Fábio Maldonado


Fábio Rogério Maldonado is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and boxer currently competing in the light heavyweight division of Fight Nights Global. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, he has also competed for the UFC.

Boxing career

Simultaneous to becoming a mixed martial artist fighter, Maldonado also competed professionally as a boxer in his native Brazil, making his professional boxing debut in April 2002, after an amateur career of 40-5 with 27 knockouts As a boxer he has a record of 22-0 with an impressive 21 knockouts. Maldonado last boxed professionally in June 2010. After his release from the UFC, Maldonado returned to professional boxing. He won his return fight with a round 1 TKO over Robson Bambu. Within less than a month, he proceeded to knock out Alessandro Bernardo in the first round with one punch.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Maldonado made his professional mixed martial arts debut in September 2000 and also began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu the same year. During the first eight years of his career, he competed exclusively in his native Brazil, and made his North American debut in November 2008.
In the decade previous to his debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Maldonado compiled a record of 17-3. Notable victories from this period include Vitor Miranda and two TKO victories over Maiquel Falcão.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Maldonado made his UFC debut at UFC 120 against James McSweeney and won by TKO after 48 seconds of round 3.
Maldonado lost to Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision on 4 June 2011 at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale. Despite the loss, Maldonado won the Fight of the Night bonus.
Maldonado was expected to face Aaron Rosa at. but he was forced to pull out of the bout due to an injury.
Maldonado was expected to face UFC newcomer Caio Magalhaes on 14 January 2012 at UFC 142, but had to pull out from this bout due to a rib injury.
For his third UFC fight, Maldonado faced Igor Pokrajac on 15 May 2012 at. Even though Maldonado rocked Pokrajac on several occasions, he lost the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision.
Maldonado was expected to face UFC newcomer Jorgen Kruth at UFC on Fuel TV 5. However, Kruth abruptly retired from MMA and Maldonado was briefly linked to a bout with Cyrille Diabate on 17 November 2012 at UFC 154. However, Maldonado stepped up and faced Glover Teixeira on 13 October 2012 at UFC 153, replacing an injured Quinton Jackson. Maldonado absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment on the ground, which was so brutal it earned "Beatdown of the Year" honors from Sherdog.com. Maldonado ultimately lost the fight at the end of the second round, when the doctor deemed him unable to continue.
Maldonado faced Roger Hollett on 18 May 2013 at UFC on FX 8. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Maldonado next faced Joey Beltran on 9 October 2013 at UFC Fight Night 29. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision.
Maldonado faced Gian Villante on 23 March 2014 at UFC Fight Night 38. After losing the first round to Villante, Maldonado rallied back to win the next two rounds utilizing his boxing and won the bout via unanimous decision.
Maldonado faced Stipe Miocic in a Heavyweight bout on 31 May 2014 at, replacing Junior dos Santos. He lost the fight by TKO due to punches early in the first round.
Maldonado faced Hans Stringer on 25 October 2014 at UFC 179. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. The win also earned Maldonado his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
Maldonado was expected to face returning veteran Quinton Jackson on 25 April 2015 at UFC 186. However, on 7 April Jackson was removed from the card after his most recent employer, Bellator MMA, was granted an injunction by a New Jersey Superior Court judge preventing him from competing for the UFC after it was alleged that he breached a deal signed in June 2013. On 21 April a judge in the Superior Court of New Jersey's Appellate Division overturned the injunction against Jackson, allowing him to compete for the UFC. The bout took place at a catchweight of 215 lbs. Maldonado lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Maldonado was expected to face Tom Lawlor on 7 November 2015 at UFC Fight Night 77. However, Lawlor was forced from the bout with injury and replaced by Corey Anderson. He lost the one sided fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Fight Nights Global

Maldonado made his Fight Nights Global debut facing Pride and Strikeforce vet Fedor Emelianenko on 17 June 2016 at "Fight Nights Global 50" competing for a regional promotion in Russia. Despite dropping and nearly finishing Emelianenko on multiple occasions in the first round, Emelianenko rallied over the last two rounds and was awarded a controversial majority decision victory. 4 of 5 media outlets scored the bout a draw. All three judges being appointed by the Russian MMA Union was seen as a conflict of interest. In turn, in mid-July, the World MMA Association said they declared the fight a draw. However, the official result will not be overturned.
In the second fight for the promotion, he faced Mikhail Mokhnatkin at Fight Nights Global 52 on 1 October 2016. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Maldonado faced Abdul-Khamid-Davlyatov at Fight Nights Global 60 on 5 March 2017. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.
Maldonado faced Kurban Omarov at Fight Nights Global 73 on 4 September 2017. He won the fight via submission in the third round to win the vacant FNG Light Heavyweight championship.
In the first defense of his title, Maldonado faced Nikita Krylov on 19 May 2018 at. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round.

Rizin FF

After the stint in FNG, Maldonado signed a one-fight contract with the Rizin Fighting Federation. He made his promotional debut in a non-title bout against Rizin FF Light Heavyweight champion Jiří Procházka at Rizin 19 on 12 October 2019. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Next, he faced Pelu Adetola at Serbian Battle Championships 27 on March 14, 2020. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
30Loss26–4 Carlos TakamUD1028 Feb 2020Huntington, New York, US.png" />
29Loss26–3 Michael HunterTKO2, 1:4525 May 2019MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland, US.png" />For WBA International heavyweight title
28Loss26–2 Oleksandr TeslenkoUD1029 Mar 2019Toronto, Canada.png" />For WBA-NABA heavyweight title
27Loss26–1 Oscar RivasUD101 Dec 2018Videotron Centre, Quebec City, Canada.png" />For WBC-NABF heavyweight title
26Win26–0 Clayton Soriano de LyraKO3, 0:5829 Sep 2018
25Win25–0 Clayton Soriano de LyraKO2, 1:027 April 2017Sorocaba, Brazil.png" />
24Win24–0 Alessandro BernardoTKO1, 0:294 Mar 2016Santos, Santos, Brazil.png" />
23Win23–0 Robson BambuKO1, 1:3527 Feb 2016São Paulo, Brazil.png" />
22Win22–0 Carlos BarceleteTKO1, 2:4011 June 2010Pitangueiras, Brazil.png" />
21Win21–0 Eduardo FrancaTKO1, 2:481 May 2010Salto, Brazil.png" />
20Win20–0 Carlos Alberto De Oliveira JuniorTKO3, 1:3720 Mar 2009São Vicente, Brazil.png" />
19Win19–0 Richard Da GloriaTKO3, 2:4328 Feb 2009
18Win18–0 Adriano VicenteTKO1, 0:5627 Dec 2008Guarulhos, Brazil.png" />Won vacant São Paulo State heavyweight title
17Win17–0 Rodrigo Oliveira de LimaTKO2 4 Oct 2008Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.png" />
16Win16–0 Gelson LetraTKO2, 0:5213 Sep 2008
15Win15–0 Augusto Custodio de MeloKO1, 1:3821 Feb 2008Vale do Anhangabaú, São Paulo, Brazil.png" />
14Win14–0 Vonilson Maciel dos SantosKO2, 1:0326 Jan 2008Edvaldo Oliveira Chaves “Pita”, Cubatão, Brazil.png" />
13Win13–0 Sidney De Oliveira da SilvaTKO2 31 Aug 2007
12Win12–0 Augusto Custodio de MeloTKO1, 0:553 Aug 2007Ribeirão Bonito, Brazil.png" />
11Win11–0 Paulo Dos Santos AragaoKO1, 0:156 May 2007Won vacant UBC Iberian-American heavyweight title
10Win10–0 Valtencir FrancaRTD3, 3:0023 Dec 2006
9Win9–0 Josias RibeiroKO5 2 Apr 2005Vitória da Conquista, Brazil.png" />
8Win8–0 Glen MorganDQ4, 1:154 Jun 2004Desert Diamond Casino, Tucson, Arizona, U.S..png" />
7Win7–0 John TurlingtonTKO3, 1:4217 May 2004Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S..png" />
6Win6–0 Tim GrantKO1, 1:1417 May 2003Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US.png" />
5Win5–0 Richard Da GloriaKO2, 2:037 Nov 2002
4Win4–0 Jonatas Dos SantosTKO2 17 Aug 2002
3Win3–0 Edson Arantes do LinoKO1, 2:3523 Jul 2002
2Win2–0 Eron ChavesKO1 18 May 2002Araras, Brazil.png" />
1Win1–0 Marival Sobral SobrinhoTKO1 23 Apr 2002