal , - , Win , , Over 100KG, ,

, , N/A, , BJJ World Cup, , 2003, , Final , - , Win , , Over 88KG, , Marco Vilela, , Armbar, , Team Nationals, , 2004, , Final , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Adriano Pires, , Points, , BJJ World Cup, , 2005, , Semifinal , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Gabriel Napao, , Points: 4x0, , BJJ World Cup, , 2005, , Final , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Mauro Jorge, , Submission, , BJJ World Championship, , 2006, , 4F , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Lucio Rodrigues, , RNC, , BJJ World Championship, , 2006, , Semifinal , - , Loss, , Over 100KG, ,

Gabriel Gonzaga Gabriel Gonzaga Santos Nogueira (; born 18 May 1979) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is perhaps best known for his upset head-kick knockout of M ...

, , Points: 4x0, , BJJ World Championship, , 2006, , Final , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Asa Fuller, , Choke, , BJJ World Championship, , 2008, , Round1 , - , Loss, , Over 100KG, ,

Roger Gracie Roger Gracie (born Roger Gracie Gomes; 26 September, 1981) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist and former professional Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) competitor. The son of coral belt Mauricio Gomes and grandson of BJJ founder Carlos Gracie, ...

, , Cross choke, , BJJ World Championship, , 2008, , Final , - , Loss, , Over 99KG, , Charles Cachoeira, , Points, , Capital Challenge, , 2008, , Semifinal , - , Win , , Over 99KG, ,

, , Points, , Capital Challenge, , 2008, , 3PLC , - , Loss, , Absolute, ,

Braulio Estima Braulio de Oliveira Estima is a 4th degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He received his black belt from Carlos Gracie Jr. on January 4, 2004. Throughout his grappling career, he has won in many Brazilian Jiu-J ...

, , Points, , Capital Challenge, , 2008, , Final , - , Loss, , 99KG, , Leo Chocolate, , Referee Decision, , ADCC Trials, , 2009, , Semifinal , - , Loss, , Over 100KG, , T. Gaia, , Choke, , Brasileiro, , 2012, , Semifinal , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Unknown, , N/A, , BJJ World Championship, , 2012, , Round2 , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , R. Evangelista, , Points: 2x2, Adv, , BJJ World Championship, , 2012, , 4F , - , Win , , Over 100KG, , Alexander Trans, , Points: 2x0, , BJJ World Championship, , 2012, , Semifinal , - , Loss, , Over 100KG, ,

Marcus Almeida Marcus Vinícius Oliveira de Almeida, also known as Buchecha (born January 8, 1990 in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner and black belt under Rodrigo Cavaca, who ...

, , Armbar, , BJJ World Championship, , 2012, , Final , - , Loss, , 94KG, ,

Rodolfo Vieira Rodolfo Vieira Srour (born September 25, 1989 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he competes in the middleweight division. Vieir ...

, , Armbar, , Copa Podio, , 2013, , SPF , - , Win , , Absolute, , Anderson Lima, , N/A, , BJJ World Championship, , 2013, , RDS , - , Win , , Absolute, , DJ Jackson, , Points, , BJJ World Championship, , 2013, , RDS , - , Win , , Absolute, , Andre Galvao, , Referee Decision, , BJJ World Championship, , 2013, , 4F , - , Loss, , Absolute, ,

, , Armbar, , BJJ World Championship, , 2013, , Semifinal , - , Loss, , 100KG, , Joao Rocha, , Choke from back, , BJJ World Championship, , 2013, , 4F , - , Loss, , Absolute, ,

, , Points: 14x2, , Copa Podio, , 2013, , Semifinal , -

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leite, Leonardo Brazilian male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1978 births Living people Brazilian male judoka South American Games gold medalists for Brazil South American Games medalists in judo Competitors at the 2010 South American Games Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city)