In the dynamic world of mixed martial arts, Brazilian fighters have carved their names into the UFC history books with unparalleled skill and ferocity.
Some of them have been around since the beginning of the promotion and others are fresh but still continuing the legacy of elite fighting prowess from Brazil.
In this article, I’ll list and celebrate some of the greatest Brazilian fighters who have graced the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Let’s take a journey through the careers of these iconic fighters and explore what makes them the best Brazilian UFC fighters of all time.
Amanda Nunes
- Nickname: The Lioness
- Born: May 30, 1988
- Height: 5’8″ / 173 cm
- Weight class: Bantamweight and Featherweight
- From: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Gym: American Top Team
- Current Promotion: UFC
- Status: Retired (2023)
Amanda Nunes, AKA “The Lioness” stands as a towering figure in the UFC’s women’s divisions.
With an impressive record of 23-5-0 at her recent retirement, Nunes has shattered ceilings and set benchmarks for female fighters.
She is celebrated as the first woman in UFC history to become a two-division champion, simultaneously holding titles in the Bantamweight and Featherweight classes.
Her list of wins over opponents reads like a who’s who of women’s MMA, including Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Miesha Tate.
Nunes’ striking power and her black-belt level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ability always made her a threat and favorite of almost any matchup she took on.
She is now and will continue to be widely regarded as one of the greatest female fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.
Anderson Silva
- Nickname: The Spider
- Born: April 14, 1975
- Height: 6’2″ / 188 cm
- Weight Class: Middleweight
- From: São Paulo, Brazil
- Gym: Team Nogueira
- Status: Retired
Anderson “The Spider” Silva is revered as one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever to compete in the UFC.
His unique blend of striking precision and fluid movement raised the standards of the Middleweight division and what was thought possible.
Silva’s record boasts a staggering 23 wins by KO/TKO with some of them continuing to be the best we’ve ever seen.
He dominated the Middleweight division with 10 title defenses and went on an incredible undefeated run for a large section of his UFC career.
Silva’s technical mastery was helped by his strengths in keeping the fight where he wanted it, on the feet, with a healthy 78% takedown defense.
While on the feet, Silva would rack up the striking, landing 2.05 significant strikes per minute. This kind of output exhausted and damaged his opponents consistently and led him to many of those knockouts.
A legend of the UFC that has beaten most of the most challenging opponents of his era, it’s no surprise that he was able to take that proficiency onto the world of boxing even at a retirement age bracket.