Rodrigo Nascimento

Rodrigo Nascimento is a Brazilian heavyweight born in Belo Horizonte whose journey in MMA began in unlikely fashion: at a LAN party where he met his mentor, Everton Rabelo de Andrade, who would teach him martial arts. Nascimento turned professional in 2012, just two months after Andrade's death, and tore through the regional Brazilian scene with an unblemished 8-0 record, finishing all eight opponents via submission or knockout. That undefeated run earned him an invitation to Dana White's Contender Series 22 in 2019, where he submitted Michal Martinek in the first round and secured his UFC contract.

In the Octagon, Nascimento showed flashes of elite potential. His debut against Don'tale Mayes in May 2020 was a textbook rear-naked choke submission, and a Performance of the Night award followed against Alan Baudot in 2021, though that win was overturned after a failed drug test and suspension. But losses mounted: Chris Daukaus blitzed him in October 2020, and a 2024 knockout by power-striking legend Derrick Lewis sealed his UFC fate. The promotion released him in November 2024, ending a four-and-a-half-year run.

Nascimento's fighting style is built on grappling and submission work, with jiu-jitsu as his calling card. He's credentialed enough to hunt submissions from top position or the back, but inconsistent against elite wrestlers and heavy-handed strikers. His wrestling defense and scramble intelligence have improved, but the losses to Daukaus and Lewis revealed gaps at the championship level.

Now fighting in the PFL, Nascimento is in full redemption mode. He's openly discussed learning to sell himself as an athlete through social media and public engagement, finding meaning beyond the UFC's shadow. A 1-1 PFL record includes a split-decision win over Abraham Bably and a loss to Oleg Popov, followed by a rematch loss to Alexander Romanov in April 2026. At 33, Nascimento is still hunting that signature win to reset his trajectory. For casual fans, he represents the grind of a fighter willing to leave a prestigious promotion and rebuild his brand elsewhere, armed with hard-won experience and the grit to keep fighting.