Other names The Blessed Name Rafael Carvalho Nationality Brazilian Role Mixed Martial Artist | Height 1.91 m Reach 78.0 in (198 cm) Weight 84 kg | |
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Fighting out of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil Team Madison TeamSiam Team MMA CollegeNoguchi TeamLA Sports | ||
Bellator mma foundations with rafael carvalho
Rafael Carvalho de Souza (born July 27, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the middleweight division of Bellator MMA. He is the current Middleweight Champion.
Contents
- Bellator mma foundations with rafael carvalho
- Bellator 213 Rafael Carvalho Misses Lyoto Machida Makes Weight MMA Fighting
- First loss and rebound
- Road to Bellator middleweight title
- Bellator middleweight champion
- Mixed martial arts
- References
Bellator 213: Rafael Carvalho Misses, Lyoto Machida Makes Weight - MMA Fighting
First loss and rebound
Carvalho made his professional mixed martial arts debut against Julio Cesar Araujo Fernandes on December 17, 2011 at Samurai FC 6. Carvalho lost the fight via submission in the first round. Following the loss, Carvalho went on a nine-fight unbeaten streak that included a unanimous decision win over Gustavo Machado that won him the Smash Fight middleweight championship, before signing with Bellator MMA.
Road to Bellator middleweight title
Carvalho was expected to make his promotional debut against fellow newcomer Anthony Ruiz on September 19, 2014 at Bellator 125. However, after an injury to Brett Cooper, Carvalho stepped up and faced Brian Rogers in the co-main event. Despite being a significant betting underdog, Carvalho won the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the first round.
Carvalho faced kickboxing veteran Joe Schilling on April 10, 2015 at Bellator 136. He won the fight by split decision.
Bellator middleweight champion
Carvalho faced Brandon Halsey in the main event at Bellator 144 for the vacant Bellator Middleweight Championship on October 23, 2015. Carvalho stopped Halsey via a body kick in the second round in an upset. Halsey dominated the first round on the ground; almost finishing Carvalho with an arm-triangle choke. With the comeback victory, Carvalho became the first fighter to defeat Halsey.
Carvalho made his first defense of his title against Melvin Manhoef on May 20, 2016 at Bellator 155. He won via a controversial split decision to retain the Bellator Middleweight Championship. Bellator announcer Jimmy Smith called it one of the worst decisions he had ever seen; likewise 5 of 5 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Manhoef.
An immediate rematch with Manhoef was scheduled to take place at Bellator 168, on December 10, 2016. However, Carvalho pulled out of the fight due to injury. The rematch eventually took place on April 8, 2017 at Bellator 176. Carvalho won the bout via knockout due to a head kick in the fourth round. Following the event, Carvalho was fined $5,000 by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) for unsportsmanlike conduct, due to jumping out the cage in his post-fight celebration.
In a May 2017 interview with MMAfighting.com, Carvalho expressed interest in a bout with newly signed welterweight Rory MacDonald after the two exchanged words on Twitter. In addition, he hoped to make his next title defense in July or August.
In June 2017, it was reported by MMA Today that Carvalho will defend his title against Alessio Sakara in December. The bout will take place at Bellator 189 on December 9.