Fábio Maldonado

Fábio Maldonado (born 17 March 1980) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and boxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, he has also competed for the UFC.

Boxing career Simultaneous to becoming a mixed martial arts 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. 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 UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson. 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 UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier. 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 (29–27, 29–28, and 29–28).

Maldonado faced Stipe Miocic in a heavyweight bout on 31 May 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale, 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 (WMMAA) 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 Fight Nights Global 87. 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.

Serbian Battle Championship & UAE Warriors Next, he faced Pelu Adetola at Serbian Battle Championships 27 on 14 March 2020. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Maldonado challenged Chi Lewis-Parry for the UAE Warriors Heavyweight Championship at UAE Warriors 13 on 25 September 2020. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Independent promotions He faced Eli Reger Schablatura Pinto at Gladiator Combat Fight 53 on 24 October 2020. He won the fight via first-round technical knockout.

Maldonado was next expected to face Malik Merad at Arena FC 2 on 12 December 2020, but the whole event was postponed due to multiple COVID-19 cases.

He then faced Gabriel Kanabo at Samurai FC 25 on 28 May 2021. He won the bout via first-round technical knockout.

Parus FC He challenged Sergei Kharitonov for the Parus FC Heavyweight Championship at an Parus FC event on 6 November 2021. He lost the bout via TKO in the first round.

Ural FC Maldonado faced Kirill Sidelnikov on Ural FC 1 on 1 July 2022. He lost the bout via TKO in the first round.

Bare-knuckle boxing Maldonado made his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut against John Phillips on 5 April 2025 at BKFC 72 Dubai: Day 2. After being knocked down a second time, he lost the fight by knockout in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Fight Nights Global FNG Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Kyle Kingsbury

Boxing Universal Boxing Council UBC Iberian-American Heavyweight Championship (One time) Liga Paulista de Boxe Profissional São Paulo State Heavyweight Championship (One time) Confederação Brasileira de Boxe Brazil Amateur National Championship (1998, 1999, 2000) Federação Paulista de Boxe São Paulo Amateur State Championship (2000, 2001) São Paulo Amateur State Championship Runner-up (1999) 2001 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist 1999 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist 1998 Jogos Abertos do Interior Amateur Tournament Gold Medalist

Mixed martial arts record Win

Luis Andrade de Oliveira TKO (punches) Brothers Fight Champion: Golden Edition

Florianópolis, Brazil Loss

Nemanja Kovač Decision (unanimous) Serbian Battle Championship 51

Odžaci, Serbia Loss

Kirill Sidelnikov TKO (punches) Ural FC 1

Perm, Russia Loss

Sergei Kharitonov TKO (punches) Modern Fighting Pankration: Parus FC 3

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Win

Gabriel Kanabo TKO (punches) Samurai FC 25

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Eli Reger Schablatura Pinto TKO (punches) Gladiator Combat Fight 53

Paraná, Brazil Loss

Chi Lewis-Parry KO (elbows) UAE Warriors 13

Abu Dhabi, UAE Win

Pelu Adetola Decision (unanimous) Serbian Battle Championship 27

Vrbas, Serbia Loss

Jiří Procházka KO (punches) Rizin 19

Osaka, Japan Win

Thiago Silva Batista KO (punch) Vikings Fight Club 5 - Balada Fight

Campinas, Brazil Loss

Ivan Shtyrkov TKO (punches) RCC 4

Ekaterinburg, Russia Loss

Nikita Krylov KO (punch) Fight Nights Global 87: Khachatryan vs. Queally

Rostov-on-Don, Russia Win

Kurban Omarov Submission (guillotine choke) Fight Nights Global 73: Aliev vs. Brandão

Kaspiysk, Russia Win

Abdul-Khamid Davlyatov TKO (punches) Fight Nights Global 60: Aryshev vs. Khasanov

Dushanbe, Tajikistan Loss

Mikhail Mokhnatkin Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights Global 52: Mokhnatkin vs. Maldonado

Nizhnevartovsk, Russia Loss

Fedor Emelianenko Decision (majority) Fight Nights Global 50: Fedor vs. Maldonado

St. Petersburg, Russia Loss

Corey Anderson Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson 3

São Paulo, Brazil Loss

Quinton Jackson Decision (unanimous) UFC 186

Montreal, Quebec, Canada Win

Hans Stringer TKO (punches) UFC 179

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Loss

Stipe Miocic TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale: Miocic vs. Maldonado

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Gian Villante Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2

Natal, Brazil Win

Joey Beltran Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Shields

Barueri, Brazil Win

Roger Hollett Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold

Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil Loss

Glover Teixeira TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 153

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Loss

Igor Pokrajac Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier

Fairfax, Virginia, United States Loss

Kyle Kingsbury Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

James McSweeney TKO (punches) UFC 120

London, England Light Heavyweight debut. Win

Nelson Martins TKO (punches) First Class Fight 4

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Jackson Mora Submission (guillotine choke) Memorial Fight Qualifying

Santos, Brazil Win

Jessie Gibbs Submission (punches) Bitetti Combat MMA 7

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Alessandro Leal TKO (punches) Combat Power Championship

Piracicaba, Brazil Win

Fernando Tressino TKO (corner stoppage) Bitetti Combat MMA 5

Barueri, Brazil Win

Vitor Miranda Decision (unanimous) Bitetti Combat MMA 4

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Edgard Castaldelli Filho TKO (punches) Predador FC 12

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Shaton Vaughn Submission (guillotine choke) Fightworld 16: International

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States Win

Maiquel Falcão TKO (punches) Predador FC 9

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Renato Matos TKO (punches) Predador FC 7

São Paulo, Brazil Loss

Alexandre Ferreira Submission (kneebar) Mo Team League: Final

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Vitor Miranda Decision (unanimous) Mo Team League 2

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Maiquel Falcão TKO (punches) Circuito Mariliense MMA

Marilia, Brazil Win

Ildemar Alcântara Decision (unanimous) Predador Kamae 2

Florianópolis, Brazil Win

Cleisson Mamute TKO (punches) Pantanal Combat

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Bruno Alves TKO (punches) Clube da Luta 1

Salvador, Brazil Loss

Alessandro Leal Submission (kneebar) Meca World Vale Tudo 5

Curitiba, Brazil Loss

Omni Santos Decision (unanimous) Surf Fight Circuit: Day 2

Brasília, Brazil Win

Augusto Menezes Santos TKO (punches) Surf Fight Circuit: Day 1

Brasília, Brazil Win

Robson Parazinho TKO (punches) Surf Fight Circuit: Day 1

Brasília, Brazil Professional boxing record

Bare knuckle boxing record Loss

John Phillips KO (punch) BKFC 72 Dubai: Day 2

Dubai, United Arab Emirates