Featherweight: Kauã Fernandes (5-0)
Fernandes is unbeaten in MMA, has a background in Muay Thai, and is a BJJ black belt as well. He’s based out of Rio de Janeiro and trains out of the well-known Nova Uniao. Fernandes is a BJJ guy as three of his wins come by submission. Don’t sleep on his stand-up because he will put you to sleep. Fernandes uses good length and snips on the outside with his kicks and punches. He uses a lot of feints and everything he does is sought out. His striking is that good and his ground game is his bread and butter.
Flyweight, Alisson Murilo (6-1)
Murilo is one of these violent Brazilians we see often but not a lot at 125 pounds. He went 10-4 as an amateur. His only loss as a pro was a scrap and has looked even better since. Murilo is well-rounded but an excellent striker when he puts his hands together. He’s got quick hands and always throwing in combinations. He’s got the explosiveness you’d like to see at flyweight and has the power to match. He can strike with almost anybody but also has the ability to use wrestling and end it on the mat. Murilo has fight-ending ground and pound and has finished three times with a submission. Not a lot is known of Murlio but there needs to be more eyes on him.
Featherweight: Márcio “Ticoto” Barbosa (13-2)
Santos has been very active for the last two years and has made a name for himself with exciting fights. He’s finished all but one fight and a few of those have been in under a minute. He only has one loss and has won three since. Santos has bombs in his hands and is very athletic. He doesn’t shy away from a brawl and so far that’s played a huge part of his success. His bodywork has been good and he will also chop away at the legs. Santos has been a cerebral striker altogether.
Bantamweight: Luan Luiz Lacerda (12-1)
Lacerda is a top prospect out of Brazil, but often gets lost in the shuffle. He’s not as talked about as the others on this feature, however, he deserves some love. Lacerda is in his prime being 29 years old. He trains out of one of the best gyms in Brazil, Nova Uniao. Lacerda is a legit jiu-jitsu player who is so fun to watch once the fight hits the mat. His striking is still a work in progress, but it’s been coming together. Lacerda will even pull guard to close the distance and for his sake, it’s a good idea. He is excellent no matter where on the mat, and very fluid off his back attacking submissions and sweeping his foes. Lacerda is a big submission threat and he’s good at attacking the neck, but has won with a heel hook, and an armbar twice. He really looks like a problem in this division.
Flyweight: Lucas “Fenômeno” Rocha (14-1)
Rocha has a good record and has beaten a few good-enough fighters. His sole loss isn’t a bad one to Alan Gabriel but Rocha did get knocked out. Since that he’s won four in a row. He’s a dangerous striker and can be a danger to himself as well. He’s been knocked clean out before and dropped in other fights. As an offensive striker, he has a lot of qualities. With a little bit of power, he throws chopping leg kicks and does a solid job at attacking the body. You will see him actively throw body-head combinations. There are some kinks to work out but I’m sure he’s only going to improve.
Middleweight: Igor “Jacare” Cavalcanti (3-0)
Cavalcanti is young in his career but has steamed through everyone. Even though he has won various grappling competitions he’s been knocking guys out. Then again, he has competed in amateur boxing as well. In MMA, Cavalcanti has powered guys to the mat slinging them down with a lot of force. He seems to be well-equipped on the mat with jiu-jitsu, ground and pound, and a submission game. Cavalcanti has some heavy hands and leg kicks with a lot of aggression. There is still a lot of questions but you can’t look away when watching this guy.
Welterweight: Reginaldo “The Beast” Junior (6-0)
When you are looking into Junior you notice most of his fights hit the mat. He shoots a lot of takedowns and four of his victories have come by submission. Junior actually has a kickboxing background with a record of 19 wins and only one loss. He’s a purple belt in jiu-jitsu and has been active in small grappling competitions as well. On the mat, he’s a strong submission grappler. He’s a threat from on top or the bottom. Junior is a power puncher who has decent movement. He’s a work in progress and at only 23, the sky is the limit.
Lightweight, Samuel Marcos (8-2)
Marcos started off his career not so great at 3-2. Since he’s been training at Team Lucas Mineira he’s improved a lot. He’s won his last five and has finished all five opponents in the first round. Marcos on the feet has good hands and light movement but his jiu-jitsu is where he’s strongest. Of eight wins, six of those come by submission. Marcos has good wrestling to match the grappling he has. Legit BJJ, strong wrestling, athletic, and striking looking like it will improve— Marcos is a good one to watch for.
Middleweight: Lucas Fernando (8-1)
Outside of one loss, Fernando has been sparking opponents putting on good performances and finishing with knockouts. He’s a tall middleweight standing at six-foot-three. He uses every bit of that reach. His reach is highlighted by a long sniping one-two and a knee. He’s very dangerous using flying knees but just as good at throwing a step-in knee. Fernando is a lethal striker/kickboxer that’s going to give a lot of guys issues. He was a member of the Brazilian Kickboxing team. His grappling is under the radar but it’s very good as well. Sparking a veteran like Fabio Aguiar says a lot about the potential of Fernando.
Bantamweight: Pedro Falcao (15-3)
Falcao is a respected fighter out of Brazil. He’s an important member of Nova Uniao who corners and coaches a lot of fighters. He’s been in the gym for years around some of the best Brazilian fighters in the world and top-tier fighters from other countries. Falcao fought last year on the Contender Series and although he did win he didn’t leave with a contract. Falcao is a BJJ black belt and has been showing every bit of that in his MMA career. High-level jiu-jitsu, submission threat, solid wrestling, well-conditioned and good-enough striking.
