Cristiano_Souza
Cristiano Souza
Brazilian mixed martial artist
Cristiano Souza (born August 2, 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes for the Bellator Fighting Championships in the Welterweight Division. He was a fighter on the first season of Fight Master: Bellator MMA
| Cristiano Souza | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1982-08-02) August 2, 1982 (age 41) Brazil |
| Other names | Soldier Boy, Soldado |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Boca Raton, Florida |
| Team | American Top Team |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt in Capoeira |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 9 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Bellator Fighting Championships
On September 17, 2011, Souza made his Bellator debut defeating John Kelly at Bellator 50 via unanimous decision.
On November 9, 2012, Souza defeated Robert Otani at Bellator 80 via knockout due to punches in round one.
Fight Master: Bellator MMA
On May 6, 2013, it was announced that Souza would be featured as a participant on Bellator Fighting Championships reality TV show Fight Master: Bellator MMA, competing as a Welterweight.[1]
In his elimination fight to get on the show, Souza defeated Steve Montgomery via knockout in the first round. During the team selection, Souza chose Randy Couture to be his coach. In his preliminary fight, Souza faced Evan Cutts. Despite controlling a majority of the fight, Souza lost to Cutts via triangle choke submission in the second round.
Bellator Return
Souza came back at Bellator 106 and was scheduled to fight Karo Parisyan but Parisyan withdrew due to injury and was replaced with Alejandro Gracia. Souza controlled the first two rounds before taking down and submitting Gracia via rear naked choke in the third round.
In March 2014, Souza entered the Bellator Season 10 Welterweight tournament as a replacement.[2] He faced Sam Oropeza in the opening round at Bellator 112 and lost via TKO in the first round.
| 9 matches | 7 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 1 |
| By submission | 3 | 1 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 7–2 | Jose Caceres | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Fight Time 35 | February 1, 2017 | 2 | 2:45 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 7–1 | Sam Oropeza | TKO (punches) | Bellator 112 | March 14, 2014 | 1 | 3:07 | Hammond, Indiana, United States | Bellator Season 10 Welterweight Tournament Quarterfinals |
| Win | 7–0 | Alejandro Gracia | Submission (rear naked choke) | Bellator 106 | November 2, 2013 | 3 | 3:06 | Long Beach, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Robert Otani | TKO (punches) | Bellator 80 | November 9, 2012 | 1 | 2:46 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | John Kelly | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 50 | September 17, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Alex Rojas | Submission (guillotine choke) | CFA 1: The Title | May 6, 2011 | 2 | 3:19 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Rory Shallcross | KO (punches) | AFO 11: Fusion | February 19, 2011 | 1 | 1:37 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Andrew Flickenger | Submission (rear naked choke) | AOF 8: Fury | May 22, 2010 | 1 | 2:12 | Estero, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Pedro Rubio | KO (punches) | AOF 5: Rumble at Robarts 5 | October 23, 2009 | 1 | 1:39 | Sarasota, Florida, United States | MMA debut |
- "'Fight Master: Bellator MMA' cast unveiled with Riggs, Lozano and 30 others". MMA Junkie. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
- "War Machine, Riggs, Scanlon out; Bradley, Coy, Souza in Bellator welterweight tournament". themmareport.com. March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.