Raoni Barcelos
Taught by his coral-belt father, Raoni Barcelos won jiu-jitsu world titles at blue and purple belt, wrestled for Brazil and reached a UFC main event.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Wikipedia, 'Raoni Barcelos' (English), revision read 28 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Raoni Mendonca Barcelos was born on 1 May 1987 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Where in the source: Lead sentence and infobox (birth date, birth place) — 'born May 1, 1987'
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Before joining the UFC, Barcelos won the Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) featherweight title and defended it twice, and he also held the Shooto Brazil featherweight title; in the UFC he has received four Fight of the Night bonuses.
Where in the source: Championships and accomplishments — 'Two successful title defenses'; 'Fight of the Night (Four times)'
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Sherdog, 'Raoni Barcelos and a Sense of Completeness', January 2025 (preview of UFC 311).(opens in a new tab)
Ahead of UFC 311 in January 2025, Barcelos prepared at the Atos Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Rio de Janeiro with his longtime coach Davi Ramos; Sherdog noted he would turn 38 in May.
Where in the source: Paragraphs on the camp and on his age — 'longtime coach Davi Ramos'; 'turns 38 in May'
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Sherdog, 'Raoni Barcelos, Upsetting Father Time', June 2025 (preview of UFC Atlanta).(opens in a new tab)
Before facing Cody Garbrandt in June 2025, Barcelos said his preparation in Rio de Janeiro was led by his father Laerte Barcelos together with coaches Andre Felipe and Cezar 'Casquinha' Guimaraes, training at Atos Jiu-Jitsu with Davi Ramos. Sherdog described Laerte as a coral belt who pioneered freestyle wrestling cross-training in jiu-jitsu, and said Raoni had turned 38 the previous month.
Where in the source: Paragraph before the Barcelos quote on his camp — 'pioneer in bringing freestyle wrestling cross-training'; opening paragraph on his 38th birthday
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UFC.com, athlete page 'Raoni Barcelos', read 28 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Barcelos's UFC athlete page lists his training base as Top Brother and his place of birth as the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Where in the source: Info section, Bio tab, fields 'Trains at' and 'Place of Birth'
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Asked about his current martial arts ranks, Barcelos said he is a third-degree black belt in jiu-jitsu.
Where in the source: Info section, Q&A tab, answer on current ranks — '3rd-degree black belt'
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Barcelos holds the third degree on his jiu-jitsu black belt, by his own account on his UFC athlete page.
Where in the source: Info section, Q&A tab, same answer on current ranks as the belt colour
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Barcelos said he started training jiu-jitsu at age five because of his father, who is still his trainer, and that he spent a few years on the Brazilian national wrestling team before moving to MMA.
Where in the source: Info section, Q&A tab, answer on when he started training — 'age five'
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Barcelos said that as a wrestler he defended the Brazilian national team for a long time and competed at Pan-American and world championships and Olympic qualifiers, though wrestling gave him no rank.
Where in the source: Info section, Q&A tab, answer on current ranks — 'national wrestling team'
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Barcelos lists his amateur accomplishments as jiu-jitsu world titles at blue and purple belt, two South American wrestling titles and five Brazilian national wrestling titles.
Where in the source: Info section, Q&A tab, answer on amateur accomplishments
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Barcelos names Glover Teixeira as his favourite fighter and says he is in MMA because of him; he also names José Aldo, with whom he trained in Manaus, and Charles Oliveira as inspirations, but calls his father the person who inspires him most and his biggest supporter.
Where in the source: Info section, Q&A tab, answer on favourite fighter — 'because of him'
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Barcelos calls his win over Payton Talbott the turning point of his career, after which he felt much more confident.
Where in the source: Info section, Q&A tab, answer on the most important fight of his career
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The cause Barcelos says he would support through his platform is the inclusion of autistic people in MMA and jiu-jitsu.
Where in the source: Info section, Q&A tab, answer on a cause to support — 'inclusion of autism'
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Barcelos has been a professional MMA fighter since 2012 and made his UFC debut on 14 July 2018, knocking out Kurt Holobaugh in the third round; his UFC record also includes decision wins over Said Nurmagomedov (December 2019), Payton Talbott (January 2025) and Cody Garbrandt (June 2025), and a third-round rear-naked choke of Cristian Quiñonez (February 2024).
Where in the source: Fighter Facts tab — 'Pro since 2012'; UFC History tab, entries dated 7/14/18, 12/21/19, 2/24/24, 1/18/25 and 6/14/25
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BJJ Heroes, 'Raoni Barcelos' (undated profile).(opens in a new tab)
BJJ Heroes says Raoni grew up in a martial arts family, was on the mats by age two, trained judo and jiu-jitsu once old enough for structured classes, had his first international competition at the 2002 World Championship as a juvenile blue belt and received his black belt by age 20.
Where in the source: Biography, second and third paragraphs — 'Mundial in 2002'; 'by the age of 20'
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BJJ Heroes describes Raoni Barcelos as a jiu-jitsu black belt under his father Laerte Barcelos, with the lineage Carlos Gracie > Reyson Gracie > Osvaldo Alves > Laerte Barcelos > Raoni Barcelos.
Where in the source: Header block, 'Lineage' line — 'Osvaldo Alves > Laerte Barcelos'
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According to BJJ Heroes, his father Laerte Barcelos is a seventh-degree coral belt who trained for many years with Osvaldo Fadda and his team as well as with Osvaldo Alves.
Where in the source: Biography, first paragraph — '7th degree BJJ Coral Belt'
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BJJ Heroes says that alongside jiu-jitsu Raoni took up freestyle wrestling, a sport his father had competed in during the early 1980s, winning a Brazilian national title at 66 kg in 2007 and a silver medal at the 2006 Pan American championships; it lists his favourite techniques as the double-leg takedown and the flying armbar.
Where in the source: Biography, fourth paragraph — '66kg category (2007)'; header block, favourite position line
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BJJ Heroes lists a CBJJO World Championship title at purple belt (2005) and a first place at the FPJJ Portuguese Nationals at black belt (2010).
Where in the source: Main Achievements lists, black-belt and coloured-belt sections
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UFC.com, 'Raoni Barcelos | Get Ready For A New Chapter', preview of UFC Fight Night (Vegas 121), September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Going into September 2026, Barcelos had won five UFC fights in a row (Cristian Quiñonez, Payton Talbott, Cody Garbrandt, Ricky Simon and Montel Jackson), which earned him his first UFC main event, against Raul Rosas Jr., eight years after he arrived in the promotion.
Where in the source: Opening paragraphs — 'first UFC main event'; paragraph listing the win streak
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IBJJF, results of the 2002 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.(opens in a new tab)
Raoni Barcelos (Gracie Barra) won the juvenile blue belt roosterweight division at the 2002 IBJJF World Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Juvenile / Blue / Male / Rooster', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2006 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.(opens in a new tab)
Raoni Barcelos (Gracie Barra) won the adult purple belt featherweight division at the 2006 IBJJF World Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Adult / Purple / Male / Feather', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2009 Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship.(opens in a new tab)
Raoni Barcelos (Gracie Barra) won the adult black belt featherweight division at the 2009 Brazilian National No-Gi Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Adult / Black / Male / Feather', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2006 Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2006 Brazilian National Championship, 'Raoni Barcellos', listed under the Laerte Barcelos team, won the adult purple belt featherweight division.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Adult / Purple / Male / Feather', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2005 Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu.(opens in a new tab)
Raoni Barcelos (Gracie Barra) won the adult blue belt featherweight division at the 2005 Brazilian National Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Adult / Blue / Male / Feather', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2004 Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu.(opens in a new tab)
Raoni Barcelos, listed under 'Gracie Barra/Osvaldo', won the juvenile 2 blue belt featherweight division at the 2004 Brazilian National Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Juvenile 2 / Blue / Male / Feather', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2002 Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2002 Brazilian National Championship, Raoni Barcelos (G Barra) placed second in the 16-year-old juvenile blue belt featherweight (pluma) division, behind Bruno Malfacine.
Where in the source: Results by category, '16 Anos Juvenil / Azul / Masculino / Pluma', place 2
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IBJJF, results of the 2003 Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu.(opens in a new tab)
At the 2003 Brazilian National Championship, Raoni Barcelos (Gracie Barra) placed second in the juvenile 1 blue belt featherweight division, behind Philipe Freitas.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Juvenile 1 / Blue / Male / Feather', place 2
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IBJJF, results of the 1998 Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu.(opens in a new tab)
As a child, Raoni Barcelos, competing for the Laerte Barcelos team, won the junior 2 orange belt featherweight division at the 1998 Brazilian National Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Junior 2 / Orange / Male / Feather', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2001 Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu.(opens in a new tab)
Raoni Barcelos (Gracie Barra) won the teen 2 green belt lightweight division at the 2001 Brazilian National Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Teen 2 / Green / Male / Light', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2005 Master International Jiu-Jitsu Championship.(opens in a new tab)
Laerte Barcelos (Gracie Barra) won the master 3 black belt middleweight division at the 2005 IBJJF Master International Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Master 3 / Black / Male / Middle', place 1
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IBJJF, results of the 2006 Master International Jiu-Jitsu Championship.(opens in a new tab)
Laerte Barcelos, listed under the team 'Osvaldo Alves', won the master 3 black belt middleweight division at the 2006 IBJJF Master International Championship.
Where in the source: Results by category, 'Master 3 / Black / Male / Middle', place 1
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Graciemag, 'Cezar Casquinha e os planos da Top Brother no MMA internacional', 30 September 2022.(opens in a new tab)
In 2022 Graciemag described Raoni Barcelos as a student of Cezar 'Casquinha' Guimarães, leader of the traditional jiu-jitsu team Top Brother, which was building an MMA squad; Casquinha said Raoni's ground game was of a high level.
Where in the source: Paragraph after the Casquinha quote — 'Aluno de Casquinha'
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Graciemag, 'Faixa-preta de Jiu-Jitsu, Raoni Barcelos exalta treinos com Glover para RFA', 8 April 2014.(opens in a new tab)
In April 2014 Graciemag reported that Barcelos, then 26 and unbeaten in seven professional fights, was fighting out of André Pederneiras's Nova União and was guided by his father Laerte, a coral belt and former athlete and former coach of the Brazilian national wrestling team, and by Pedro Rizzo; he had spent four and a half weeks training with Glover Teixeira in the United States, which he said improved his boxing a lot.
Where in the source: Second and third paragraphs — 'ex-treinador da Seleção Brasileira de Luta Olímpica'
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Representing Brazil in wrestling, Barcelos, from Marechal Hermes in Rio de Janeiro, won a bronze medal at the 2010 South American Games and competed at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Where in the source: Second paragraph — 'Representando o Brasil'
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Graciemag, 'Antoine, Raoni & Cia lutam na Colômbia nos Jogos Sul-Americanos', 18 March 2010.(opens in a new tab)
Raoni Mendonca Barcelos was named in Brazil's freestyle wrestling team at 66 kg for the 2010 South American Games in Medellín; a photo caption in the same article says he lost only in the final of the 2009 Brazilian trials for ADCC, to Rafael Mendes.
Where in the source: Team list, freestyle 66 kg line; photo caption on the ADCC 2009 trials
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Graciemag, 'Antoine é ouro na Colômbia e luta do Brasil traz 12 medalhas', 28 March 2010.(opens in a new tab)
Barcelos won the bronze medal in freestyle wrestling at 66 kg at the 2010 South American Games in Medellín.
Where in the source: List of Brazilian medallists, freestyle section, 66 kg line
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Graciemag, 'Em Cuba, luta olímpica fatura medalhas', 22 February 2010.(opens in a new tab)
During a training stay in Cuba with the Brazilian wrestling team in February 2010, Barcelos placed fifth in freestyle at the Cerro Pelado international tournament in Havana.
Where in the source: Paragraph on the men's results — 'quinto lugar'
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Graciemag, 'Raoni é destaque e Zulu vence Crocotá em Ipanema', 18 January 2010.(opens in a new tab)
At the final stage of Brazil's 2009 beach wrestling circuit on Ipanema beach in January 2010, Barcelos won the up-to-70 kg division and, entering the open class as an underdog against heavier men, reached the final, where he lost to his training partner Diego 'Bolonha' Rodrigues.
Where in the source: Men's results paragraph — 'Raoni desbancou todos adversários'
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Graciemag, 'Entrevista exclusiva: Raoni Barcelos agradece elogio de Minotauro e analisa luta no UFC Rio', 3 April 2019.(opens in a new tab)
Before UFC 237 in Rio in 2019, Barcelos said he was proud to come from the Rio suburb of Marechal Hermes, that he fought to represent his team, his family and the children of the Usina de Campeões social project, and that he had prepared for three earlier UFC events in Rio, once with a signed contract, without getting to fight.
Where in the source: Answer on fighting in Rio — 'suburbano de Marechal Hermes'
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Portal do Vale Tudo, 'Laerte Barcelos é o convidado do RESENHA PVT desta quinta-feira', 30 July 2020.(opens in a new tab)
In July 2020 Portal do Vale Tudo described Laerte Barcelos as a coral belt and Olympic wrestling specialist who had trained wrestling champions and was a leading representative of the Fadda lineage, and said he had once wrestled Rolls Gracie in a wrestling match.
Where in the source: Second paragraph — 'representantes da linha Fadda'
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In 2020 Laerte Barcelos taught more than 250 students in the Refit social project together with Pedro Rizzo and his son Raoni, and led a further project in Marechal Hermes that brought martial arts to disadvantaged young people.
Where in the source: Third paragraph — 'mais de 250 alunos'
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Sherdog, 'Pedro Rizzo: Raoni Barcelos Can Beat Anyone UFC Bantamweight Division's Top 5', November 2020.(opens in a new tab)
In 2020 Pedro Rizzo, who cornered Barcelos, said Raoni had been training kickboxing with him since 2008, was already a wrestling and jiu-jitsu champion, and was the most intelligent and complete fighter he had ever worked with.
Where in the source: Rizzo quotes on Barcelos — 'since 2008 he has been training kickboxing with me'
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MMA Weekly (courtesy of Blaine Henry, The Fight Library), 'Born on the mat, Raoni Barcelos ready to earn UFC title shot', 17 March 2020.(opens in a new tab)
In March 2020 Barcelos told MMA Weekly he was 'born on the mat', learning jiu-jitsu from his father and master Laerte Barcelos, and that Glover Teixeira and Pedro Rizzo encouraged him to fight MMA.
Where in the source: Paragraph beginning with his childhood — 'I was born on the mat'
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ESPN Brasil, 'Raoni Barcelos se emociona ao dedicar vitória no UFC ao pai: Minha maior inspiração', January 2025.(opens in a new tab)
After beating the previously unbeaten Payton Talbott at UFC 311 in January 2025, having entered as a heavy betting underdog, Barcelos dedicated the win in tears to his father, master Laerte Barcelos, calling him his biggest inspiration and the man who put him on the path of fighting.
Where in the source: Opening paragraphs and press-conference quote — 'minha maior inspiração'
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MMA Junkie (USA Today), 'UFC bonuses: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos an easy Fight of Night', 26 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
In his first UFC main event, in September 2026, Barcelos lost to Raul Rosas Jr. in the fifth round after a slam; the bout was named Fight of the Night.
Where in the source: Fight of the Night entry — 'In the fifth'
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