Daniel Sarafian facts for kids

Daniel Sarafian Gantman (born on August 21, 1982, in São Paulo, Brazil) is a talented mixed martial artist. He has competed in big fighting organizations like the UFC and Bellator. Daniel also appeared on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. He started his professional fighting career in 2006 and last competed in 2018.

How Daniel Started Fighting

Daniel Sarafian began learning martial arts when he was just five years old. His grandfather, who was a black belt in judo, taught him. Daniel focused only on judo until he was ten. Then, he started training in karate.

When he was sixteen, he began learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Later, in high school, Daniel decided to get serious about working out and training in mixed martial arts (MMA). He quickly "fell in love with fighting" after just a few classes.

Daniel's Mixed Martial Arts Journey

His First Fights

Daniel Sarafian had his first professional fight in 2006. He won that fight by making his opponent give up. In his next fight, he faced a more experienced fighter named Mike Whitehead and lost.

After that, Daniel fought in the United States. He won two fights in a row by making his opponents give up. He then signed a deal to fight for Bellator Fighting Championships. He lost that fight in the second round. But Daniel didn't give up! He went on to win four more fights in a row.

Fighting on The Ultimate Fighter

In 2012, Daniel was chosen to be on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. This is a TV show where fighters live together and compete for a chance to join the UFC. Daniel won his first fight on the show, which allowed him to officially join the cast.

He was picked by famous fighter Vitor Belfort to be on his team. Daniel won his first fight on the show by making his opponent give up. In the semi-finals, he won with a cool move called a "flying knee," which knocked out his opponent. This win meant Daniel made it to the finals of the middleweight tournament! The final fight was supposed to happen at UFC 147.

His Time in the UFC

Unfortunately, Daniel got injured and couldn't fight in the Ultimate Fighter final. His first official UFC fight was in January 2013 against C.B. Dollaway. Daniel lost the fight by a close decision. But their fight was so exciting that it won the "Fight of the Night" award!

In June 2013, Daniel won his next UFC fight by making his opponent give up in the first round. Later that year, he fought Cezar Ferreira in what was supposed to be the Ultimate Fighter final. Daniel lost this fight by a close decision too.

In 2014, Daniel tried fighting in a lighter weight class called welterweight. He lost that fight. But he came back strong in December 2014, winning his next fight when his opponent had to stop due to a finger injury.

Daniel was set to fight again in 2015, but he had to pull out because of another injury. His last UFC fight was in February 2016 against Oluwale Bamgbose. Daniel lost this fight by knockout. After this, he left the UFC.

Achievements and Awards

Daniel Sarafian achieved some great things in his mixed martial arts career:

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil Middleweight Tournament Finalist (He made it to the finals but couldn't compete due to injury)
  • Fight of the Night (One time) against C.B. Dollaway

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists