Mário Pinto

Mario Pinto (born 14 March 1998) is a Portuguese professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since October 2021, he previously competed for FightStar Championship and Levels Fight League. As of August 29, 2026, he is #12 in the Meta UFC Heavyweight rankings.

Early life and amateur career Pinto was born in Portugal to parents from Guinea-Bissau before moving to Britain at a young age. He decided to pursue a career in mixed martial arts (MMA) as a teenager and later earned a degree in Sport and Exercise Science. Pinto took his first amateur bout in March 2018 and went on to compile an amateur MMA record of 5–1.

Professional career He made his professional debut in October 2021 at Contenders 31, where he faced Joffie Houlton and won the bout via first-round technical knockout (TKO). He then competed twice for FightStar Championship, defeating Berat Berisha by first-round TKO at FightStar Championship 21. Pinto followed this with his first professional submission victory at FightStar Championship 22, submitting Maxwell Djantou Nana via rear-naked choke. Pinto later defended the title in October 2023 against Benjamin Šehić, winning by third-round TKO. His second and final defence came in February 2024 against Kasim Aras whom he defeated by unanimous decision. He made his promotional debut in March 2025 at UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev, defeating Austen Lane by second-round knockout. Pinto won by unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts record

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