Carlos Eduardo Rocha

Carlos Eduardo Rocha (born July 12, 1984), also known as Carlos Eduardo Rocha, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist.

Early life Born an orphan in Cabedelo, Brazil he worked as a dish washer, often sleeping outside, on the street, and on beaches.

He got his nickname "Tá Danado" (or "The Spaz") because of the herky-jerky way he moved around on the mat when working his jiu-jitsu. His coach would tell him 'Hey kid, stop being so agitated (danado), stay calm.' when he grappled. The term is meant to liken him to the cartoon character Taz.

Mixed martial arts career In 2008 he traveled to Dresden as a cornerman of German MMA pioneer Andre Balschmieter for an 8-man tournament. When Balschmieter had to pull out due to injury Rocha elected to take his place. Because of numerous injuries, the tournament was dropped to four fighters, and after a quick submission victory over Johannes Kunz, Rocha found himself competing for the Free Fight Alliance (FFA) middleweight title in only his second professional fight. Rocha won the fight by submission, over the far more experienced Steve Mensing, to become FFA Middleweight Champion and was quickly pegged as a rising star in the German MMA circuit. Rocha was a replacement for Jon Fitch after Fitch was moved to the UFC 127 main event to fight B.J. Penn. Rocha lost the fight via controversial split decision. The dissenting judge scoring the bout for Rocha drew the ire of commentator Joe Rogan and other members of the press, who cited the 30-27 scoring as "questionable".

After his fight with Ellenberger, Rocha hoped to compete at UFC 134 in Rio pending the results of shoulder and elbow surgery. However, further X-rays showed severe damage in both his right and left elbows, leaving him unable to compete for the rest of 2011. He had hoped to return some time in early 2012, but was unable to schedule a fight. After recovering from surgery he moved to the US and started training with team Black House in Los Angeles, California.

Rocha next faced Mike Pierce on June 8, 2012, at UFC on FX 3. As well as moving to Black House to train for the fight, Rocha claimed that this was the first time in his career that he had a full training camp leading up to a fight.

Rocha was released from his UFC contract following his loss to Pierce. After his release Rocha was publicly critical of Pierce for his lack of aggression in the fight, and perceived unwillingness to engage with Rocha. He was also critical of the UFC for releasing him, saying "I had good performances and even so I was cut off. I didn’t expect this.”

Championships and achievements Grappling CBJJO Copa Del Mundo −77 kg Blue Belt: 1st Place −77 kg Purple Belt: 1st Place & Purple Belt Absolute: 1st Place Submissao 2009 Submission Wrestling Finalist

Mixed Martial Arts Free Fight Alliance FFA European Middleweight Champion (1 time) La Onda Manto Cup Champion Winner

Mixed martial arts record Loss

James Terry TKO (punches) Bellator 142: Dynamite 1

San Jose, California United States Loss

Florent Betorangal TKO (punches) GMC 4: Next Level

Gysenberghalle, Herne, Germany Loss

Mike Pierce Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall

Sunrise, Florida, United States Loss

Jake Ellenberger Decision (split) UFC 126

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Kris McCray Submission (kneebar) UFC 122

Oberhausen, Germany Win

Fatih Balci Submission (arm-triangle choke) GMC 1: The Beginning

Herne, Germany Win

Artur Kadlubek TKO (corner stoppage) La Onda: Manto Cup

Magdeburg, Germany Won Manto Cup Win

Mihajlo Mihnjak Submission (arm-triangle choke) La Onda: Manto Cup

Magdeburg, Germany Win

David Goldberg Submission (armbar) La Onda: Manto Cup

Magdeburg, Germany Win

Yasin Mengulluoglu Submission (heel hook) 8ME: Night of Bang 5

Halle, Germany Win

Jimmy Sidoni Submission (armbar) La Onda: It's Showtime

Magdeburg, Germany Win

Steve Mensing Submission (leglock) FFA: East German Championships 2008

Erfurt, Germany Won FFA European middleweight title Win

Johannes Kunze Submission (rear-naked choke) FFA: European Championships

Dresden, Germany

Submission grappling record

Result

Opponent Method Event Division Date Location Loss

Benji Silva Submission (kneebar) Fight 2 Win 98 Superfight January 19, 2019 San Jose, California