Other names The Brazilian Samurai Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Other name The Brazilian Samurai | Nationality Brazilian Reach 70.31 in (179 cm) Fighting out of Middletown | |
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Born January 15, 1986 (age 31)
Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil ( 1986-01-15 ) Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) Division Lightweight
Welterweight | ||
João Zeferino (born January 15, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes for the World Series of Fighting in the Lightweight division.
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Ultimate Fighting Championship
On May 18, 2013, Zeferino made his UFC debut replacing Chris Camozzi in his fight against Rafael Natal at UFC on FX 8. He lost via unanimous decision.
Zeferino was scheduled to face Kenny Robertson at UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Bader on September 4, 2013 but after Robertson was pulled from the fight he was replaced by UFC newcomer Elias Silvério. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
World Series of Fighting
On October 7, 2015, Zeferino was announced as one of the participants in one night Lightweight tournament to determine the number one contender for the WSOF Lightweight Championship. On November 25, 2015, Zeferino made his World Series of Fighting debut at WSOF 25 defeating Brian Foster via heel hook submission in the quarterfinal round. In the semifinals, Zeferino defeated Jorge Patino via heel hook submission in the first round advancing to the finals of the tournament where he was defeated when he rematched Foster who defeated him via technical knockout in the second round.
On April 2, 2016, Zeferino faced UFC vet Jon Fitch at WSOF 30 for the vacant WSOF Welterweight Championship. He lost via unanimous decision.
Zeferino is expected to face Jason High at WSOF 33 on October 7, 2016. He won via technical knockout in the third round.
On October 17, 2016, it was announced that Zeferino would challenge Justin Gaethje for the WSOF Lightweight Championship on December 31, 2016 at WSOF 34 in the main event. However, he was forced out of the fight and replaced by Luis Firmino.