Fabio Nascimento Record: 11-6-0

Personal background

Fabio "Negao" Nascimento is a Brazilian middleweight and decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt whose grappling pedigree dwarfs his MMA footprint. Born Fabio dos Santos Nascimento on March 18, 1981, in Sao Paulo, he grew up on the city's north side and came to the mats through martial arts as a teenager, starting in kung-fu and karate before a karate instructor steered him toward jiu-jitsu at age 14. Inspired by tapes of Royce Gracie in the early UFC events, he committed fully to grappling at the famed Lotus Clube under head instructor Moises Muradi, who awarded him his black belt after a standout run on the international circuit. By the 2000s, Negao was regarded as one of the best competitors of his generation, a World Cup champion who submitted or defeated names like Ronaldo Souza, Demian Maia, and Roger Coelho in grappling competition. He later affiliated with Team Oyama in California, where he trained alongside former instructor Giva Santana, and the 5'10" competitor is also a highly respected jiu-jitsu referee.

From the mats to MMA

Nascimento's mixed martial arts career grew directly out of that elite grappling foundation. He compiled an 11-6 professional record over the years, a body of work that reflects a competitor far more accomplished than a single data point would suggest. In 2011 he moved to California seeking the professional training environment he wanted to push his MMA further, settling in at Team Oyama, but a series of circumstances led him to retire in 2012 and return to Sao Paulo to focus on coaching jiu-jitsu and refereeing.