Daniel Sarafian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daniel Sarafian |
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|---|---|
| Born | Daniel Sarafian Gantman 21 August 1982 São Paulo, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Ethnicity | Armenian |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) |
| Division | Light Heavyweight Middleweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 69.7 in (177 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Team | Power MMA And Fitness |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 11 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 7 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 3 |
Daniel Sarafian Gantman, born on August 21, 1982, in São Paulo, Brazil, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist with Armenian roots. He started his professional fighting career in 2006. Sarafian has competed in major fighting organizations like the UFC and Bellator. He was also a contestant on the TV show The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. His last fight was in 2018.
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Starting His Journey in Martial Arts
Daniel Sarafian began training in 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 learning karate. When he turned sixteen, he added Brazilian jiu-jitsu to his training.
During high school, Daniel felt he was overweight and decided to make a change. He started working out and training in MMA. After only a few MMA classes, he "fell in love with fighting."
Daniel Sarafian's MMA Career
Early Fights
Daniel Sarafian had his first professional MMA fight at Predator FC 2. He won this fight by making his opponent give up in the third round. In his next fight, he faced a more experienced fighter, Mike Whitehead, and lost by decision.
After that, Daniel fought in the United States. He won his next two fights by making his opponents give up. One of these wins was with an armbar move. He then signed a short deal with Bellator Fighting Championships. He lost his fight there in the second round. However, Daniel quickly bounced back, winning four fights in a row before joining The Ultimate Fighter TV show.
Competing on The Ultimate Fighter
In March 2012, Daniel Sarafian was chosen to be on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. This TV show helps find new MMA talent. He won his first fight on the show, which allowed him to move into the Ultimate Fighter house as an official contestant.
Daniel was picked by famous fighter Vitor Belfort to be on his team. In his first fight on the show, Daniel fought Renee Forte. Daniel won this fight in the second round using a rear-naked choke, a move where you squeeze your opponent's neck.
In the semi-finals, Daniel faced Sérgio Moraes. Daniel won this fight in the first round with a knockout. He hit Moraes with a flying knee, which sent him to the finals of the middleweight tournament. The finals were planned for UFC 147.
Fighting in the UFC
Daniel Sarafian was supposed to make his official UFC debut at UFC 147 in June 2012. This fight would decide the middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. However, Daniel got injured and couldn't compete. Sérgio Moraes took his place.
Daniel finally made his UFC debut on January 19, 2013, at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping. He fought C.B. Dollaway in a very close match. Daniel lost the fight by a split decision, meaning the judges disagreed on who won. Even though he lost, the fight was so exciting that it won the Fight of the Night award.
On June 8, 2013, Daniel faced Eddie Mendez at UFC on Fuel TV 10. He won this fight in the first round by using an arm-triangle choke, another submission move.
Later, on November 9, 2013, Daniel fought Cezar Ferreira at UFC Fight Night 32. This was the fight that was originally supposed to be the Ultimate Fighter: Brazil middleweight final. Daniel lost this fight by split decision.
Daniel then moved down a weight class to welterweight. He fought Kiichi Kunimoto on June 14, 2014, at UFC 174. He lost this fight in the first round by a rear-naked choke.
In December 2014, Daniel returned to the middleweight division. He fought Antônio dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 58. Daniel won this fight in the second round when dos Santos dislocated his finger and couldn't continue.
Daniel was scheduled to fight again in June 2015, but he had to pull out due to another injury. His last UFC fight was on February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83. He lost this fight by knockout in the first round. After this loss, Daniel was no longer part of the UFC.
Achievements and Awards
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil Middleweight Tournament Finalist (He reached the finals but was replaced due to injury)
- Fight of the Night (One time, for his fight against C.B. Dollaway)
Mixed Martial Arts Record
Daniel Sarafian has had a professional MMA record of 11 wins and 6 losses.
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 17 matches | 11 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 2 |
| By submission | 7 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 11–6 | Carlos Eduardo | Decision (unanimous) | ACB 82: Silva vs. Kolobegov | 9 March 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 10–6 | James Austen Heidlage | Decision (unanimous) | LFA: Sioux Falls Fight Night 1 | 29 April 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | Return to Light Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 9–6 | Oluwale Bamgbose | KO (head kick and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy | 21 February 2016 | 1 | 1:00 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States | |
| Win | 9–5 | Antônio dos Santos | TKO (finger injury) | UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway | 20 December 2014 | 2 | 1:01 | Barueri, Brazil | Return to Middleweight. |
| Loss | 8–5 | Kiichi Kunimoto | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 174 | 14 June 2014 | 1 | 2:52 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | Welterweight debut. |
| Loss | 8–4 | Cezar Ferreira | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson | 9 November 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Goiânia, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–3 | Eddie Mendez | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC on Fuel TV: Nogueira vs. Werdum | 8 June 2013 | 1 | 2:20 | Fortaleza, Brazil | |
| Loss | 7–3 | C.B. Dollaway | Decision (split) | UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping | 19 January 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 7–2 | Ricardo Silva | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Pretorian 1 | 5 July 2011 | 1 | 4:01 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–2 | Gilklei Antonio Silva | Submission (punches) | Blaze FC 1 | 26 February 2011 | 1 | 1:44 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–2 | Mauricio Alonso | Decision (unanimous) | First Class Fight 5 | 23 October 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–2 | Yuri Villas Boas | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Hero Kombat 1 | 24 April 2010 | 1 | 2:14 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Loss | 3–2 | Gary Padilla | TKO (punches) | Bellator 1 | 3 April 2009 | 2 | 3:04 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Middleweight debut. |
| Win | 3–1 | Cedric Marks | Submission (triangle choke) | Xtreme Fight Championship | 27 February 2009 | 1 | 2:06 | Austin, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 2–1 | Lamont Lister | Submission (armbar) | District Combat Promotions 1 | 13 December 2008 | 3 | 1:32 | Washington, D.C., United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Mike Whitehead | Decision (unanimous) | Platinum Fighting Productions 1 | 9 December 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Quezon City, Philippines | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jorge Luis Bezerra | Submission (guillotine choke) | Predador FC 2 | 11 August 2006 | 3 | 0:43 | São Paulo, Brazil |
Mixed Martial Arts Exhibition Record
These are fights that happened as part of a show or tournament, but might not count towards a professional record in the same way.
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 3 matches | 3 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 3-0 | Sérgio Moraes | KO (flying knee) | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil | 17 June 2012 (airdate) | 1 | 4:07 | São Paulo, Brazil | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil semifinal round. |
| Win | 2-0 | Renee Forte | Submission (rear-naked choke) | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil | 8 May 2012 (airdate) | 2 | 0:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil preliminary round. |
| Win | 1-0 | Richardson Moreira | Decision (unanimous) | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil | 25 March 2012 (airdate) | 2 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil elimination round. |
More About MMA
- List of current UFC fighters
- List of male mixed martial artists
