Rodolfo Vieira Srour (born September 25, 1989 in

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 ...

) 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, incorpo ...

currently signed with the

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 ...

, where he competes in the middleweight division. Vieira is a four time

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 ...

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and a seven time

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

champion. Rodolfo's Jiu-Jitsu style displays a very diverse set of skills, allied with a fast pace guard passing style, great cardio and huge physical prowess, making him the most dominant Heavyweight in Jiu-Jitsu's recent years by completely dominating most of his fights. He is highly regarded for his guard passing skills. His recurrent matches with

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 ...

are among Jiu-Jitsu's most famous rivalries.

Background

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Rodolfo started training under Arlans Maia when he was 13, because he felt overweight. A few years later he joined the Gama Filho team (now Grappling Fight Team) under Julio Cesar Pereira, as a purple belt, where he would go on to receive his brown and black belts.

Grappling career

Rodolfo first made an impression on the international scene in 2009, by winning the World Cup Brazilian north trials as a brown belt in a mixed brown and black belt division. He went on to win his division

with a victory over two-time world champion

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 ...

, whilst he was still a brown belt, this earned him the nickname "black belt hunter". After promotion to black belt, injury sidelined him throughout most of 2010. He returned in 2011 at the black belt division, first winning his division and the absolute at the Pan American Championships then repeating the feat at the

and then the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, he faced Bernardo Faria in five out of the six finals. Vieira would go on to compete at the 2011

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, is an international submission wrestling, submission grappling competition, organised by the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC). The inaugural tournament was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE in 1998. It has been ...

, after defeating Joseph Lee Blaize and Antonio Peinado, he lost by heel hook to

Dean Lister Dean Richard Lister (born February 13, 1976) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2000 until 2015, he fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, and California-based promotion King of t ...

, in the semi-finals. In 2012 after winning double gold at the European Championships and the

again, he went on to the

. He suffered a defeat to

in the quarter-finals of absolute division, he went on to defeat

Xande Ribeiro Alexandre Ribeiro (born January 20, 1981) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, mixed martial artist and submission wrestler. He is a two-time World Black Belt Absolute (open weight) World ...

to win his weight class for a second time. In 2013 he competed in the Copa Podio in Brazil, where he won his weight division and the absolute. He then competed at the

, where he won his weight division but came second in the absolute again losing to

. At the

, Vieira retained his title in the -94 kg weight class but lost to Almeida in the final of the absolute. In 2014 in an effort to defeat

Rodolfo put on more weight and moved up to the -100 kg weight class, at the 2014

he won his weight class defeating Luiz Panza in the final, but again was defeated by

in the absolute final, however the match was much closer than their last previously contested matches. On December 11, 2020, Vieira returned to grappling competition to headline a Who's Number One event against

Kaynan Duarte Kaynan Casemiro Duarte (born January 24, 1998) is a Brazilian submission grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt competitor. Duarte is a two-time champion at both the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship and World IBJJF Jiu-Jits ...

. Vieira was submitted with a rear-naked choke in 2:28.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Vieira made his professional debut, as a light heavyweight, against Daniyar Zarylbekov at Arzalet Fighting Globe Championship 1 on February 10, 2017. He won the fight by a first-round rear-naked choke submission. Vieira was scheduled to face Fagner Rakchal at Shooto Brazil 74 on August 27, 2017. He won the fight by a third-round submission.

Absolute Championship Berkut

Vieria made his ACB and middleweight debuts against Alexander Neufang at ACB 82 on March 9, 2018. Vieria won the fight by a first-round technical knockout. Vieria made his second appearance with the promotion against Jacob Holyman-Tague at ACB 88 on June 16, 2018. He won the fight by a first-round submission. Vieria was scheduled to face Vitaliy Nemchinov at ACA 96 on June 8, 2019. Vieria won the fight by a first-round submission.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Vieira was signed by UFC in June 2019. Vieira made his debut at UFC, facing

Oskar Piechota Oskar Piechota (born January 24, 1990) is a Polish mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed for Cage Warriors where ...

, at

UFC on ESPN+ 14 ''UFC Fight Night: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 156'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 14'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 10, 2019 at Antel Arena in Mont ...

on August 10, 2019. He won the fight via an arm-triangle submission in round two. Vieira faced

Saparbek Safarov Saparbek Dibirovich Safarov (russian: Сапарбек Сафаров; born 14 October 1986) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who competes in the light heavyweight division. He competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial art ...

on March 7, 2020 at

UFC 248 ''UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 7, 2020 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. B ...

. He again won the fight via an arm-triangle submission in the first round. Vieira was scheduled to face

Markus Perez Markus Perez Echeimberg (born June 22, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional since 2013, he has also fought for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Jungle Fight and the Lega ...

on October 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 179. However, on September 21, Vieira pulled out due to rib injury that was sustained in training, forcing him to rest and not be able to prepare for the fight. Vieira was scheduled to face Anthony Hernandez on January 16, 2021 at UFC on ABC 1. However, Hernandez pulled out due to a positive COVID-19 test and they were rescheduled for

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 Stat ...

on February 13, 2021. After a competitive first round Vieira became fatigued and was submitted via guillotine choke in round two. After the loss, Vieira vowed to fix his cardio issues. Vieira faced

Dustin Stoltzfus Dustin Stoltzfus (born November 15, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Stoltzfus grew up in the Pennsylvania Dutch community outside of Ronks, Penn ...

on July 17, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 26 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 ...

. He won the fight via rear-naked choke submission in round three. This win earned him the''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award. Shortly after the fight, Vieira began working with Mano Santana,

Lyoto Machida (born 30 May 1978), is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and karateka, who currently competes in the Light heavyweight division. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light ...

's Karate coach, to improve his striking. Vieira was scheduled to face

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 January 22, 2022 at

UFC 270 ''UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 22, 2022 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background A UFC Heavyweight Championship title unificati ...

. However after Vieira was forced to withdraw due to medical reasons, the bout was cancelled. It was revealed after his withdrawal that Vieira had to undergo a cerebral angiography in order to determine if he would be able to continue fighting professionally, and he was cleared to continue. Vieira faced Chris Curtis on June 25, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 38. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Vieira was scheduled to face Cody Brundage on November 19, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 215 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 ...

. However, Vieira pull out from the event due to undisclosed reason and the bout was scrapped.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(One Time) vs.

Grappling

IBJJF The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Ji ...

**IBJJF World Champion (weight and absolute weight classes) (2014/2013/2012/2011). **IBJJF Pans Champion (weight and absolute weight classes) Champion (2011) **IBJJF European Open Champion (weight and absolute weight classes) (2012) **IBJJF World Championship Runner-up (absolute weight class) (2014/2013/2012) * ADCC **ADCC Champion (2015) **Copa Pódio **Copa Pódio Champion (2014/2013) **IBJJF Europea **IBJJF European Open Champion (weight and absolute weight classes)(2012) **UAEJJF Abu Dhabi **UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (absolute weight class)(2014) **UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (weight and absolute weight classes)(2012/2011) **CBJJ Brazilian **CBJJ Brazilian Champion (weight and absolute weight classes)(2008 purple belt) **CBJJ Brazilian Champion (weight and absolute weight classes) ( 2007 blue belt)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 , Chris Curtis , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:54 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 , Anthony Hernandez , Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Shevchenko vs. Carmouche 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:26 , Montevideo, Uruguay , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Vitaliy Nemchinov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ACA 96 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jacob Holyman-Tague , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ACB 88 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:51 ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Alexander Neufang , TKO (punches) , ACB 82 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:42 ,

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 Ga ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Fagner Rakchal , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Shooto Brazil 74 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:47 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Daniyar Zarylbekov , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Arzalet Fighting Globe Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

, Brazil , , -

Grappling Record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vieira, Rodolfo Brazilian male mixed martial artists Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people 1989 births Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters