Eduardo Dantas is a Brazilian

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 professional mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 who competes in the bantamweight

Bantamweight (MMA)

The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb...

 division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Dantas has mostly fought for Shooto Brazil, where he has competed for the Shooto 132-pound world title.

Background

Dantas trains with Nova União

Nova União (mixed martial arts)

Nova União is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy and mixed martial arts team located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Their BJJ black belts have participated in BJJ, submission grappling and MMA competitions all over the world...

. Dantas has also shown a tendency in his career to prefer the striking game.

Early career

After compiling a record of 3–1, including a win over Shooto champ Shinichi Kojima

Shinichi Kojima

Shinichi Kojima is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He has fought for most of his career in the Shooto organization.-Mixed martial arts career:...

, Dantas main evented Shooto Brazil 5. Dantas attempted multiple striking techniques including flying knees, before finishing his opponent with punches to the stomach.

Soon after, Dantas won the Shooto South American 132lb title, which he owned up going into his fight against Ueda.

Competing for the Shooto World Featherweight title

Dantas would next compete for the Shooto 132-pound world title. At that time, his opponent, Masakatsu Ueda

Masakatsu Ueda

Masakatsu Ueda is a professional Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division for Shooto where he is the current undisputed Featherweight champion. Ueda won the vacant title after defeating Koetsu Okazai on March 28, 2008 by Unanimous Decision at Shooto's Back...

 was ranked as the #2 bantamweight in the world.

In a three round bout, Dantas was able to rock his opponent on a number of occasions, but suffered a point deduction after holding the ropes to prevent a takedown from Ueda. Dantas would go on to lose the bout 29–28, 29–28, 30–28.

Dantas later bounced back with a TKO victory over Carlos Roberto in the second round. This was followed by a submission victory at The Way of Shooto 3 in May 2010.

Dantas next defended his Shooto South American 132lb Championship in a rematch with Luis Alberto Nogueira.

Bellator Fighting Championships

In the fall of 2011, Dantas entered Bellator's Season Five Bantamweight Tournament. He defeated Wilson Reis

Wilson Reis

Wilson Reis is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt. Reis received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from instructor Roberto Godoi. As a brown belt he won the 2004 Jiu Jitsu World Championships...

 via second round KO in the quarter-final round and Ed West

Ed West (fighter)

Ed West is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships in the Bantamweight division and was featured in the fourth season tournament and is currently fighting in the fifth season tournament....

 by split decision in the semi-final round in order to advance to the finals.

In the finals, he defeated Alexis Vila

Alexis Vila

|-|Loss|align=center|11-1|Eduardo Dantas|Decision |Bellator 59||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States|Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament Final|-|Win|align=center|11-0|Marcos Galvão|Decision...

 via unanimous decision to become the tournament champion. He will now face Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky

Zach Makovsky

Zachory Paul "Zach" Makovsky is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Makovsky has most notably fought in Elite Xtreme Combat and Bellator Fighting Championships where he is the Bellator Bantamweight Champion.-Early...

 for the title in 2012.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
|Win
|align=center|13-2
|Alexis Vila

Alexis Vila

|-|Loss|align=center|11-1|Eduardo Dantas|Decision |Bellator 59||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States|Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament Final|-|Win|align=center|11-0|Marcos Galvão|Decision...

|Decision (unanimous)
|Bellator 59
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

, United States
|Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament Final
|-
|Win
|align='center'|12-2
|Ed West

Ed West (fighter)

Ed West is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships in the Bantamweight division and was featured in the fourth season tournament and is currently fighting in the fifth season tournament....

|Decision (split)
|Bellator 55
|
|align='center'|3
|align='center'|5:00
|Yuma, Arizona

Yuma, Arizona

Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....

, United States
|Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal
|-
|Win
|align='center'|11-2
|Wilson Reis

Wilson Reis

Wilson Reis is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt. Reis received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from instructor Roberto Godoi. As a brown belt he won the 2004 Jiu Jitsu World Championships...

|KO (flying knee and punches)
|Bellator 51
|
|align='center'|2
|align='center'|1:02
|Canton, Ohio

Canton, Ohio

Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, United States
|Belltor Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament Quarterfinal
|-
|Win
|align=center|10-2
|Samuel de Souza
|Submission (armbar)
|Shooto: Brazil 20
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:20
|Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil
|Defending the Shooto South American 132lb Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|9–2
|Hiromasa Ogikubo
|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|Shooto: The Way of Shooto 3: Like a Tiger, Like a Dragon
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|1:21
|Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|8–2
|Carlos Roberto
|TKO (punches)
|Shooto: Brazil 14
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|0:46
|Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|7–2
|Masakatsu Ueda

Masakatsu Ueda

Masakatsu Ueda is a professional Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division for Shooto where he is the current undisputed Featherweight champion. Ueda won the vacant title after defeating Koetsu Okazai on March 28, 2008 by Unanimous Decision at Shooto's Back...

|Decision (unanimous)
|Shooto: Revolutionary Exchanges 1: Undefeated
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan
|For the Shooto 132-pound world title
|-
|Win
|align=center|7–1
|Mauricio Santos Jr.
|Decision (unanimous)
|World Fighting Combat
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Camboinhas

Camboinhas

Camboinhas is one of the 48 neighborhoods into which the city of Niterói, in Brazil, is divided.The name originated in a marine accident in the 1950s. In that decade, a ship called Camboinhas grounded on the beach.A Brazilian Navy's corvette named "Angostura" was sent to save the ship, but...

, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|6–1
|Luis Alberto Nogueira
|Submission (armbar)
|Shooto: Brazil 9
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|1:41
|Fortaleza

Fortaleza

Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...

, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|5–1
|Juan Tessari
|Submission (rear-naked choke)
|Shooto: Brazil 7
|
|align=center|2
|align=center|2:33
|Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|4–1
|Hudson Rocha
|TKO (punches)
|Shooto: Brazil 5
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|N/A
|Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|3–1
|Shinichi Kojima

Shinichi Kojima

Shinichi Kojima is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He has fought for most of his career in the Shooto organization.-Mixed martial arts career:...

|Decision (unanimous)
|Shooto: Back To Our Roots 6
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|2–1
|Aritano Silva Barbosa
|DQ (illegal soccer kicks)
|Cassino Fight 4
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|3:31
|Manaus

Manaus

Manaus is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Amazonas. It is situated at the confluence of the Negro and Solimões rivers. It is the most populous city of Amazonas, according to the statistics of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, and is a popular ecotourist destination....

, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2–0
|Fabio Oliveira
|Decision (unanimous)
|Shooto Brazil 3: The Evolution
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1–0
|William Porfirio
|Decision (unanimous)
|Shooto: Brazil 2
|
|align=center|3
|align=center|5:00
|Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, Brazil
|

External links

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