Brazilian MMA is booming with multiple local promotions happening weekly. The talent pool is so deep that it’s easy to overlook fighters. Here I’ll give a spotlight on all the Brazilian prospects I feel are worth watching this week.
Jungle Fight 152 -Friday
Flyweight, Vívian “9 Caudas” Nepomuceno (4-0):
Here I am writing about a Demo Fight athlete questioning everything. Nepomuceno, I will say, has looked exceptional. I can’t help but question her record before going any further. She went 0-3 as an amateur. As a pro, her four wins have a combined record of 3-14-1. Three of those opponents didn’t even have a win. She’s absolutely can-crushing, but she looks fun while doing so.
Nepomuceno can wrestle and do work on top, but it’s her standup that stands out. She brings a consistent pace and pressure, and 100% will to finish the fight. Nepomuceno fights forward with a lot of output and combinations. She has some nice leg kicks, and when blood is in the water, she swarms. She attacks from both sides, attacking all three levels, and loves to throw the switch knee.
Nepomuceno needs proof she’s not just a can crusher, but I’m not sure that comes this weekend. It is a step up now, fighting in Jungle Fights, and her opponent, Natacha Lima (3-5), is 3-1 in her last four.
Bison Kombat 8 – Friday
Bantamweight, Bruno “Gafanhoto” Santos (14-6):
Santos has already done a lot in her career. He’s fought in KSW for three years and was a two-time title challenger. He recently fought former UFC fighter Saidyokub Kakhramonov, and although he lost, it was super competitive. Earlier this year, he won the Bison Kombat title, and this marks his first defense. Santos has issues when getting stepped up in competition, but his opponent, José Vagno Soares (18-11), should pose no issue.
Santos is a scrapper striker who’s messy and easy to hit. His output and loose style keep him in fights until he can get takedowns. Santos is a good wrestler and an even better grappler. Seven wins by submission highlight where he’s best at.
Santos has a lot of losses/setbacks, but experience is important. The best thing about it is that Santos is only 27, so he’s nearing his prime.
Bantamweight, Luiz “Buakaw” Paes (4-0):
Besides going as in-depth here, you can check out my piece I did on Paes earlier this year. He was our Prospect of the Month in April.
Bantamweight, Adriano “Imperador” Sousa (6-1):
Sousa is another Brazilian who was our Prospect of the Month. Since then, he ended up losing his last fight. His age ultimately caught up with him, as he was just 18. In the fight, he made too many mistakes that you’d expect from a young fighter. He’s still very talented and one to keep an eye on. Santos fights Gallego Santiago who is a nice bounce-back fight.
Lightweight, Roger “Nerd” Santos (2-0):
Santos is unknown to the masses, but being a product of The Fighting Nerds, he’s gonna gain notoriety if he keeps winning. Santos came from competing in Sanda to now being an undefeated MMA fighter. Yes, it’s against lesser guys, but he has performed as expected. He gets another soft matchup this week against Carlos Henrique Silva (0-1)
Santos, with the Sanda background, he’s been more vocal about his ground game. A strong physical wrestler who has a clean double leg and clinch takedowns. He quickly gets to work with his GnP, smashing his opponent. Both his wins come via ground-and-pound stoppage. From the small moments on the feet, he looks comfortable. Good body-head combinations. Nobody can really know how good Santos is with all the unknowns, but he has the team behind him to feel pretty good about the upside.
Lightweight, Matheus “Sniper” Rocha (9-1):
Back in 2023, Rocha was someone I was excited about. However, he took a painful setback, getting knocked out by Jefferson Nascimento. That loss doesn’t look as bad now, considering Nascimento went on to win the LFA title and is now in the UFC. Rocha has responded perfectly as well, winning his next four.
Rocha is a really sharp striker who fights long and effectively from the outside. He lands his shots and quickly moves out of range before opponents can respond. Rocha has a very good jab and attacks all levels, mixing up strikes to the head, body, and legs. His right hand is what’s so dangerous, as he can intercept range and score damage. Once he starts to get comfortable, his combinations are slick. He may not look like a big power puncher, but he can shut the lights out. I really like his size, movement, kicking game, and overall striking ability.
Lightweight, Daniel “Daniboy” Felipe (5-0):
Daniboy is an interesting lightweight prospect flying heavily under the radar. He recently won the Open Fight Latam title in Chile, but he’s back in Brazil for this fight. Felipe is a big flyweight at six-foot-one, and he makes his size and power evident quite early. He fights with a traditional Muay Thai style. He has an upright stance with methodical pressure. Felipe doesn’t throw a lot of volume, but for what he throws, he makes it count. Everything is thrown with power behind it. He throws brutal leg kicks, a power jab, attacks the body, and is nasty in the clinch. Felipe has steady pressure, cutting the cage off and hunting his opponent. I like his size, style, and where he trains at Fight Leste.
Gaviões Fight 2026 – Saturday
Bantamweight, Thalyta “Guerreira” Silva (3-0):
Although I can’t find the last fight of Silva, she did win a clean unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26). LFA sometimes can suck by not showing their fights. Her jiu-jitsu credentials are elite—an IBJJF World champion, three-time European champion, two-time Pan-American champion, and a Brazilian national champ. Silva trains out of Team Lucas Mineiro, one of Brazil’s most respected camps for rising talent. Now that she’s full-time in MMA, she’s one to watch. Silva is fighting Jaqueline Ferreira (11-10), who is the most experienced fighter Silva has fought.
Welterweight, Marcos “O Iluminado” Silva (7-3):
Silva was 2-3 at one point losing three consecutive until his current win streak of five. Silva has been only the nail or the hammer having never gone the distance. The Brazilian fights out of loose karate stance. Hands low leaving his chin exposed expecting to capitalize on speed and timing. Silva actively attack the lead leg. He’s good with his lead left hand and straight right. He’s open to damage with aggressive fighters and at the same could counter. It’s not as often but Souza can mix it up on the mat as well.
I wasn’t too impressed with his last fight but he is getting a 5-4 opponent he should style on.
SFT 62 – Saturday
Bantamweight, Cristiane “Malvada” Lima (7-0):
I won’t say I’m sold on Lima, but I’m a fan of her style. She’s still raw, but that’s a given, being that she’s only 20. She kinda fights like a 20-year-old with that don’t give a fuck fighting style. Lima is coming off a title fight win, taking home the Qualify Combat championship. She now goes for a second title, the SFT bantamweight championship.
Lima is a marauder. She can fight behind a jab and a calf kick, but she doesn’t mind banging in the pocket. In fact, I think she’s best in a messy fight. She has a chaotic style but goes high and low while keeping a good pace. Her wrestling looks fine, and she has a mauling ground game. Lima can be a bit loose on control, but on top she’s always looking to work and land heavy ground and pound.
Lima is a main training partner of Iasmin Lucindo at Academia Fight House. Women’s bantamweight is shallow, so to have two good ones in action this week is exciting.
Featherweight, Fabio Peroba (2-0):
Peroba hasn’t fought the best of competition, but he’s definitely skilled. He trains with a skilled team over at Vale Top Team. His fighting style is a bit all over the place, but in a good way. From what I can tell, he’s not much of a grappler but is super dangerous on the feet. Peroba is a big featherweight at six-foot-one, and he uses his length to chip away at range. Heavy leg kick, long straights, and will get loose with wheel kicks and flying knees. Peroba will throw a lot of flashy things, and you can tell he wants a highlight-reel finish. He fights Daniel Oliveira (3-1), who is his first real opponent from a good gym.
Sparta 110 – Saturday
Bantamweight, Iasmin Casser (5-0):
Casser was born and raised in Brazil but eventually moved to the US to chase Jiu-Jitsu and transitioned to MMA. She wound up doing darn well in Jiu-Jitsu. She’s a BJJ black belt and a four-time IBJJF Gi and No-Gi world champion. I interviewed her last October, which gives you great insight into her journey.
Being a BJJ specialist, it’s no surprise her striking isn’t up to par. She’s not afraid to throw though and will hardly take a back step. What is promising for a grappler is her ability to get the fight down. She’s good at trips and judo, but can also hit a double leg. Casser is a tricky grappler who can attack from anywhere. She’s got a strong body triangle and can finish with the sub and TKO.
Casser has trained at Fight Ready, Red Hawk Academy, and now at Pound 4 Pound Muay Thai in Colorado. She’s had excellent training to help progress her career. She has a setup fight against Helen Lucero (1-4), who is 48. Casser should win via finish and set up a possible contender series fight.
