Antônio Carlos Coelho de Figueiredo Barbosa Júnior (born 16 March 1990), also known as Antônio Carlos Jr. and professionally by his ring name Cara de Sapato (as well as its English translation Shoeface), 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 ...

who competes in the

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 cruis ...

division and is currently signed to the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

(PFL). Carlos Júnior is most known for his time spent fighting in 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 ...

(UFC), where he competed in the

division in addition to Middleweight. A multiple time champion 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 ...

, Carlos Júnior was World Cup Champion in 2006 (at blue junior) and 2x World Champion in 2010 (weight & absolute at brown belt). He is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

tournament and the 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts career

The Ultimate Fighter

On 26 February 2014 it was revealed that Carlos Júnior was selected to be a participant on '' The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3.'' Cara de Sapato defeated

Guilherme Viana Guilherme Viana (born May 13, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Light Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2012, Viana was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3. Mixed martial ...

via TKO (punches) to move into the ''Ultimate Fighter'' house, and become an official cast member. Carlos Júnior was selected as the first pick (second overall) of coach Wanderlei Silva to be a part of Team Wanderlei. In his second

fight of the season, Cara de Sapato was selected to fight Edgard Castaldelli Filho and won via knockout (punch) with only twelve seconds of fight in the first round. He was then scheduled to face

Marcos Rogério de Lima Marcos Rogério de Lima (born May 25, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2009, he formerly competed for Strikeforce, Shooto, and was a ...

for a spot in the final against Vitor Miranda He defeated Lima by submission (rear-naked choke).

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2014–2021)

Carlos Júnior made his promotional debut on 31 May 2014, at

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3'' is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It is the sixth series to be produced outside the United States and the third to film ...

against Vitor Miranda to determine the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 Heavyweight Tournament. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Carlos Júnior made his light heavyweight debut against Patrick Cummins on 20 December 2014, at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway. He lost the one-sided fight by unanimous decision. After the defeat, he decided to move to the middleweight division for his next fight. Carlos Júnior faced Eddie Gordon in a middleweight bout on 27 June 2015 at UFC Fight Night 70 He won the fight via submission in the third round. Carlos Júnior faced Kevin Casey on 10 December 2015 at UFC Fight Night 80. The bout was deemed a No Contest just 11 seconds into the first round when Carlos Júnior accidentally poked Casey in both eyes and Casey was unable to continue. Carlos Júnior next faced

Dan Kelly Daniel, Dan or Danny Kelly may refer to: Academics * Daniel Kelly (sociologist) (born 1959), British sociologist and nursing professor * Daniel Kelly (philosopher) (born 1975), American philosopher * Daniel P. Kelly, American physician and Prof ...

on 20 March 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 85 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 85'') was a mixed martial arts event held on March 20, 2016, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Background The event was the second that t ...

. He lost the bout via TKO in the third round. Carlos Júnior returned to face Leonardo Augusto Guimarães on 17 September 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 94 ''UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 94'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 17, 2016, at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Background After co ...

. He won the fight via submission in the third round. Carlos Júnior faced Marvin Vettori on 30 December 2016 at UFC 207. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Carlos Júnior faced Eric Spicely on 3 June 2017, at UFC 212. He won the fight by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the second round. Carlos Júnior faced

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 28 October 2017, at UFC Fight Night 119. Carlos won the fight by submission due to a rear-naked choke in round one. Carlos Júnior faced Tim Boetsch on 14 April 2018, at UFC on Fox 29. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round one. Carlos Júnior was expected to face Derek Brunson on 4 August 2018, at UFC 227. However, Brunson pulled out of the fight in early July citing an eye injury. In turn, Carlos Júnior was removed from the card entirely and is expected to be rescheduled for a future event. Subsequently, Carlos Júnior was quickly rescheduled was expected to face Elias Theodorou on 22 September 2018, at UFC Fight Night 137. However, Júnior pulled out on 28 August due to injury. The pairing was expected to be left intact and was rescheduled for 8 December 2018, at UFC 231. On 13 September 2018, it was reported that Carlos Júnior withdrew from his bout with Theodorou yet again, citing a surgery is required on the injury that caused the cancellation of his first scheduled bout with Theodorou. Carlos Júnior faced Ian Heinisch at UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee on 18 May 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Carlos Júnior faced Uriah Hall on 14 September 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 16. He lost the fight via split decision. Carlos Júnior was scheduled to face Brad Tavares on 14 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night 170. However, Tavares was forced to pull out of the fight due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and he was replaced by

Makhmud Muradov Makhmud Muradov (born 8 February 1990) is a Tajik-born UzbekManual of Style ("Time" section) Wikipedia guideline --> at

UFC 257 ''UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 24, 2021 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background Starting with ...

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

Professional Fighters League

2021 Season

On 6 March 2021, it was announced by Carlos Júnior's management that he had signed to the

and would be competing in the 2021 season. He made his PFL debut against Tom Lawlor on 29 April 2021 at PFL 2. He won the bout via guillotine choke in the first round. Carlos Júnior faced Vinny Magalhães at PFL 5 on 17 June 2021. Halfway through round one, Júnior hit Magalhães with an accidental knee to the groin, rendering him unable to continue. This led to the bout being declared a no contest. Carlos Júnior faced Emiliano Sordi in the Semifinals off the Light Heavyweight tournament on 27 August 2021 at PFL 9. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Carlos Júnior faced Marthin Hamlet in the Finals of the Light Heavyweight tournament on 27 October 2021 at PFL 10. He won the bout via rear-naked choke in the first round, winning the 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament and $1 million prize.

2022 Season

Carlos Júnior faced Delan Monte on April 20, 2022, at PFL 1. He won 29 seconds into the bout via brabo choke. Carlos Júnior faced Bruce Souto on June 17, 2022, at PFL 4. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Carlos Júnior was scheduled to face Omari Akhmedov in the Semifinals off the Light Heavyweight tournament on August 5, 2022, at PFL 7. However, he suffered an ACL injury requiring surgery, sidelining him for the rest of the year.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 Heavyweight Tournament Winner **Tied (with Thales Leites, Rousimar Palhares and Demian Maia) for second most submission victories in UFC Middleweight history (five) *

** 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight Championship

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 15–5 (2) , Bruce Souto , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 498,71 ...

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, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 11–5 (2) , Vinny Magalhães , No Contest (accidental groin strike) , PFL 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 ,

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, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 (1) , Ian Heinisch , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Lee , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 (1) , Tim Boetsch , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:28 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Machida , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:30 ,

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, 8–2 (1) , Eric Spicely , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 212 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:49 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 (1) , Marvin Vettori , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 207 , , 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, 6–2 (1) , Leonardo Augusto Guimarães , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:46 ,

Hidalgo, Texas Hidalgo is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,198 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the estimated population was 14,183. History The area that is now Hidalgo was first settled by Spanish colonists led by José ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:36 ,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Australia , , - , NC , align=center, 5–1 (1) , Kevin Casey , No Contest (accidental eye poke) , UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Eddie Gordon , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Romero , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:37 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Patrick Cummins , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Barueri, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Vitor Miranda , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fight Brazil 3 Finale: Miocic vs. Maldonado , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ednaldo Novaes , Submission (armbar) , Champion Fights 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:16 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Gerônimo Oliveira , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Imperium: MMA Pro 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Celivaldo da Silva , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Nordeste MMA 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Win , align=center, 3–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Edgard Castaldelli Filho , KO (punch) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:12 ,

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, TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,