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Carlos Eduardo Rocha

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This article is about the Brazilian mixed martial artist nicknamed "Tá Danado". For the Brazilian mixed martial artist nicknamed "Cachorrão", see Carlos Eduardo (fighter).
Carlos Eduardo Rocha
BornCarlos Eduardo Kuhrau
(1984-07-12) July 12, 1984 (age 40)
Cabedelo, Paraíba, Brazil
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
DivisionWelterweight
Reach73 in (190 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofHamburg, Germany
TeamDarcio Lira Jiu-Jitsu
Rank3rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active1997-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins9
By knockout1
By submission8
Losses4
By knockout2
By decision2
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: January 18, 2019

Carlos Eduardo Rocha (born July 12, 1984), also known as Carlos Eduardo Rocha, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist.

Early life

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Born an orphan in Cabedelo, Brazil he worked as a dish washer, often sleeping outside, on the street, and on beaches.[1] He started training in martial arts at the age of six and eventually he saved enough money to move to Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.

In Fortaleza, he was taken in by Dárcio Lira, from whom he learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu and earned his black belt. He claims to have won around 50 regional tournaments in Brazil and Germany between 1996 and 2008 before turning to professional mixed martial arts. Before turning pro, he worked as a Jiu-Jitsu instructor and bouncer.[2]

He got his nickname "Tá Danado" (or "The Spaz") because of the herky-jerky way he moved around on the mat when working his jiu-jitsu. His coach would tell him 'Hey kid, stop being so agitated (danado), stay calm.' when he grappled. The term is meant to liken him to the cartoon character Taz.[1]

Mixed martial arts career

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In 2008 he traveled to Dresden as a cornerman of German MMA pioneer Andre Balschmieter for an 8-man tournament. When Balschmieter had to pull out due to injury Rocha elected to take his place. Because of numerous injuries, the tournament was dropped to four fighters, and after a quick submission victory over Johannes Kunz, Rocha found himself competing for the Free Fight Alliance (FFA) middleweight title in only his second professional fight. Rocha won the fight by submission, over the far more experienced Steve Mensing, to become FFA Middleweight Champion and was quickly pegged as a rising star in the German MMA circuit.[1] He went on to gain La Onda's Manto Cup in an 8-man, one-night tournament in 2009 and was signed by the UFC soon afterward.[2]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Rocha made his official UFC debut November 13, 2010, at UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami. To motivate him, Rocha's manager told him he only had a one-fight contract, and he would need to win to stay in the UFC.[1] He fought TUF 11 runner-up Kris McCray defeating him by kneebar at 2:21 of round 1.

Rocha's next fight came only two months later, on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort against Jake Ellenberger.[3] Rocha was a replacement for Jon Fitch after Fitch was moved to the UFC 127 main event to fight B.J. Penn.[4] Rocha lost the fight via controversial split decision. The dissenting judge scoring the bout for Rocha drew the ire of commentator Joe Rogan and other members of the press, who cited the 30-27 scoring as "questionable".

After his fight with Ellenberger, Rocha hoped to compete at UFC 134 in Rio pending the results of shoulder[5] and elbow surgery.[6] However, further X-rays showed severe damage in both his right and left elbows, leaving him unable to compete for the rest of 2011.[7] He had hoped to return some time in early 2012, but was unable to schedule a fight. After recovering from surgery he moved to the US and started training with team Black House in Los Angeles, California.[8]

Rocha next faced Mike Pierce on June 8, 2012, at UFC on FX 3. As well as moving to Black House to train for the fight, Rocha claimed that this was the first time in his career that he had a full training camp leading up to a fight.[5] Originally 2 judges scored the fight 30-27 for Pierce, while the 3rd judge inexplicably scored it 30-27 for Rocha. However, it was later announced that the judge, Ric Bays, had scored the fight for the wrong corner and that Pierce had actually won unanimously.[9]

Rocha was released from his UFC contract following his loss to Pierce.[10] After his release Rocha was publicly critical of Pierce for his lack of aggression in the fight, and perceived unwillingness to engage with Rocha. He was also critical of the UFC for releasing him, saying "I had good performances and even so I was cut off. I didn’t expect this.” [11]

Championships and achievements

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Grappling

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  • CBJJO Copa Del Mundo
    • −77 kg Blue Belt: 1st Place
    • −77 kg Purple Belt: 1st Place & Purple Belt Absolute: 1st Place
  • Submissao
    • 2009 Submission Wrestling Finalist

Mixed Martial Arts

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  • Free Fight Alliance
    • FFA European Middleweight Champion (1 time)
  • La Onda
    • Manto Cup Champion Winner

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
13 matches 9 wins 4 losses
By knockout 1 2
By submission 8 0
By decision 0 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 9–4 James Terry TKO (punches) Bellator 142: Dynamite 1 September 19, 2015 1 4:00 San Jose, California United States
Loss 9–3 Florent Betorangal TKO (punches) GMC 4: Next Level July 6, 2013 3 1:28 Gysenberghalle, Herne, Germany
Loss 9–2 Mike Pierce Decision (unanimous) UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall June 8, 2012 3 5:00 Sunrise, Florida, United States
Loss 9–1 Jake Ellenberger Decision (split) UFC 126 February 5, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 Kris McCray Submission (kneebar) UFC 122 November 13, 2010 1 2:21 Oberhausen, Germany
Win 8–0 Fatih Balci Submission (arm-triangle choke) GMC 1: The Beginning May 29, 2010 1 3:58 Herne, Germany
Win 7–0 Artur Kadlubek TKO (corner stoppage) La Onda: Manto Cup November 1, 2009 1 5:00 Magdeburg, Germany Won Manto Cup
Win 6–0 Mihajlo Mihnjak Submission (arm-triangle choke) La Onda: Manto Cup November 1, 2009 1 1:04 Magdeburg, Germany
Win 5–0 David Goldberg Submission (armbar) La Onda: Manto Cup November 1, 2009 1 1:57 Magdeburg, Germany
Win 4–0 Yasin Mengulluoglu Submission (heel hook) 8ME: Night of Bang 5 December 6, 2008 2 2:35 Halle, Germany
Win 3–0 Jimmy Sidoni Submission (armbar) La Onda: It's Showtime October 19, 2008 1 1:40 Magdeburg, Germany
Win 2–0 Steve Mensing Submission (leglock) FFA: East German Championships 2008 July 12, 2008 1 1:20 Erfurt, Germany Won FFA European middleweight title
Win 1–0 Johannes Kunze Submission (rear-naked choke) FFA: European Championships May 17, 2008 1 2:18 Dresden, Germany

Submission grappling record

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0 Wins (0 Submissions), 1 Losses (1 Submissions), 0 Draws
Result Rec. Opponent Method Event Division Date Location
Loss 0–1 United States Benji Silva Submission (kneebar) Fight 2 Win 98 Superfight January 19, 2019 United States San Jose, California

References

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  1. ^ a b c d 1 Monkey. "The Budo of Carlos Eduardo Rocha". Two Talking Monkeys. Archived from the original on 2011-03-24. Retrieved April 8, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b "Carlos Eduardo Rocha". 14 September 2018.
  3. ^ Tom Ngo (December 1, 2010). "Jake Ellenberger to Face Carlos Eduardo Rocha at "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort"". 5thround.com.
  4. ^ Mike Whitman (November 30, 2010). "Rocha Replaces Fitch Against Ellenberger at UFC 126". Sherdog.com.
  5. ^ a b StudioMMA (April 2, 2012). "Interview with UFC's Carlos Eduardo Rocha". MMANYTT.se.
  6. ^ GnP-TV Staff (April 20, 2011). "Carlos Eduardo Rocha about his injury and his next fight in the UFC (english subs)". GroundAndPoundTV.de.
  7. ^ Marcelo Barone (September 13, 2011). "Carlos Eduardo Rocha fought Ellenberger with "broken elbows"; feels ready to be back to the UFC "like Jon Jones"". Tatame.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012.
  8. ^ Scott Haber (November 29, 2011). "German-based BJJ black belt, Carlos Eduardo Rocha, hasn't fought in". bloodyelbow.com.
  9. ^ "Mike Pierce's split decision win at UFC on FX 3 actually a unanimous nod". mmajunkie.com. June 13, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-06-15.
  10. ^ Scott Haber (June 28, 2012). "Carlos Eduardo Rocha Released By The UFC". bloodyelbow.com.
  11. ^ Nick Caron (June 30, 2012). "Carlos Eduardo Rocha on UFC Release: "This Is Bullsh--"". BleacherReport.com.
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