# Diego Brandão
**Diego Brandão** (Diego Pereira Brandão, born 1987) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist from [Fortaleza](https://www.edgepedia.org/fortaleza), Ceara, who competes at featherweight, won the fourteenth season of [The Ultimate Fighter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-ultimate-fighter), and fought six years in the UFC before rebuilding his career on the regional circuit, where he won and defended the Tuff-N-Uff featherweight championship in 2025.[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/news/tuf-14-finale-main-card-results-brandao-dodson-are-ultimate-fighters) His nickname is "DB", and he is also known as "Ceara" after his home state.[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) • [3](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Diego-Brandao-25097)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil; fights out of Albuquerque, New Mexico[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) |
| Team | Jackson Wink MMA Academy[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) |
| Physical | 5'7" (171 cm), 64.0" (163 cm) reach, featherweight[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) |
| TUF 14 | Won the featherweight final by armbar of Dennis Bermudez at 4:51 of round one, December 3, 2011[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/tuf-14-finale-main-card-results-brandao-dodson-are-ultimate-fighters) |
| UFC record | 6 wins, 4 losses (2011 to 2016)[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) |
| Pro record | 32-22-0 per Tapology; Sherdog lists 31 wins and 21 losses[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) • [3](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Diego-Brandao-25097) |
| 2025 run | 3-0 as an underdog, winning and defending the Tuff-N-Uff featherweight title[4](https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/2025-historic-comeback-fighter-of-the-year-diego-brandao.4373743/) |
## The Ultimate Fighter 14
He made his name on the series with knockout power, defeating Steven Siler among others on the way to the final.[5](https://www.mmafighting.com/2011/10/27/173738/diego-brandaos-strategy-hit-your-face-and-knock-your-ass-out)
The December 3, 2011 final against [Dennis Bermudez](https://www.edgepedia.org/dennis-bermudez) at [The Pearl](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-pearl) at The Palms in Las Vegas was a wild, back-and-forth round. Bermudez landed the harder punches early and nearly finished Brandão with ground strikes, but Brandão knocked him down with a punch and a knee, and when Bermudez got too wild on top, Brandão locked a textbook armbar and forced the tap at 4:51 of round one.[6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2011/12/3/2736601/diego-brandao-submits-dennis-bermudez-in-wild-ultimate-fighter-f) The win crowned him the season's featherweight winner and earned him a six-figure UFC contract; he said afterward that he would buy a house for his mother in Brazil.[6](https://www.mmafighting.com/2011/12/3/2736601/diego-brandao-submits-dennis-bermudez-in-wild-ultimate-fighter-f)
## UFC career
Brandão went 6-4 in the UFC between 2011 and 2016.[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) His notable wins included a submission of Pablo Garza at UFC on FUEL 9 in April 2013, a fight in which his guard passing and transitions were on display; he then lost to [Dustin Poirier](https://www.edgepedia.org/dustin-poirier) by first-round KO/TKO at UFC 168, which moved Poirier's record from 15-3 to 16-3.[7](https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/6/4191004/ufc-on-fuel-9-results-diego-brandao-taps-out-pablo-garza) • [8](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/islam-makhachev-vs-dustin-poirier-peleas-record-kos-y-estadisticas-en-ufc-n/) • [12](https://www.espn.co.uk/mma/fighter/history/_/id/2506549/dustin-poirier) • [13](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-168)
His most famous UFC fight was a loss. At UFC Fight Night 46 on July 19, 2014, in Dublin, Brandão headlined against the heavily hyped local fighter [Conor McGregor](https://www.edgepedia.org/conor-mcgregor), stepping in when Cole Miller fell out of the bout. McGregor knocked him out with punches at 4:05 of round one, a result ranked among the year's best knockouts and awarded [Performance](https://www.edgepedia.org/performance) of the Night.[9](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/bouts/143711-ufc-fight-night-46-the-notorious-conor-mcgregor-vs-diego-cear-brando) • [10](https://www.mmamania.com/2014/7/17/5900067/ufc-fight-night-46-complete-fighter-breakdown-diego-brandao-strengths-weaknesses-dublin)
## Fighting style
**On the feet**, Brandão is an aggressive pressure fighter. His attack features running and jumping knees, which catch opponents ducking under looping punches or changing levels for takedowns, and stance-switch strikes such as a switch left straight or an overhand thrown while changing stance.[10](https://www.mmamania.com/2014/7/17/5900067/ufc-fight-night-46-complete-fighter-breakdown-diego-brandao-strengths-weaknesses-dublin) The aggression carries costs: charging forward lifts his chin and commits his momentum, so a counter-puncher who stands his ground can hurt him, and he becomes less explosive as the fight goes on.[10](https://www.mmamania.com/2014/7/17/5900067/ufc-fight-night-46-complete-fighter-breakdown-diego-brandao-strengths-weaknesses-dublin)
**On the ground** he is a different fighter, composed and technical. He chains guard passes together, moving from an under pass to a head-and-arm cut pass, or reversing direction from an instep half-guard pass into a cut through an open guard, as he did against Pablo Garza. Once past the guard he advances to mount, postures up to strike, and hunts the head-and-arm choke when opponents misplace their arms.[10](https://www.mmamania.com/2014/7/17/5900067/ufc-fight-night-46-complete-fighter-breakdown-diego-brandao-strengths-weaknesses-dublin)
## Later career and 2025 comeback
After leaving the UFC, Brandão's record declined sharply: he went 1-1 in RIZIN in 2018 and 1-7 in Absolute Championship Akhmat between 2019 and 2022.[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara)
The 2025 season reversed the trend. In March he knocked out Jamie Siraj with a spinning wheel kick and punches to win the vacant Tuff-N-Uff featherweight championship as a +1000 underdog that only about 1 percent of Tapology users picked; in June he stopped Canaan Kawaihae by punches at 3:34 of round four as a +600 underdog; and in October he took a split decision over the UFC and Bellator veteran Kai Kamaka III over five rounds, again as an underdog.[1](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara) • [4](https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/2025-historic-comeback-fighter-of-the-year-diego-brandao.4373743/) In February 2026 he withdrew from a Karate Combat 59 bout after his opponent missed weight by 5 pounds, with Brandão moving up a weight class after his title run.[11](https://www.mmafighting.com/latest-news/471609/diego-brandao-out-of-karate-combat-59-after-opponent-misses-weight-by-5-pounds)
## References
1. [Diego Brandão ("DB") fighter page, Tapology](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/3769-diego-brandao-ceara)
2. [TUF 14 Finale Main Card Results: Brandao, Dodson are Ultimate Fighters, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/tuf-14-finale-main-card-results-brandao-dodson-are-ultimate-fighters)
3. [Diego "Ceara" Brandao MMA Stats and Biography, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Diego-Brandao-25097)
4. [Limelight 2025 Historic Comeback Fighter of the Year: Diego Brandao, Sherdog Forums](https://forums.sherdog.com/threads/2025-historic-comeback-fighter-of-the-year-diego-brandao.4373743/)
5. [Diego Brandao's Strategy: 'Hit Your Face and Knock Your Ass Out', MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2011/10/27/173738/diego-brandaos-strategy-hit-your-face-and-knock-your-ass-out)
6. [Diego Brandao Submits Dennis Bermudez in Wild Ultimate Fighter Finale, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2011/12/3/2736601/diego-brandao-submits-dennis-bermudez-in-wild-ultimate-fighter-f)
7. [UFC on FUEL 9 results: Diego Brandao taps out Pablo Garza, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2013/4/6/4191004/ufc-on-fuel-9-results-diego-brandao-taps-out-pablo-garza)
8. [Récords y KOs de Poirier y Makhachev en UFC, AS](https://as.com/us/masdeporte/islam-makhachev-vs-dustin-poirier-peleas-record-kos-y-estadisticas-en-ufc-n/)
9. [Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandão, UFC Fight Night 46 bout page, Tapology](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/bouts/143711-ufc-fight-night-46-the-notorious-conor-mcgregor-vs-diego-cear-brando)
10. [UFC Fight Night 46 complete fighter breakdown, Diego 'Ceara' Brandao edition, MMA Mania](https://www.mmamania.com/2014/7/17/5900067/ufc-fight-night-46-complete-fighter-breakdown-diego-brandao-strengths-weaknesses-dublin)
11. [Diego Brandao out of Karate Combat 59 after opponent misses weight by 5 pounds, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/latest-news/471609/diego-brandao-out-of-karate-combat-59-after-opponent-misses-weight-by-5-pounds)
12. [espn.co.uk](https://www.espn.co.uk/mma/fighter/history/_/id/2506549/dustin-poirier)
13. [UFC 168, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-168)
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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