Marcos Rogério de Lima

Marcos Rogério de Lima (born May 25, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2009, he formerly competed for Strikeforce, Shooto, and was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3.

Mixed martial arts career Early career Lima made a name for himself fighting on his home country of Brazil. With an undefeated professional record, Lima surprised when defeated the heavy favorite and former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho.

After his win against Filho, Lima was signed by Strikeforce. He made his debut on September 10, 2011, against Mike Kyle at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, losing the fight via unanimous decision.

Following his debut defeat, Lima was released from Strikeforce. He fought for the Shooto Brazil light heavyweight championship at Shooto Brazil 29 on April 26, 2012, against Carlos Eduardo, losing the fight via knockout in the second round.

The Ultimate Fighter

On February 26, 2014, it was revealed that Lima was selected to be a participant on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3. Lima defeated Thiago Santos via submission to move into the Ultimate Fighter house, and become an official cast member.

Lima was selected as the first pick (first overall) of coach Chael Sonnen to be a part of Team Sonnen. In his second Heavyweight fight of the season, Lima was selected to fight Jollyson Francisco and won via unanimous decision. He was then scheduled to face Antônio Carlos Júnior for a spot in the final against Vitor Miranda. He was defeated by submission (rear-naked choke).

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Lima made his promotional debut on May 31, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale against Richardson Moreira. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

In his second bout for the promotion, Lima faced Igor Pokrajac in the light heavyweight division on December 20, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

He was briefly linked to a bout with Nikita Krylov on June 20, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 69. However, the pairing was booked to take place a week later at UFC Fight Night 70. Subsequently, Lima was removed from the card on June 19, after visa issues restricted his entry to the United States. The bout with Krylov eventually took place on August 23, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 74, with Lima losing by way of submission due to a rear naked choke in the first round.

Lima next faced Clint Hester on April 23, 2016, at UFC 197. He won the one sided fight via submission in the first round.

Lima was briefly linked to a bout with Gian Villante on November 12, 2016, at UFC 205. However, Villante pulled out of the fight on September 21 citing injury and the bout was scrapped. Subsequently, Lima was quickly rescheduled and faced promotional newcomer Gadzhimurad Antigulov the following week at UFC Fight Night 100. He was quickly submitted in the first round.

Lima next faced Jeremy Kimball at UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña on January 28, 2017. At the weigh-ins, Lima came in at 209.5 lbs, over the light heavyweight limit of 206 lbs. As a result, Lima was fined 20% of his purse, which went to Kimball and the bout proceeded as scheduled at catchweight. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Lima next faced Ovince Saint Preux on April 22, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 108. At the weigh ins, Lima weighed in at 210 pounds, 4 pounds over the light heavyweight limit of 206. This was the second time consecutively Lima missed weight. As a result, he was fined 30% of his fight purse which will go to Saint Preux. The bout proceeded as a catchweight. He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Lima was expected to face Saparbek Safarov on September 2, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 115. Before the weigh ins, the UFC announced that Lima had failed an out-of-competition drug screening, testing positive for the banned Anabolic steroids. As a result, the bout was cancelled. On April 24, 2018, Lima was cleared of intentional use of Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) by USADA, where Lima was believed to had taken tainted supplement which contained hydrochlorothiazide and anastrozole from the compounding pharmacies in Brazil. He is eligible to compete immediately as of April 24, 2018.

Lima faced Ruslan Magomedov on November 3, 2018, at UFC 230. However, it was reported on October 24, 2018, that he pulled out from the event due to visa issues and he was replaced by Adam Wieczorek. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Lima faced Stefan Struve on February 23, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 3. He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Lima faced Ben Sosoli on February 23, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Lima was scheduled to face Alexander Romanov on September 5, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 176. However, on September 5, 2020, Lima was tested positive for Covid-19 and the bout against Romanov was cancelled. In turn, the bout was rescheduled and eventually took place on November 7, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira. Lima lost the fight via a submission in round one.

Lima faced Maurice Greene on May 8, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 24. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Lima faced Ben Rothwell on November 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 197. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.

Lima faced Blagoy Ivanov on May 7, 2022, at UFC 274. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Lima faced Andrei Arlovski on October 29, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 213. He won the fight via rear-naked choke in round one.

Lima faced Waldo Cortes-Acosta on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Lima faced Derrick Lewis on July 29, 2023, at UFC 291. He lost the fight via TKO stoppage in round one after being dropped by a flying knee and then finished with ground and pound.

Lima was scheduled to face Justin Tafa on February 17, 2024, at UFC 298. However, Tafa withdrew the day before the event due to injury. He was replaced by his brother Junior Tafa. Lima won the bout by technical knockout in round two after dropping Tafa with leg kicks.

Lima was scheduled to face Kennedy Nzechukwu on October 26, 2024 at UFC 308. However, Lima withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Justin Tafa, who was subsequently replaced by Chris Barnett due to an injury.

On March 7, 2025, it was reported that Lima tested positive for banned substance anastrozole and because it was a second violation, the UFC drug testing program Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) extended the duration of his suspension to 12 months which makes him eligible to compete on January 24, 2026.

On March 17, 2025, shortly after Lima's suspension, it was reported that he was removed from the UFC roster.

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Tafon Nchukwi Decision (split) Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 10

Miami, Florida, United States Win

Kodirhon Ganiev TKO (punches) World X-Impact Federation: APEC 2025 Korea Summit Commemorative World MMA Competition

Seoul, South Korea Win

Junior Tafa TKO (leg kick and punches) UFC 298

Anaheim, California, United States Loss

Derrick Lewis TKO (punches) UFC 291

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Win

Waldo Cortes-Acosta Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Andrei Arlovski Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Blagoy Ivanov Decision (unanimous) UFC 274

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Win

Ben Rothwell TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Rodríguez

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Maurice Greene Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Alexander Romanov Technical Submission (forearm choke) UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Teixeira

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Ben Sosoli TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker

Auckland, New Zealand Loss

Stefan Struve Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos

Prague, Czech Republic Win

Adam Wieczorek Decision (unanimous) UFC 230

New York City, New York, United States | Loss

Ovince Saint Preux Submission (Von Flue choke) UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Win

Jeremy Kimball TKO (punches) UFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña

Denver, Colorado, United States Loss

Gadzhimurad Antigulov Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Clint Hester Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC 197

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Nikita Krylov Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Oliveira

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Win

Igor Pokrajac TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway

Barueri, Brazil Win

Richardson Moreira KO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale: Miocic vs. Maldonado

São Paulo, Brazil Draw

Ben Reiter Draw (unanimous) Inka FC 22

Lima, Peru Win

Antonio Sales Junior TKO (punches) Fair Fight: MMA Edition

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Valter Luiz da Silva TKO (punches) Max Sport 3.1

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Fabiano Adams Submission (arm-triangle choke) Shooto Brazil 31

Brasília, Brazil Loss

Carlos Eduardo KO (punches) Shooto Brazil 29

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Loss

Mike Kyle Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Win

Paulo Filho Decision (unanimous) First Class Fight 5

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Daniel Villegas TKO (punches) MFC 4: Chile vs. The World

Santiago, Chile Win

Leonardo Lucio Nascimento TKO (punches) First Class Fight 4

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Nelson Martins TKO (submission to punches) Nitrix Champion Fight 5

Balneário Camboriú, Brazil Win

Rafael Navas TKO (punches) Full Fight 2

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Silvério Bueno KO (punch) Ares Chaos MMA

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Antonio Conceição KO (punch) Renegade Fight Championship 3

Bebedouro, Brazil Win

Amauri Gumz TKO (punches) Renegade Fight Championship 1

Bebedouro, Brazil Mixed martial arts exhibition record Loss

Antônio Carlos Júnior Submission (rear-naked choke)

(airdate)

Win

Jollyson Francisco Decision (unanimous) (airdate)

Win

Thiago Santos Submission (guillotine choke) (airdate)