Julio Cesar (mixed martial artist)

Julio Cesar Neves Jr.[1] (born 25 April 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He has previously fought in Bellator MMA.

Julio Cesar Neves
BornJulio Cesar Neves Jr.
(1994-04-25) 25 April 1994 (age 30)
Balneário Camboriú, Lages, Brazil[1]
Other namesMorceguinho ("Little Bat")
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg)
DivisionLightweight
Featherweight
Reach74.0 in (188 cm)[2]
StyleMuay Thai, Luta Livre
Fighting out ofBalneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil
TeamAstra Fight Team[3]
TrainerMarcelo Brigadeiro[4]
Years active2011–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total38
Wins36
By knockout20
By submission10
By decision6
Losses2
By submission1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

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Julio Cesar was born in Brazil.[1] 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

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Early career

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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 9 November 2013, but it was cancelled because of the subsequent signing to Bellator.[5]

Bellator MMA

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Neves made his Bellator debut on 18 April 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 19 September 2014 at Bellator 125.[6] 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 15 May 2015.[7] 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.[8]

Criticism

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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.[9]

Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki

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Winning the next 6 bouts mostly on the Brazilian regional scene, Neves signed with Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, making his debut against Daniel Rutkowski on March 16, 2024 at KSW 92.[10] After a three-round fight, he lost to his rival unanimously on the scorecards, thus suffering the second defeat in his career.[11]

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
38 matches 36 wins 2 losses
By knockout 20 0
By submission 10 1
By decision 6 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 36–2 Daniel Rutkowski Decision (unanimous) KSW 92: Wikłacz vs. Jojua 16 March 2024 3 5:00 Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland
Win 36–1 Rafael Luiz de Almeida TKO Brusque Championship MMA 4 12 December 2021 1 2:00 Brusque, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 35–1 Kevin Park Decision (unanimous) Battlefield FC 2 27 July 2019 3 5:00 Macau, China
Win 34–1 Roger Sampaio Submission (guillotine choke) Aspera FC 57 9 September 2017 1 1:14 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 33–1 Fernando Colman Decision (unanimous) Brave CF 4 18 March 2017 3 5:00 Parana, Brazil Catchweight 150 pounds
Win 32–1 Carlisson Diego Santos Submission (anaconda choke) Smash Fight 4 28 October 2016 2 4:08 Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
Win 31–1 Ranieri Zenidim Decision (unanimous) Aspera FC 40 18 June 2016 3 5:00 Santa Catarina, Brazil
Loss 30–1 Jordan Parsons Submission (arm-triangle choke) Bellator 137 15 May 2015 3 4:09 Temecula, California, United States
Win 30–0 Poppies Martinez TKO (spinning back kick and punches) Bellator 125 19 September 2014 1 2:16 Fresno, California, United States
Win 29–0 Josh Arocho TKO (elbows and punches) Bellator 117 18 April 2014 2 2:37 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States
Win 28–0 Nelson Junior Submission (rear-naked choke) Sparta MMA 9 15 September 2013 1 0:57 Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 27–0 Maikon de Carvalho Decision (unanimous) Sparta MMA 8 24 August 2013 3 5:00 Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 26–0 Dener dos Santos KO (head kick) Watch Out Combat Show 28 10 August 2013 1 2:42 Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Win 25–0 Hamilton Ferreira TKO (punches) Watch Out Combat Show 26 24 May 2013 1 1:50 Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 24–0 Renato Gabardi Submission (rear-naked choke) Island Fighting Championships 1 26 April 2013 2 4:47 Palhoça, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 23–0 Alex de Souza TKO (punches) Sparta MMA 5 - Encontro de Campeoes 20 April 2013 1 0:36 Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 22–0 Kaique Silva Submission (arm-triangle choke) Nocaute Fight Champion 13 April 2013 2 2:18 Curitibanos, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 21–0 Danilo Santos TKO (head kick) BingoFight 22 March 2013 2 2:11 Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 20–0 Mauricio Machado KO (flying knee) Sparta MMA 4 - Julio Cesar vs Bad Boy 16 March 2013 1 0:37 Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 19–0 Tiago Esquilo TKO (punches) CTA Combat - MMA & Muay Thai 9 March 2013 1 1:08 Palmeira das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Win 18–0 Kelvin Kuster TKO (punches) Sparta MMA 3 - Class 23 February 2013 2 2:10 Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 17–0 Ramones Silva TKO (punches) Tavares Combat 5 16 February 2013 1 2:47 Jaguaruna, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 16–0 Rafael Bixão Submission (rear-naked choke) Tavares Combat 4 3 February 2013 1 3:26 Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 15–0 Vitor Miranda KO (head kick) Tavares Combat 2 24 January 2013 1 2:34 Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 14–0 Maicon Silva KO (flying knee) Sparta MMA - Sparta Qualify 1 12 January 2013 1 3:14 Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 13–0 Joao Capoeira KO (punch) Corupa Fight Champion 22 December 2012 1 3:37 Corupá, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 12–0 Guilherme Nascimento Submission (armbar) Tavares Combat 8 December 2012 1 N/A Palhoça, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 11–0 Guilherme Severo Decision (unanimous) Golden Fighters 4 1 December 2012 3 5:00 Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Win 10–0 Antonio Bezerra KO (flying knee) Soul Fight Night 11 August 2012 2 3:11 Pirabeiraba, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 9–0 Luiz André TKO (punches) Soul Fight Night 11 August 2012 1 1:16 Pirabeiraba, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 8–0 Gustavo Mendonca KO (flying knee) Connect Fight Night 2 17 June 2012 2 1:16 Biguaçu, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 7–0 Fernando Giacometti Submission (rear-naked choke) Energy Force 19 May 2012 1 1:50 Navegantes, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 6–0 Lucas Moraes TKO (elbows) Connect Fight Night 31 March 2012 3 3:04 Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 5–0 Jonathan Giocomossi Submission (arm-triangle choke) Blufight MMA - Blufight 2 10 March 2012 1 3:10 Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 4–0 Apostolis Andrade Halianis Decision (unanimous) Nitrix Champion Fight 10 11 February 2012 3 5:00 Camboriu, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 3–0 Renato Monaco Submission (rear-naked choke) Blufight MMA - Blufight 1 3 December 2011 1 1:57 Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Win 2–0 Fabio Japones KO (flying knee) FPMMA - Combat 13 November 2011 1 2:17 São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo, Brazil
Win 1–0 Maicon Gregor KO (flying knee) Octagon MMA 1 October 2011 1 4:12 Itajaí, Santa Catarina, Brazil

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Julio Cesar Neves Jr". sherdog.com. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Julio Cesar Neves". tapology.com. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Astra Fight Team". tapology.com. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Julio Cesar Neves signed to Bellator". fcfighter.com. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Yuri Maia vs. Julio Cesar Neves". tapology.com. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  6. ^ "James Irvin Injured, Replacement Bout Announced For Bellator 125". mmanews.com. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  7. ^ Brent Brookhouse (9 April 2015). "Three prelims announced for Bellator 137, including Jesse Juarez vs. Ricky Rainey". mmajunkie.com.
  8. ^ Daniels, Steph (4 June 2015). "Bellator releases Sokoudjou and 7 other fighters from their roster". bloodyelbow.com.
  9. ^ "Lutadores enfrentam 'frangos' para fazer cartel numeroso (Fighters facing chickens to boost their fight records)". tatame.com. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  10. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (12 February 2024). "KSW signs 36-1 featherweight Julio Cesar Neves, will debut next month". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  11. ^ Paczkowski, Mateusz (16 March 2024). "XTB KSW 92: Daniel Rutkowski pewnie pokonał Nevesa. Walka jednak bez fajerwerków". MMA PL (in Polish). Retrieved 18 March 2024.