Leonardo Leite
Leonardo "Leo" Leite (born March 23, 1978, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian judoka, jiu jitsu practitioner, and mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to Bellator MMA.
| Leonardo Leite | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 23, 1978 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Other names | Leo |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 185.5 lb (84.1 kg; 13.25 st) |
| Division | Light Heavyweight Middleweight |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Team | Rizzo RVT |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 12 |
| Wins | 10 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Martial arts career
Judo
Leite began his career in judo in 1984 at the Federal Club under Omar Brazil. In 1988, at age 10, he transferred to the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo and began to participate in official competitions of the Judo Federation of Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian Judo Confederation. In 1997, he achieved a place in the Brazilian junior national team, and in 1998 the first call for leading the Brazilian judo team, which he continued until 2012. Leite also works as a TV commentator for Judo and MMA events.
Jiu Jitsu
Parallel to his judo career, in 1993 he began his career in jiu-jitsu under the supervision of Alexandre Paiva, who coaches him still today. In 1999, Leite competed in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Jiu Jitsu's most important competition, for the first time. He was a brown belt then and was expecting to compete in that division. However, his coach Paiva had other plans for him, and two weeks before the event he promoted him to black belt. Leite won the competition, winning in the final against a legend in the sport, Mario Sperry.
MMA
In 2013, Leite started his MMA career. Competing in his native Brazil, he amassed a record of 4–0 in his first year in the sport.
In 2014, Leite began fighting for Legacy Fighting Championship in the United States. He won the Light Heavyweight and Middleweight titles while with the promotion.
In 2017, Leite entered Bellator MMA with an undefeated 10–0 record. In his first fight for the promotion, he faced Phil Davis on November 3, 2017 at Bellator 186. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. In his second fight for the promotion, Leite faced Chris Honeycutt on July 13, 2018 at Bellator 202. He again lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Accomplishments
Judo
- Brazilian Olympic Team - Pekin 2008 and London 2012
- 3x Pan American Champion
- 2x South American Champion
- Three medals on the World Judo Championships Team competition
- 2x Second place on the Judo World Cup Championship
- 1x Third place on Judo World Cup Championship
Jiu Jitsu
- 8x Brazilian Champion
- 4x World Champion
- 2x World Cup Champion
- South American Champion heavy weight and open weight
- 6x Second place on Jiu-Jitsu World Championship
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 12 matches | 10 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By submission | 4 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 10–2 | Chris Honeycutt | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 202 | July 13, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States | |
| Loss | 10–1 | Phil Davis | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 186 | November 3, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | University Park, Pennsylvania, United States | Light Heavyweight bout. |
| Win | 10-0 | Moise Rimbon | Decision (majority) | Fight2Night 1 | November 4, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 9-0 | Julio Juarez | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Iron FC 10: POP | September 3, 2016 | 1 | 2:23 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Won the Iron FC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 8-0 | Matt Masterson | TKO (punches) | Final Fight Championship 25 | June 10, 2016 | 3 | 1:13 | Springfield, Massachusetts, USA | |
| Win | 7-0 | Ryan Spann | Decision (unanimous) | Legacy Fighting Championship 48 | November 13, 2015 | 5 | 5:00 | Lake Charles, Louisiana USA | Defended the Legacy FC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 6-0 | Larry Crowe | TKO (knee & punches) | Legacy Fighting Championship 39 | February 27, 2015 | 2 | 2:19 | Houston, Texas USA | Middleweight debut; won the Legacy FC Middleweight Championship. |
| Win | 5-0 | Myron Dennis | Submission (rear naked choke) | Legacy Fighting Championship 35 | September 26, 2014 | 4 | 4:50 | Tulsa, Oklahoma USA | Won the Legacy FC Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4-0 | Elias Mendonca | Submission (rear naked choke) | BC: Bitetti Combat 20 | June 7, 2014 | 1 | 1:07 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 3-0 | Fabio Marongiu | Decision (unanimous) | WOCS: Watch Out Combat Show 31 | November 1, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 2-0 | Diosman Nery de Jesus | Decision (unanimous) | BC: Bitetti Combat 17 | September 6, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 1-0 | Alessandro Macedo | Submission (rear naked choke) | Fight Against Crack | June 23, 2013 | 1 | 3:25 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
References
- "Leonardo Leite | BJJ Heroes: the jiu jitsu encyclopedia". bjjheroes.com. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- "Leonardo Leite MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
- "Weight Lists - IBJJF - International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation". ibjjf.org. Retrieved 2014-05-29.