| Vinicius Moreira | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vinicius Moreira Castro (1989-02-28)February 28, 1989 (age 36) Planaltina, Federal District, Brazil |
| Other names | Mamute |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
| Division | Light heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm)[1] |
| Style | BJJ[2] |
| Fighting out of | Brasília,Federal District, Brazil |
| Team | Five Rounds |
| Rank | Black belt inBrazilian jiu-jitsu[3] |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 12 |
| Losses | 9 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Vinicius Moreira Castro (born February 28, 1989)[4] is a Brazilianmixed martial artist currently competing in theLight heavyweight division. He is most known for his time spent fighting in theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Inspired byMinotauro Nogueira's fights inPride FC, Moreira started training jiu-jitsu in 2006 as his first martial art.[2] After growing unmotivated by jiu-jitsu, he started training mixed martial arts in 2015, making his professional debut in the following year.[2][3]
Moreira began his MMA career by compiling an MMA record of 8–1 by competing mainly within the Brazilian regional MMA circuit as well as in India forSuper Fight League.[5][6][7]
Moreira facedJohn Allan on August 11, 2018, atDana White's Contender Series Brazil 3.[8] He won the fight via submission with a triangle choke and was awarded with a UFC contract.[9]
Moreira made his UFC debut againstAlonzo Menifield on January 19, 2019, atUFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw.[10] He lost the fight via technical knockout due to punches in the first round.[11]
Moreira then facedEryk Anders on June 29, 2019, atUFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos.[12] He lost the fight via knockout due to punches in the first round.[13]
Moreira next facedPaul Craig on September 21, 2019, atUFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens.[14] He lost the fight via submission with a rear-naked choke in the first round.[15]
Moreira was scheduled to faceTyson Pedro on February 23, 2020, atUFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker.[16] However, Pedro withdrew from the bout in early January due to an undisclosed injury.[17]
Moreira was expected to faceModestas Bukauskas on July 15, 2020, atUFC Fight Night 172.[18] However, on July 3, Moreira tested positive forCOVID-19 and was removed from the event.[19]
On January 15, Moreira received a public warning byUSADA due to an out-of-competition positive test foranastrozole in September 2020. He had provided a supplement that was proven to be tainted with the substance.[20]
Moreira was scheduled to faceIke Villanueva on January 30, 2021, atUFC Fight Night 186.[21] In late December 2020, the UFC opted against holding an event on a planned January 30 date and decided to reschedule several bouts to January 20, 2021, atUFC on ESPN: Magny vs. Chiesa.[22] He lost the fight by knockout in the second round.[23]
On February 4, 2021, it was announced that Moreira was released from his UFC contract.[24]
Moreira made his first appearance after his UFC release against Rodrigo Duarte on August 8, 2021, at Brazilian Fighting Series 1. He won the bout after the bout was stopped by the doctor after the first round.[25]
Moreira faced Aleksandr Maslov at Open Fight Championship 9 on August 27, 2021, for the OFC Heavyweight Championship. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[26]
Moreira facedMikhail Mokhnatkin on December 19, 2021, at Open Fighting Championship 15. He lost via unanimous decision.[27]
Moreira returned against Sergey Dyakonov at MMA Series 53 on June 24, 2022. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[28]
Moreira faced Maico Machado for the inaugural SC Light Heavyweight Championship at "Soldado Combat 3" on August 24, 2024 and won the championship by first round arm-triangle choke submission.[29]
| 23 matches | 14 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 5 |
| By submission | 12 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 14–9 | Tanner Boser | TKO (retirement) | UAE Warriors 60 | June 13, 2025 | 3 | 1:55 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 14–8 | Andre Miranda | Submission (kneebar) | Jungle Fight 131 | October 19, 2024 | 3 | 0:26 | Brasília, Brazil | Won theJungle Fight Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–8 | Maico Machado | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Soldado Combat 3 | August 24, 2024 | 1 | 1:23 | Brasília, Brazil | Won the inaugural SC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 12–8 | Daniel Bucher | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Soldado Combat 1 | February 4, 2024 | 1 | 1:04 | Brasília, Brazil | |
| Win | 11–8 | Willian Roberto Alves | Submission (armbar) | Fight Music Show: Fight Night | May 12, 2023 | 1 | 0:53 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Loss | 10–8 | Sergey Dyakonov | Decision (unanimous) | MMA Series 53 | June 24, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Loss | 10–7 | Mikhail Mokhnatkin | Decision (unanimous) | Open FC 15 | December 19, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Loss | 10–6 | Aleksandr Maslov | Decision (unanimous) | Open FC 9 | August 27, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Ekaterinburg, Russia | For the Open FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–5 | Rodrigo Duarte | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Brazilian Fighting Series 1 | August 8, 2021 | 1 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Return to Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 9–5 | Ike Villanueva | KO (punch) | UFC on ESPN: Magny vs. Chiesa | January 20, 2021 | 2 | 0:39 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Loss | 9–4 | Paul Craig | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Stephens | September 21, 2019 | 1 | 3:19 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Loss | 9–3 | Eryk Anders | KO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos | June 29, 2019 | 1 | 1:18 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | |
| Loss | 9–2 | Alonzo Menifield | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw | January 19, 2019 | 1 | 3:56 | Brooklyn, New York, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | John Allan | Submission (triangle choke) | Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 3 | August 11, 2018 | 2 | 3:40 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Jason Radcliffe | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Super Fight League 2018 Semi-Finals: Haryana Sultans vs. U.P. Nawabs | March 11, 2018 | 1 | 4:07 | Mumbai, India | |
| Win | 7–1 | Sachin Kumar | Submission (armbar) | Super Fight League 2018: Sher-E-Punjab vs. Haryana Sultans | March 2, 2018 | 1 | 1:24 | Mumbai, India | |
| Win | 6–1 | Amit Thapa | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Super Fight League 2018: Haryana Sultans vs. Mumbai Maniacs | February 17, 2018 | 1 | 1:05 | Mumbai, India | |
| Win | 5–1 | José Aparecido Santos Gomes | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Super Fight League 2018: Haryana Sultans vs. Bengaluru Tigers | February 10, 2018 | 2 | N/A | Mumbai, India | Return to Light Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 4–1 | Rafael Celestino | KO (punches) | Shooto Brazil 77 | October 27, 2017 | 1 | 2:27 | Brasília, Brazil | Catchweight (195 lb) bout. |
| Win | 4–0 | Renan Ferreira | Submission (armbar) | FAM Fight Night 1 | September 3, 2016 | 1 | 3:37 | Goiânia, Brazil | Won the inaugural FFMMA Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 3–0 | Vinicius Lima | Submission (keylock) | The Warriors Combat 3 | August 13, 2016 | 2 | 4:39 | Brasília, Brazil | Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Gustavo Moralis | TKO (punches) | Magal Fight 1 | April 16, 2016 | 1 | 1:54 | Alexânia, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Gabriel Scheufler | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Fight K Águia 1 | October 11, 2015 | 1 | 2:57 | Gama, Brazil | Light Heavyweight debut. |