Markus Perez Echeimberg (born June 22, 1990) 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 ...

currently competing in the

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 ...

division. A professional since 2013, he has also fought for

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 ...

(UFC),

Jungle Fight Jungle Fight is a Brazilian mixed martial arts and kickboxing promotion. It was created in 2003. The name is derived from its origin, the Amazonas state in Brazil. History Jungle Fight was founded by pioneering MMA fighter and long-time Brazi ...

and the

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, ...

, where he is the former Middleweight Champion.

Background

Echeimberg started training

Kung-Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

style

Eagle Claw Eagle Claw (; pinyin: yīng zhǎo pài; ''eagle claw school'') is a style of Chinese martial arts known for its gripping techniques, system of joint locks, takedowns, and pressure point strikes, which is representative of Chinese grappling kn ...

in 2008 to impersonate

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

and later transitioned to

mixed martial arts 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, inc ...

(MMA) after his brother took him to a jiu-jitsu class. Prior competing full-time in MMA, Markus worked as an

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

engineer at technology school and he was also a freelanced

software developer Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, Computer programming, programming, software documentation, documenting, software testing, testing, and Software bugs, bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applic ...

, and he quit his job and college to teach

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

and competed in

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

to make a living so he could pursue MMA full-time. After made it to the preliminary round of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, he gained his parents support as they realized his seriousness of his MMA career choice.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Echeimberg fought in the Brazilian-based promotions and amassed of a record of 9–0 prior joining UFC after winning the

(LFA) middleweight championship.

The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil

Echeimberg was chosen to be a fighter on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3''. In the opening elimination round, he lost to Guilherme Vasconcelos via submission (rear-naked choke) in the first round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Less than two months after winning the vacant

(LFA), Echeimberg was signed by UFC. Perez made his UFC debut on December 9, 2017 against

Eryk Anders Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama. Early ...

, replacing John Phillips, at

UFC Fight Night 123 ''UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 123'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on December 9, 2017, at Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Background ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. His next fight came on May 12, 2018 against James Bochnovic at

UFC 224 ''UFC 224: Nunes vs. Pennington'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on May 12, 2018, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The UFC was initially targeting a UFC Wom ...

. He won the fight via a submission. On August 25, 2018, Perez faced

Andrew Sanchez Andrew William Sanchez (born April 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...

, replacing

Antonio Braga Neto Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

, at

UFC Fight Night 135 ''UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 135'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on August 25, 2018 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, United Stat ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Perez faced promotional newcomer Anthony Hernandez on February 2, 2019 at

UFC on ESPN+ 2 ''UFC on ESPN: Barboza vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 30, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Backg ...

. He won the fight via technical submission in the second round. Perez was scheduled to face promotional newcomer Deron Winn on June 22, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 11 However, it was reported on May 9, 2019 that Perez pulled out of the fight due to injury. Perez was scheduled to face

Jack Marshman Jack Robert Marshman (born December 19, 1989) is a retired Welsh professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has competed for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), BAMMA a ...

on November 16, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 22. However, Marshman was pulled from the event for undisclosed reason and he was replaced by Wellington Turman. Perez faced

Wellington Turman Wellington Turman (born July 22, 1996) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Turman was born and grew up in Curitiba, Brazil. He ...

on November 16, 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Jacaré. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Perez was scheduled to face

Alessio Di Chirico Alessio Di Chirico (born December 12, 1989) is an Italian former mixed martial artist who competed in Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Di Chirico was born in Rome, Italy. He attended University of Fo ...

, replacing Abu Azaitar, on April 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the event was eventually cancelled. Perez was scheduled to face

Eric Spicely Eric Benjamin Spicely (born September 29, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler competing in the middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, he formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championsh ...

on August 1, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan. However, Spicely was removed from the fight on the day of the event's weigh-in for health issues related to his weight cut. Perez will now face Charles Ontiveros Perez was scheduled to face

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 ...

on October 11, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 179 ''UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 179'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 37'' and ''UFC Fight Island 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 11, 2020 at ...

, However on September 21, Vieira pulled out due to undisclosed reasons, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer

Dricus du Plessis Dricus du Plessis (born 14 January 1994) is a South African professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He previously competed in the Middleweight division of ...

. Perez lost the fight via knockout in round one. Perez faced

Dalcha Lungiambula Dalcha Lungiambula (born July 31, 1987) is a Congolese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career Lungiambula was born in Kinshasa ...

, replacing Isi Fitikefu, on January 20, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 20 ''UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 20'' and ''UFC Fight Island 8'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 20, 2021, at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. On February 4, 2021, it was announced that Perez was released from his UFC contract.

Post-UFC career

Perez was scheduled to face Shane O'Shea at Titan FC 68 on March 26, 2021. However, the bout was cancelled due to an unknown reason. Perez was scheduled to face Christiano Frohlich on July 2, 2021 at LFA 110. The bout was scratched days before the event for unknown reasons. Perez faced Zac Pauga on October 17, 2021 at Cage Warriors 130. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Perez faced Filipe Moitinho on December 19, 2021 at Thunder Fight 33. He won the bout via guillotine submission 33 seconds into the bout.

Championships and achievements

** Legacy Fighting Alliance Middleweight Champion (One time) *Thunder Fight ** Thunder Fight Middleweight Champion

Personal life

Echeimberg's moniker "Maluko", an adaptation of the word "maluco", which means "crazy" in Portuguese, was given by his teammates, who thought he was crazy after he asked his coach if he could wear

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

pants and shoes when he train boxing to impersonate

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 14–6 , Chase Gamble , Submission (rear-naked choke) , AFL: Invincible 2023 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–6 , Filipe Moitinho , Submission (guillotine choke) , Thunder Fight 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

São Bernardo do Campo São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 844,483 (2020 est.) in an area of . History The city was founded b ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 , Zac Pauga , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 130 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

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

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Magny vs. Chiesa , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 ,

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–3 ,

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

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Anthony Hernandez , Technical Submission (anaconda choke) , UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:07 ,

Fortaleza Fortaleza (, locally , Portuguese for ''Fortress'') is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. It belongs to the Metropolitan mesoregion of Fortaleza and microregion of Fortaleza. It is Brazil's 5th largest city and the t ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , James Bochnovic , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:28 ,

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, 10–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Ortega , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

Ian Heinisch Ian Edward Heinisch (born August 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2015, he has also competed for the World Series of Fightin ...

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , LFA 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populatio ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 ,

Ildemar Alcântara Ildemar Alcântara Cardoso (; born 7 November 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the light heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, he has formerly competed in the UFC and is the younger brother ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Arzalet Fighting Globe Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 ,

Paulo Thiago Paulo Thiago Alencar Antunes (; born January 25, 1981) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Middleweight (MMA), Middleweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, KSW. A professional competitor since 2005, he ha ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Thunder Fight 7 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Fabricio Almeida Gonçalves , KO (spinning back elbow) , Aspera Fighting Championship 38 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:34 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Anderson Melo , TKO (punches) , Battle of Kings , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

Ilhéus Ilhéus () is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 211 km south of Salvador, Brazil, Salvador, the state's capital. The city was founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the mos ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Rafael Silva , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Thunder Fight 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Giovani Colombo , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Interior Fight: Fight For Your Destiny , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Bruno da Silva , Submission (kneebar) , Jungle Fight 58 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Marcelo Matias , Decision (unanimous) , RSF 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Rene Pessoa , TKO (punches) , Pegada Magazine: Desafio Revista Pegada , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:29 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Markus Living people 1990 births Brazilian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian Muay Thai practitioners Sportspeople from São Paulo Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters