Danillo Villefort
Danillo Villefort (born August 5, 1983) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. Villefort has fought for the UFC, WEC, IFL, World Series of Fighting, and Professional Fighters League fighting in their Middleweight division.
| Danillo Villefort | |
|---|---|
| Born | Danillo Villefort August 5, 1983 Brasilia, Brazil |
| Other names | Índio |
| Residence | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) |
| Division | Middleweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 77.5 in (197 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Team | Blackzilians |
| Rank | Black belt in Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2005-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Notable relatives | Yuri Villefort, brother |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Biography
Villefort was born in Brazil, he was raised in competition, being the son of Vale Tudo legend Francisco "Master Indio" Silva.[1] He was also the god-son of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.[2] Villefort is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and has been doing Judo for over 30 years. Villefort is a founder and was a Judo MMA with the Blackzilians for over 6 years. In 2016 Villefort got bronze medal at the Judo Veterans World Championships in Fort Lauderdale. In 2017 Villefort became Champion at Judo US open at the light heavy weight division.
World Extreme Cagefighting
Villefort was set to face Jake Rosholt but Rosholt came down with an injury, the fight would have to be postponed.[3] The WEC then disbanded their middleweight division. Villefort dropped down to 170 and took a fight at WEC 38. He defeated Mike Campbell by TKO in the first round.[4] After the win, the WEC disbanded the welterweight division, Villefort's contract was picked up by the UFC.
In an interview conducted with FightLockdown prior to his UFC debut, Villefort stated, “The greatest moment [of my career] would have to be when I was in the IFL, when I fought Mike Massenzio. At the time I had only recently opened up my first gym and wasn't training enough for that fight. Everyone was saying Massenzio was “gonna kill me”, but I believed in God, in my Judo, and in my Jiu-Jitsu skills, accepted the fight and I did what I did. Massenzio is very strong guy!”[5]
When asked about his post-fight celebration which entails firing an invisible arrow at his opponents, Villefort stated that "it is just a way to do tribute for my Dad, he deserves more than that, but when I shoot the arrow I make him happy!”[6]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Villefort made his debut for the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 101 against Jesse Lennox. He lost by TKO from a cut, controversial as it was from an accidental headbutt. After the loss, he was released by the UFC.[7]
Post-Zuffa
After being released by the UFC, Villefort signed with upstart promotion, Shine Fights. He was rumored to be fighting Nick Thompson at Shine Fights 3: Worlds Collide, however, the fight never materialized and the event was canceled.
When Drew McFedries was forced to pull out of his bout with Joey Villaseñor at Shark Fights 13, Villefort stepped in for McFedries on short notice. The bout was contested in the middleweight division, a weight class higher than Villefort's normal weight class. He won via unanimous decision.
Villefort next fought Matt Horwich at Shark Fights 14: Horwich vs. Villefort on March 11 and won the fight by unanimous decision 30-27 on all three of the judges scorecards. In the first round he landed three takedowns and good leg kicks. In the second round, Villefort landed a back elbow which opened a gash under the eye of Horwich and the third round was a similar affair to the first two.
Strikeforce
Villefort was slated to fight Antwain Britt at Strikeforce Challengers 16 in June 2011, but both fighters had to drop out due to injury. He instead fought Nate James at Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte on August 12, 2011, in Las Vegas.[8] He lost the another controversial fight via unanimous decision.
World Series of Fighting
Villefort made is WSOF debut at World Series of Fighting 2 against UFC vet Kris McCray. He won by split decision.
On May 16, 2013, WSOF announced a 4-man tournament to crown an Inaugural Middleweight Champion. Villefort along with former UFC vets Jesse Taylor, David Branch, and current MFC middleweight champion Elvis Mutapčić will be competing in the tournament.[9] Villefort took on David Branch in the opening round at WSOF 5.[10] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 20 matches | 15 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 3 |
| By submission | 5 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 15–6 | Abuspiyan Magomedov | TKO (punches) | PFL 3 | July 5, 2018 | 1 | 3:37 | Washington, D.C. | |
| Win | 15–5 | Thiago Rela | KO/TKO | Final Fight Championship | June 3, 2016 | 3 | 1:04 | Daytona Beach, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 14–5 | David Branch | Decision (unanimous) | World Series of Fighting 5 | September 14, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | WSOF Middleweight Championship tournament Semifinal |
| Win | 14–4 | Kris McCray | Decision (split) | World Series of Fighting 2 | March 23, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | WSOF Debut. |
| Loss | 13–4 | Nate James | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce Challengers: Gurgel vs. Duarte | August 12, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–3 | Matt Horwich | Decision (unanimous) | Shark Fights 14: Horwich vs. Villefort | March 11, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Lubbock, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 12–3 | Joey Villaseñor | Decision (unanimous) | Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs Prangley | September 11, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Amarillo, Texas, United States | Returns to Middleweight |
| Win | 11–3 | Cassiano Ricardo Castanho de Freitas | KO (punch) | Bitetti Combat MMA 6 | February 25, 2010 | 1 | 0:56 | Brasília, Brazil | Fought at Welterweight |
| Win | 10–3 | John Bryant | TKO (punches) | C3: Red Rock Jam N Slam 2 | October 30, 2009 | 1 | 2:50 | Red Rock, Oklahoma, United States | Return to Middleweight |
| Loss | 9–3 | Jesse Lennox | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC 101 | August 8, 2009 | 3 | 3:37 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Mike Campbell | TKO (punches) | WEC 38 | January 25, 2009 | 1 | 3:53 | San Diego, California, United States | Welterweight Debut |
| Win | 8–2 | Mike Massenzio | Submission (kneebar) | IFL: Connecticut | May 16, 2008 | 1 | 3:25 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Brennan Kamaka | Submission (punches) | PXC 14: Evolution | March 10, 2008 | 1 | N/A | Mangilao, Guam | |
| Win | 6–2 | Todd Carney | TKO (punches) | World Fighting Championships 5 | October 26, 2007 | 2 | 1:31 | Tampa, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 5–2 | Clayton McKinney | Submission (kimura) | Harmful Intent Promotions | July 14, 2007 | 1 | 3:37 | Fort Myers, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 4–2 | Todd Carney | TKO (punches) | Absolute Fighting Championships 19 | October 21, 2006 | 3 | 2:29 | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 4–1 | Rafael Natal | TKO (punches) | Gold Fighters Championship | May 20, 2006 | 1 | N/A | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | Frodi Hansen | Submission (rear naked choke) | Jungle Fight 6 | April 14, 2006 | 2 | 0:50 | Manaus, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Ricardo Dinamite | TKO (knee and punches) | Minotauro Fights 2 | August 5, 2005 | 1 | 1:52 | Bahia, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Alexandre Lima | Decision (unanimous) | Minotauro Fights 1 | May 21, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Bahia, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Beto Ninja | Submission (armbar) | Conquista Fight 2 | April 2, 2005 | 1 | 4:21 | Brazil |
References
- "FLD Exclusive with Danillo Villefort". FightLockdown. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- http://www.wec.tv/DanilloVillefort
- http://mmamania.com/2008/07/16/jake-rosholt-vs-danillo-villefort-wec-36-fight-set-for-september-10/
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-01-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "FLD Exclusive with Danillo Villefort". FightLockdown. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- "FLD Exclusive with Danillo Villefort". FightLockdown. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- "Strikeforce Challengers 18 Fight Card Gets Danillo Villefort vs. Nathan James". MMAWeekly.com. July 13, 2011.
- MMAjunkie.com Staff (May 16, 2013). "WSOF sets four-man middleweight tourney with Taylor, Mutapcic, Branch, Villefort". MMAJunkie.com.
- "World Series of Fighting 5 to host opening round of middleweight tournament".
