Julio Cesar (mixed martial artist)
Julio Cesar Neves, Jr.[5] (born April 25, 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who has most notably competed in the featherweight division of Bellator MMA.
| Julio Cesar Neves | |
|---|---|
| Born | Julio Cesar Neves, Jr. April 25, 1994 Brazil[1] |
| Other names | Morceguinho ("Little Bat") |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg) |
| Division | Featherweight |
| Reach | 74.0 in (188 cm)[2] |
| Style | Muay Thai, Luta Livre |
| Fighting out of | Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil |
| Team | Astra Fight Team[3] |
| Trainer | Marcelo Brigadeiro[4] |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 35 |
| Wins | 34 |
| By knockout | 19 |
| By submission | 9 |
| By decision | 6 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Julio Cesar was born in Brazil.[6] He achieved a coveted 30-0 record after defeating Poppies Martinez at Bellator 125, an unheard of accomplishment in mixed martial arts competition, given his age and the time span in which he competed.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Neves had been competing in the Brazilian circuit since late-2011, amassing 28 bouts and early finishes in a very condensed period of time before signing with Bellator MMA. He was doing so at a very young age, being only 19-years-old when he was signed to Bellator. He was expected to face Yuri Maia at Golden Fighters 7 on November 9, 2013, but it was cancelled because of the subsequent signing to Bellator.[7]
Bellator MMA
Neves made his Bellator debut on April 18, 2014 (just days before his 20th birthday) at Bellator 117 against Josh Arocho. The 19-year-old was successful in his debut, defeating Arocho in the second round via TKO.
In his second bout with the promotion, Neves faced Poppies Martinez on September 19, 2014 at Bellator 125.[8] He won via TKO in the first round.
In his third bout with the promotion, Neves faced fellow up-and-comer Jordan Parsons at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015.[9] He lost the back and forth fight via submission in the third round. This marked the first professional defeat of his career.
In June 2015, it was revealed that Neves, along with his brother Rafael Silva, were among 8 fighters released from the promotion.[10]
Criticism
Neves' record has been subject of controversy in his home country of Brazil. According to many local MMA resources and forums, Neves built his undefeated record facing mostly "cans" and opponents with irregular MMA records while avoiding tougher challengers. Some of his opponents' records, in order, are: 0-3, 0-2, 3-2, 0-2, 9-8, 4-3, 0-1, 2-3, 1-3, 1-1, 0-3, 1-7, 1-1, 0-2, 12-10 and 0-2.[11]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 36 matches | 35 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 19 | 0 |
| By submission | 10 | 1 |
| By decision | 6 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 35–1 | Kevin Park | Decision (unanimous) | Battlefield FC 2 | July 27, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Macau, China | |
| Win | 34–1 | Roger Sampaio | Submission (guillotine choke) | Aspera FC 57 | September 9, 2017 | 1 | 1:14 | Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 33–1 | Fernando Colman | Decision (unanimous) | Brave CF 4 | March 18, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Parana, Brazil | Catchweight 150 pounds |
| Win | 32–1 | Carlisson Diego Santos | Submission (anaconda choke) | Smash Fight 4 | October 28, 2016 | 2 | 4:08 | Curitiba, Parana, Brazil | |
| Win | 31–1 | Ranieri Zenidim | Decision (unanimous) | Aspera FC 40 | June 18, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Loss | 30–1 | Jordan Parsons | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Bellator 137 | May 15, 2015 | 3 | 4:09 | Temecula, California, United States | |
| Win | 30–0 | Poppies Martinez | TKO (spinning back-kick to the body and punches) | Bellator 125 | September 19, 2014 | 1 | 2:16 | Fresno, California, United States | |
| Win | 29–0 | Josh Arocho | TKO (elbows) | Bellator 117 | April 18, 2014 | 2 | 2:37 | Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States | |
| Win | 28–0 | Nelson Junior | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Sparta MMA 9 | September 15, 2013 | 1 | 0:57 | Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 27–0 | Maikon de Carvalho | Decision (unanimous) | Sparta MMA 8 | August 24, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 26–0 | Dener dos Santos | KO (cartwheel kick) | Watch Out Combat Show 28 | August 10, 2013 | 1 | 2:42 | Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| Win | 25–0 | Hamilton Ferreira | TKO (punches) | Watch Out Combat Show 26 | May 24, 2013 | 1 | 1:50 | Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 24–0 | Renato Gabardi | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Island Fighting Championships 1 | April 26, 2013 | 2 | 4:47 | Palhoça, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 23–0 | Alex de Souza | TKO (punches) | Sparta MMA 5 - Encontro de Campeoes | April 20, 2013 | 1 | 0:36 | Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 22–0 | Kaique Silva | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Nocaute Fight Champion | April 13, 2013 | 2 | 2:18 | Curitibanos, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 21–0 | Danilo Santos | TKO (head kick) | BingoFight | March 22, 2013 | 2 | 2:11 | Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 20–0 | Mauricio Machado | KO (flying knee) | Sparta MMA 4 - Julio Cesar vs Bad Boy | March 16, 2013 | 1 | 0:37 | Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 19–0 | Tiago Esquilo | TKO (punches) | CTA Combat - MMA & Muay Thai | March 9, 2013 | 1 | 1:08 | Palmeira das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| Win | 18–0 | Kelvin Kuster | TKO (punches) | Sparta MMA 3 - Class | February 23, 2013 | 2 | 2:10 | Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 17–0 | Ramones Silva | TKO (punches) | Tavares Combat 5 | February 16, 2013 | 1 | 2:47 | Jaguaruna, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 16–0 | Rafael Bixão | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Tavares Combat 4 | February 3, 2013 | 1 | 3:26 | Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 15–0 | Vitor Miranda | KO (head kick) | Tavares Combat 2 | January 24, 2013 | 1 | 2:34 | Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 14–0 | Maicon Silva | KO (flying knee) | Sparta MMA - Sparta Qualify 1 | January 12, 2013 | 1 | 3:14 | Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 13–0 | Joao Capoeira | KO (punch) | Corupa Fight Champion | December 22, 2012 | 1 | 3:37 | Corupá, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 12–0 | Guilherme Nascimento | Submission (armbar) | Tavares Combat | December 8, 2012 | 1 | N/A | Palhoça, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 11–0 | Guilherme Severo | Decision (unanimous) | Golden Fighters 4 | December 1, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | |
| Win | 10–0 | Antonio Bezerra | KO (flying knee) | Soul Fight Night | August 11, 2012 | 2 | 3:11 | Pirabeiraba, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 9–0 | Luiz André | TKO (punches) | Soul Fight Night | August 11, 2012 | 1 | 1:16 | Pirabeiraba, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–0 | Gustavo Mendonca | KO (flying knee) | Connect Fight Night 2 | June 17, 2012 | 2 | 1:16 | Biguaçu, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 7–0 | Fernando Giacometti | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Energy Force | May 19, 2012 | 1 | 1:50 | Navegantes, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–0 | Lucas Moraes | TKO (elbows) | Connect Fight Night | March 31, 2012 | 3 | 3:04 | Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–0 | Jonathan Giocomossi | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Blufight MMA - Blufight 2 | March 10, 2012 | 1 | 3:10 | Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | Apostolis Andrade Halianis | Decision (unanimous) | Nitrix Champion Fight 10 | February 11, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Camboriu, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Renato Monaco | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Blufight MMA - Blufight 1 | December 3, 2011 | 1 | 1:57 | Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Fabio Japones | KO (flying knee) | FPMMA - Combat | November 13, 2011 | 1 | 2:17 | São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Maicon Gregor | KO (flying knee) | Octagon MMA | October 1, 2011 | 1 | 4:12 | Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil |
References
- "Julio Cesar Neves Jr (Biography)". Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "Julio Cesar Neves". Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- "Astra Fight Team". Retrieved June 27, 2015.
- "Julio Cesar Neves signed to Bellator". Retrieved June 27, 2015.
- "Julio Cesar Neves Jr (Biography)". Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "Julio Cesar Neves Jr (Biography)". Retrieved May 8, 2014.
- "Yuri Maia vs. Julio Cesar Neves". Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- "James Irvin Injured, Replacement Bout Announced For Bellator 125". mmanews.com. August 29, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
- Brent Brookhouse (April 9, 2015). "Three prelims announced for Bellator 137, including Jesse Juarez vs. Ricky Rainey". mmajunkie.com.
- Steph Daniels (June 4, 2015). "Bellator releases Sokoudjou and 7 other fighters from their roster". bloodyelbow.com.
- "Lutadores enfrentam 'frangos' para fazer cartel numeroso (Fighters facing chickens to boost their fight records)". tatame.com. January 13, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.