Over the years, we’ve seen so many fierce warriors in MMA, willing to cover the extra mile to taste the victory. Dripping in blood, but still standing tall, some fighters just don’t know when to give up.
Well, there are numerous fighters, hailing from different backgrounds that have entertained us for years. However, there’s a special breed, feared by all, the Latin MMA fighters.
Whenever Latin fighters step into the octagon, they carry an unmatched aura with them. Remember how bravely Cain Velasquez used to enter the ring or how Latin fighters used to fire up the crowd in pre-match conferences?
Well, this article is related to some of the best Latin MMA fighters we’ve come across. Some of them have retired after etching their names in the MMA’s history. While some are well on their way to becoming living legends.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Alexa Grosso
Diego Lopes
Brandon Moreno
Cain Velasquez
Dominick Cruz
Alexa Grosso:
Alexa Grosso first stepped into the octagon in 2016 in the strawweight category. Grosso’s record wasn’t fairly impressive in this category as she managed to win only 3 matches. However, one of her wins was against Karoline Kowalkiewicz, a former title challenger.
Last year, we saw numerous top dogs succumbing in front of their competitors. Alexa Grosso wasn’t rated very highly by many pundits when she was seeded against long-reigning flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko.
Soon after snatching the title from her, a rivalry developed between the two. Last year in September, the two fighters met again inside an octagon. Both the fighters landed uncountable jabs and kicks; however, none of them were successful in getting a result.
A trilogy between Grosso and Shevchenko is about to be completed this year. Speculations are both fighters are going to meet for the third time in UFC 306 in September. Also, if you don’t want to miss out on this epic fight, call teléfono de Spectrum. Why? Because, with Spectrum TV’s pay-per-view feature, you can get access to multiple sports channels like ESPN, ESPN+, and more. There, you can stream all the live matches you want.
Diego Lopes:
Lopes was born in Brazil. However, to make a career out of MMA, he moved to Mexico. There, his fighting career took a steep flight.
Currently, Diego Lopes record has an impressive record, grabbing 24 wins, 6 losses, and 0 draws. 2023 was the breakthrough year of Lopes. That year, he was against Movsar Evloev, his toughest opponent to date.
Taking the fight to the end, it was the jury’s decision to declare Evloev as the winner. However, it was Lopes who impressed the most. He was equally par with unbeaten Evloev and almost shocked the world when he came close to submitting him. Soon after that, Lopes was successful in beating Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini comprehensively.
Brandon Moreno:
At the age of 17, Moreno made his professional MMA debut in 2011. Since his first professional appearance, many MMA pundits saw him as a gifted one. Making his presence felt by many veterans, Moreno was successful in winning the Flyweight Championship in 2014. Soon enough, he joined the 25th season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, despite many successes in the early stages of his MMA career, he was still to achieve a championship in UFC.
In 2021, Moreno became the first person in history to become UFC Flyweight champion. Although, Moreno hasn’t retired from professional MMA yet, he’s taken an indefinite break from fighting. To date, Moreno stands tall with 21 professional wins, 8 defeats, and 2 draws in his MMA career.
Cain Velasquez:
Cain was among the few Latin stars who were successful in catching everyone’s attention. It was due to two reasons. Firstly, Cain managed to grab 6 straight wins, 5 of which were powerful knockouts. The second reason is his bout with famous WWE superstar; Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. Considered an underdog, most people didn’t even give a chance to Cain. However, his sheer endurance and aggressive fighting style were no match for Lesnar. Ultimately, Velasquez successfully knocked out his opponent in the first round.
Moving on to 2013, Cain Velasquez was the man to beat. In the same year, Velasquez was ranked no. 1 for most strikes landed in a minute in the UFC. Velasquez hung his boots back in 2019; however, his feat of winning two UFC heavyweight championships still stands tall.
Dominick Cruz:
Dominick Cruz has been quite an active member of the UFC commentary team now. However, he is far away from taking a retirement.
Cruz joined professional mixed martial arts in 2005 and quickly rose through the ranks, owing to his swift footwork, head movement, and staunch angular strikes. Cruz won the inaugural Bantamweight championship back in 2010. Also, he successfully defended the title twice in years to come.
Luck wasn’t on his side as he suffered an injury in 2012. Consequently, he was stripped of the title in 2014. However, considered one of the best comebacks in MMA’s history, Cruz once again got his hands on the Bantamweight title in 2016.
Till now, Dominick Cruz has won 24 matches and lost 4 of them. After his injury in 2012, he frequently got injured and it may be the only logical reason that he wasn’t able to win more titles. That said, Dominick Cruz hasn’t retired yet and it seems that Dominick Cruz can still contribute a lot to MMA.
Wrapping Up:
MMA isn’t going anywhere; neither are the Latin fighters who have kept it alive. Having unmatched energy and resilience, these MMA fighters have impressed millions of people. As these veterans pave the way for young Latins to take the stage, we’re hopeful that upcoming fighters will be equally good as their predecessors.
