# Rafael Carvalho

Rafael Carvalho de Souza (born 27 July 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions of Bellator MMA, where he was a former Bellator Middleweight World Champion. As of December 2017, Carvalho is tied with Alexander Shlemenko for most title defenses in the division's history. He also won the Smash Fight middleweight championship in 2013.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career
#### First loss and rebound

Carvalho made his professional mixed martial arts debut against Julio Cesar Araujo Fernandes on 17 December 2011 at Samurai FC 6. Carvalho lost the fight via submission in the first round. Following the loss, Carvalho went on a nine-fight unbeaten streak that included a unanimous decision win over Gustavo Machado that won him the Smash Fight middleweight championship, before signing with Bellator MMA.

### Bellator MMA
#### Road to Bellator middleweight title

Carvalho was expected to make his promotional debut against fellow newcomer Anthony Ruiz on 19 September 2014 at Bellator 125. However, after an injury to Brett Cooper, Carvalho stepped up and faced Brian Rogers in the co-main event. Carvalho won the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the first round.
Carvalho faced kickboxing veteran Joe Schilling on 10 April 2015 at Bellator 136. He won the fight by split decision.

#### Bellator middleweight champion

Carvalho faced Brandon Halsey in the main event at Bellator 144 for the vacant Bellator Middleweight Championship on 23 October 2015. Carvalho stopped Halsey via a body kick in the second round in an upset. Halsey dominated the first round on the ground; almost finishing Carvalho with an arm-triangle choke. With the comeback victory, Carvalho became the first fighter to defeat Halsey.
Carvalho made his first defense of his title against Melvin Manhoef on 20 May 2016 at Bellator 155. He won via a controversial split decision to retain the Bellator Middleweight Championship. Bellator announcer Jimmy Smith called it one of the worst decisions he had ever seen; likewise 5 of 5 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Manhoef.
An immediate rematch with Manhoef was scheduled to take place at Bellator 168, on 10 December 2016. However, Carvalho pulled out of the fight due to injury. The rematch eventually took place on 8 April 2017 at Bellator 176. Carvalho won the bout via knockout due to a head kick in the fourth round. Following the event, Carvalho was fined $5,000 by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) for unsportsmanlike conduct, due to jumping out the cage in his post-fight celebration.
In a May 2017 interview with MMAfighting.com, Carvalho expressed interest in a bout with newly signed welterweight Rory MacDonald after the two exchanged words on Twitter. In addition, he hoped to make his next title defense in July or August.
In his third title defense, Carvalho faced Alessio Sakara at Bellator 190 on 9 December 2017. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. As a result, Carvalho tied the record for most title defenses, held by Alexander Shlemenko, in the divisions' history (three).
In his fourth title defense, Carvalho faced Gegard Mousasi on 25 May 2018 at Bellator 200 in London. This was the last fight on his contract. He lost the fight via technical knock out in round one.

#### Return to contender status

On 12 September, it was announced that Carvalho had re-signed with the Bellator MMA promotion. It was also announced that Carvalho is expected to face promotional newcomer and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida on 15 December at Bellator 213. On weigh-in day, Carvalho missed weight, weighing in at 186.5 pounds, over the maximum non-title limit of 186.0 pounds. The bout proceeded at Catchweight and Carvalho was fined 20% of his purse. Carvalho was defeated by split decision.
Carvalho faced Chidi Njokuani at Bellator 224 in a 190 lb Catchweight bout on 12 July 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision. After the fight with Njokuani, Carvalho announced that he will be moving up to the light heavyweight division.

#### Move up to light heavyweight

In his light heavyweight debut, Carvalho faced Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 230 on 13 October 2019. After being largely dominated in the fight, Carvalho lost via submission late in the second round.
Carvalho faced Alex Polizzi at Bellator 245 on 11 September 2020. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Bellator MMA announced on 27 October 2020, that Carvalho had been released from the promotion.
After the release from Bellator, Carvalho was set to headline LFA 107 against Sharaf Davlatmurodov on 14 May 2021. However, the bout was called off as Carvalho stepped in as a replacement for Costello van Steenis to face Lorenz Larkin on 6 days notice at Bellator 258 on 7 May 2021. The promotion announced that this bout would be a one off fight deal. Carvalho lost the bout via split decision.
Replacing Tony Johnson, Carvalho faced Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov on April 15, 2022 at Bellator 277. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

### Post Bellator

In his first bout after leaving Bellator, Carvalho faced Marcelo Alfaya on November 15, 2023 at Centurion FC 16, winning the bout and the title via unanimous decision.

#### Global Fight League

On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Carvalho was eligible to be drafted in the Global Fight League. However, he was not drafted for the 2025 season.

## Bare-knuckle boxing
### Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

Carvalho was scheduled to make his BKFC debut on December 21, 2024 against Gilberto Fuentes at BKFC on DAZN: Hollywood, FL. However, the bout was postponed after Carvalho signed with Global Fight League.

## Championships and accomplishments

* Bellator MMA
** Bellator Middleweight World Championship (One time; former)
*** Three successful title defenses
** Tied with Alexander Shlemenko for the most successful Middleweight title defenses in Bellator history (3)
* MMA Junkie
** October 2015 Knockout of the Month vs. Brandon Halsey
* Smash Fight
** Smash Fight Middleweight Championship (One time)

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 25 matches | 17 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 12 | 3 |
| By submission | 0 | 2 |
| By decision | 5 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 17–8 | Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz | KO (punches) | Iowa Fight Series 2 | 13 April 2024 | 4 | 0:47 | Marshalltown, Iowa, United States | For the vacant IF Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 17–7 | Marcelo Alfaya | Decision (unanimous) | Centurion FC 16 | 15 November 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Attard, Malta | Won the vacant CFC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Loss | 16–7 | Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov | TKO (elbows and punches) | Bellator 277 | 15 April 2022 | 2 | 4:04 | San Jose, California, United States | |
| Loss | 16–6 | Lorenz Larkin | Decision (split) | Bellator 258 | 7 May 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Middleweight bout. |
| Loss | 16–5 | Alex Polizzi | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 245 | 11 September 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | |
| Loss | 16–4 | Vadim Nemkov | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 230 | 12 October 2019 | 2 | 3:56 | Milan, Italy | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 16–3 | Chidi Njokuani | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 224 | 12 July 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | Catchweight bout (190 lbs). |
| Loss | 15–3 | Lyoto Machida | Decision (split) | Bellator 213 | 15 December 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Catchweight bout (186.5 lbs); Carvalho missed weight. |
| Loss | 15–2 | Gegard Mousasi | TKO (punches) | Bellator 200 | 25 May 2018 | 1 | 3:35 | London, England | Lost the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. |
| Win | 15–1 | Alessio Sakara | KO (elbow) | Bellator 190 | 9 December 2017 | 1 | 0:44 | Florence, Italy | Defended the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. |
| Win | 14–1 | Melvin Manhoef | KO (head kick) | Bellator 176 | 8 April 2017 | 4 | 3:15 | Torino, Italy | Defended the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. |
| Win | 13–1 | Melvin Manhoef | Decision (split) | Bellator 155 | 20 May 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Boise, Idaho, United States | Defended the Bellator Middleweight World Championship. |
| Win | 12–1 | Brandon Halsey | KO (body kick) | Bellator 144 | 23 October 2015 | 2 | 1:42 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Won the vacant Bellator Middleweight World Championship. |
| Win | 11–1 | Joe Schilling | Decision (split) | Bellator 136 | 10 April 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Irvine, California, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Brian Rogers | TKO (punches) | Bellator 125 | 19 September 2014 | 1 | 3:06 | Fresno, California, United States | |
| Win | 9–1 | Mauri Roque | TKO (knee to the body and punches) | Talent MMA Circuit 9: Sao Jose dos Pinhais 2014 | 10 May 2014 | 1 | 2:47 | São José dos Pinhais, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–1 | Sergio Souza | TKO (knee to the body and punches) | Iron Fight Combat 4 | 7 September 2013 | 3 | 2:15 | São José dos Pinhais, Brazil | |
| Win | 7–1 | Gustavo Machado | Decision (unanimous) | Smash Fight 2 | 13 July 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil | Won the Smash Fight middleweight championship. |
| Win | 6–1 | Fernando Scherek | TKO (punches) | Adventure Fighters Tournament 4 | 9 March 2013 | 1 | 0:39 | Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil | |
| Win | 5–1 | Kaue Dudus | TKO (punches) | Samurai FC 9: Water vs. Fire | 15 December 2012 | 2 | 3:48 | Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–1 | Eduardo Gimenez | TKO (punches) | Empire Promotions: Empire FC | 20 October 2012 | 1 | 0:55 | Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–1 | Luiz Cado Simon | TKO (punches) | Forca Jovem Parana: Nocaute ao Crack 2 | 25 August 2012 | 3 | N/A | Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil | |
| Win | 2–1 | Glauber Valadares | TKO (punches) | Predador FC 21 | 11 August 2012 | 1 | 2:52 | Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–1 | Flavio Rodrigo Magon | TKO (punches) | Adrenaline Fight 4 | 10 March 2012 | 2 | 2:42 | Apucarana, Paraná, Brazil | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Julio Cesar Araujo Fernandes | Submission (anaconda choke) | Samurai FC 6 | 17 December 2011 | 1 | N/A | Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil | |