Jose Augusto Record: 9-4-0

Bellator run

Augusto made an immediate impression in April 2021, submitting Jonathan Wilson with a first-round arm-triangle choke at Bellator 255 to open his promotional account in style. That performance set up the highest-profile assignment of his career just weeks later, when he agreed on short notice to step up and replace Yoel Romero against knockout artist Anthony Johnson in the promotion's light heavyweight grand prix at Bellator 258. Augusto came up short, stopped by strikes in the second round, but the willingness to take the fight against one of the sport's most feared punchers spoke to his competitive nerve.

He absorbed another setback in March 2022, submitted by rear-naked choke by Alex Polizzi at Bellator 276, before steadying himself with a decision win over Simon Biyong at Bellator 296 in May 2023. He closed out his recorded slate later that year with a decision victory over Richard Jacobi at LFA 171, showing he could grind out rounds when the finish did not come.

Fighting style

Augusto is a heavyweight finisher with a 78 percent finish rate, five of his nine wins coming by knockout and two by submission, reflecting a fighter who hunts for the stoppage whether on the feet or on the mat. His kickboxing and Muay Thai base gives him real power and a comfortable striking range for a big man, while his arm-triangle and anaconda finishes show a grappling game that can capitalize when opponents shoot or scramble. His vulnerabilities have shown up against elite competition: three of his four losses have come by submission and one by knockout, suggesting that against the division's best, his defensive grappling and chin have been the points of pressure. Against most heavyweights, though, his finishing threat from multiple positions makes him a live danger.

Career highlights

• Arm-triangle finish at Bellator 255 — submitted Jonathan Wilson in the first round to announce himself in Bellator's heavyweight division.
• Short-notice grand prix bout — stepped up to face the feared Anthony Johnson in Bellator's light heavyweight grand prix on short notice, the marquee fight of his career.
• 78 percent finish rate — ended seven of nine wins inside the distance through knockouts and submissions, the hallmark of a true finisher.