Overview
Douglas Lima (born 5 January 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. He formerly competed for Bellator MMA, where he is a former three-time Bellator Welterweight Champion. He is also the former MFC Welterweight Champion. Lima and his younger brother, Dhiego, own and operate American Top Team - Team Lima in Duluth, Georgia.
Background
Lima was born and grew up initially in Aparecida de Goiânia, Brazil. Douglas took interest in martial arts from Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, and started training capoeira.
Early career
Lima began his professional mixed martial arts career with decent success, soon compiling a record of 5–0. by defeating him via TKO due to punches in the second round.
American Fight League
In May 2008, Lima had his first defense of the title against Brent Weedman. Weedman was reportedly brought in to the fight to showcase Lima's skills, as Weedman was expected to be an easy fight. Weedman threatened early on with a triangle choke which was unsuccessful. Late in the second round, Weedman again caught Lima in a triangle choke, but transitioned to an armbar, which forced Lima to submit, giving Weedman the title. Weedman would later go on to say "They brought me in because Douglas Lima would make a great champ for them. Now, it's my turn to step up. I feel good about the fact that I did a one-fight deal with them. We're going to talk a multi-fight contract now." Following the loss, Lima never appeared for the AFL promotion again.
World Extreme Cagefighting
Following another win via TKO, Lima joined World Extreme Cagefighting. His debut fight was scheduled to take place at WEC 39 against Justin Haskins. However, Lima was forced to withdraw from the card while waiting on papers to arrive from the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. Lima's WEC debut never transpired, as instead, he joined King of the Cage, where he faced another future Ultimate Fighter competitor in Charles Blanchard, losing by unanimous decision.
Maximum Fighting Championship
In September 2010, Douglas Lima joined the Maximum Fighting Championship, facing off against Ryan Ford. In front of Ford's hometown fans, Lima was able to defeat Ford via armbar, early in the second round. With the win, Lima was given an MFC Welterweight title shot against Jesse Juarez at MFC 27. Lima went on to defeat Juarez via armbar, midway through the final round. Lima then defended the title against Terry Martin at MFC 29, winning the fight via first-round TKO.
Bellator Fighting Championships
In May 2011, it was announced that Lima had signed to fight for Bellator Fighting Championships. Lima entered into the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. He fought Steve Carl in the opening round held at Bellator 49 and won the fight via unanimous decision. Lima fought Chris Lozano in the semifinals at Bellator 53 and won via KO in the second round. In the finals held at Bellator 57, he claimed the tournament victory and earned a shot at the title by knocking out Ben Saunders in the second round.
First title shot
Lima got his title shot against welterweight champion Ben Askren at Bellator 64 on April 6, 2012. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Lima defeated Jacob Ortiz via head kick and knee at 4:50 of the third round at Bellator 79 on November 2, 2012.
Bellator Season Eight tournament
Lima faced Russian MMA prospect Michail Tsarev in Season Eight Welterweight Tournament on January 24, 2013 at Bellator 86. He won the fight via TKO due to leg strikes in round 2. In the semi-finals, he was scheduled to face Brent Weedman, but ultimately Weedman suffered an injury and was replaced by Bryan Baker at Bellator 90 on February 21, 2013. He won the fight via knock out in the first round. He was expected to face Ben Saunders in a rematch in the tournament final at Bellator 93. However, Lima suffered a broken hand and the rematch was postponed, finally taking place at Bellator 100 on September 20, 2013. Lima once again won in the second round, this time via a brutal head kick knockout.
First Bellator Welterweight Championship reign
Lima faced judo olympian Rick Hawn at Bellator 117 on April 18, 2014, for the vacant Bellator Welterweight Championship. After several knockdowns due to leg kicks, Lima won via TKO due to corner stoppage to win the vacant Bellator Welterweight Championship. Lima was scheduled to make his first title defense against Paul Daley on February 27, 2015 at Bellator 134. However, in January, it was announced that Lima had pulled out of the fight due to injury. Lima was replaced by fellow Brazilian André Santos. After 15 months away from the sport due to knee injuries, Lima returned to defend his title against Bellator Season Ten Welterweight tournament winner Andrey Koreshkov at Bellator 140 on July 17, 2015. He lost the fight and title by unanimous decision.
Return to title contention and second reign
After nearly a year away from the sport, Lima returned to the Bellator cage to replace Josh Koscheck against Paul Daley at Bellator 158 on July 16, 2016. He won the fight via unanimous decision. The win over Daley earned Lima a rematch against Bellator Welterweight Champion Andrey Koreshkov. The two met in the main event at Bellator 164 on November 10, 2016. Lima regained his title by winning by knockout in the third round. For the first defense of his second title reign, Lima faced Lorenz Larkin at Bellator NYC on June 24, 2017. He won the fight via a unanimous decision (50–45, 48–47, and 48–47) to retain the Bellator welterweight championship. On September 6, 2017 Lima announced that he had signed a six-fight, two-year contract with Bellator. For the second defense of his title, Lima faced Rory MacDonald at Bellator 192 on January 20, 2018.
He lost the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision.
2019 Bellator Welterweight GP and third reign
Lima faced Andrey Koreshkov in a third match as part of the opening round of the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix on September 29, 2018 at Bellator 206. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in the fifth round. In the tournament semifinals, Lima faced the undefeated Michael Page in the co-main event at Bellator 221 on May 11, 2019. Lima won the fight via knockout in round two. In the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix final, Lima challenged Rory MacDonald in a rematch for the welterweight title at Bellator 232 on October 26, 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision to become a three-time Bellator welterweight champion and the 2019 Welterweight Grand Prix winner, receiving the $1,000,000 prize.
Attempt at middleweight championship
As the first fight of his new, multi-year contract, Lima was scheduled to face Gegard Mousasi for the vacant Bellator Middleweight World Championship at Bellator 242 on May 9, 2020. However, it was later announced that Bellator 242 and Lima's fight against Mousasi were being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Lima faced Mousasi on October 29 at Bellator 250. Lima lost the fight via unanimous decision. In the first defense of his title in his third reign as Bellator Welterweight World Champion, Lima faced undefeated Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 260 on June 11, 2021. He lost the bout by unanimous decision.
Losing streak
Lima faced Michael Page in a rematch on October 1, 2021 at Bellator 267. He lost the bout via split decision. 6 out of 7 media outlets scored the bout as a win for Lima. Lima was scheduled to face Jason Jackson on May 13, 2022 at Bellator 281. However, for unknown reasons, the bout was pulled from the event and was rescheduled for July 22, 2022 at Bellator 283. After the main event was scrapped and the reshuffling of the bouts, Lima vs. Jackson was upgraded to the main event and 5 rounds. At the weigh-ins, Douglas Lima, came in at 172.8 lbs, 1.8 pounds heavy for his headlining welterweight bout. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Lima was fined a percentage of his individual purse, which went to Jackson. Lima lost the bout via unanimous decision, getting controlled on the ground for 5 rounds.
Return to middleweight
Moving up to Middleweight once again, Lima faced Costello van Steenis on May 12, 2023 at Bellator 296. He won the bout via unanimous decision. With one fight remaining on his prevailing contract, Lima signed a new multi-year contract with PFL after publicly scolding the organization for keeping him benched for over a year for allegedly too high purse. As the first bout of his new contract, Lima faced Aaron Jeffery at Bellator Champions Series 4 on September 7, 2024. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Global Fight League
On January 16, 2025, it was announced that he had left the promotion and signed with the Global Fight League. Lima was scheduled to face Uriah Hall on May 25, 2025 at GFL 2. However, all GFL events were postponed indefinitely.
Professional grappling career
Lima competed against Rinat Fakhretdinov at ADXC 2 on January 19, 2024. He lost the match by unanimous decision.
Personal life
Lima and his wife have two daughters and a son.
Championships and accomplishments
*Bellator Fighting Championships **Bellator Welterweight World Championship (Three times) ***One successful title defense (second reign) **Bellator Season 8 Welterweight Tournament Winner **Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Winner **Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Winner ** Tied (with Patricky Freire) for second most knockouts in Bellator history (nine) ** Second most wins in Bellator welterweight division history (13) ** Tied (with Michael Page and Andrey Koreshkov) for most knockout victories in Bellator welterweight division history (eight) **Only fighter in Bellator history to win three tournaments *Maximum Fighting Championship **MFC Welterweight Championship (One time; former) ***One successful title defense **Knockout of the Night (One time) **Submission of the Night (Two times) *Sin City Fight Club/SportFight X **2010 REDLINE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion *Sherdog **2013 All-Violence Third Team *MMAJunkie.com **2019 May Knockout of the Month vs.
Michael Page
Mixed martial arts record
- Loss align=center 33–12 Aaron Jeffery Decision (unanimous) Bellator Champions Series 4 align=center 3 align=center 5:00 San Diego, California, United States - Win align=center 33–11 Costello van Steenis Decision (unanimous) Bellator 296 align=center 3 align=center 5:00 Paris, France - Loss align=center 32–11 Jason Jackson Decision (unanimous) Bellator 283 align=center 5 align=center 5:00 Tacoma, Washington, United States - Loss align=center 32–10 Michael Page Decision (split) Bellator 267 align=center 3 align=center 5:00 London, England - Loss align=center 32–9 Yaroslav Amosov Decision (unanimous) Bellator 260 align=center 5 align=center 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States - Loss align=center 32–8 Gegard Mousasi Decision (unanimous) Bellator 250 align=center 5 align=center 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States - Win align=center 32–7 Rory MacDonald Decision (unanimous) Bellator 232 align=center 5 align=center 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States - Win align=center 31–7 Michael Page KO (punches) Bellator 221 align=center 2 align=center 0:35 Rosemont, Illinois, United States - - Win align=center 30–7 Andrey Koreshkov Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 206 align=center 5 align=center 3:04 San Jose, California, United States - Loss align=center 29–7 Rory MacDonald Decision (unanimous) Bellator 192 align=center 5 align=center 5:00 Inglewood, California, United States - Win align=center 29–6 Lorenz Larkin Decision (unanimous) Bellator NYC align=center 5 align=center 5:00 New York City, New York, United States - Win align=center 28–6 Andrey Koreshkov KO (punches) Bellator 164 align=center 3 align=center 1:21 Tel Aviv, Israel - Win align=center 27–6 Paul Daley Decision (unanimous) Bellator 158 align=center 3 align=center 5:00 London, England, United Kingdom - Loss align=center 26–6 Andrey Koreshkov Decision (unanimous) Bellator 140 align=center 5 align=center 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States - Win align=center 26–5 Rick Hawn TKO (corner stoppage) Bellator 117 align=center 2 align=center 3:19 Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States - Win align=center 25–5 Ben Saunders KO (head kick) Bellator 100 align=center 2 align=center 4:33 Phoenix, Arizona, United States - Win align=center 24–5 Bryan Baker KO (punch) Bellator 90 align=center 1 align=center 2:34 West Valley City, Utah, United States - Win align=center 23–5 Michail Tsarev TKO (leg kicks) Bellator 86 align=center 2 align=center 1:44 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States - Win align=center 22–5 Jacob Ortiz TKO (head kick and knee) Bellator 79 align=center 3 align=center 4:50 Rama, Ontario, Canada - Loss align=center 21–5 Ben Askren Decision (unanimous) Bellator 64 align=center 5 align=center 5:00 Windsor, Ontario, Canada - Win align=center 21–4 Ben Saunders KO (punches) Bellator 57 align=center 2 align=center 1:21 Rama, Ontario, Canada - Win align=center 20–4 Chris Lozano KO (punch) Bellator 53 align=center 2 align=center 3:14 Miami, Oklahoma, United States - Win align=center 19–4 Steve Carl Decision (unanimous) Bellator 49 align=center 3 align=center 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey United States - Win align=center 18–4 Terry Martin TKO (punches) MFC 29: Conquer align=center 1 align=center 1:14 Windsor, Ontario, Canada - Win align=center 17–4 Jesse Juarez Submission (triangle armbar) MFC 27 align=center 3 align=center 2:37 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - Win align=center 16–4 Ryan Ford Submission (armbar) MFC 26 align=center 2 align=center 0:48 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - Win align=center 15–4 Cortez Coleman Decision (split) SportFight X-1: Beatdown align=center 3 align=center 5:00 Atlanta, Georgia, United States - Win align=center 14–4 Clint Hester Decision (unanimous) Sin City Fight Club: Redline Grand Prix Round 2 align=center 3 align=center 5:00 Atlanta, Georgia, United States - Win align=center 13–4 Eddie Hernandez Submission (triangle choke) Sin City Fight Club: Redline Grand Prix Opening Round align=center 1 align=center 2:34 Atlanta, Georgia, United States - Loss align=center 12–4 Eric Dahlberg Decision (unanimous) Best of the Best align=center 3 align=center 5:00 Columbus, Georgia, United States - Loss align=center 12–3 Charles Blanchard Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Invincible align=center 3 align=center 5:00 Atlanta, Georgia, United States - Win align=center 12–2 Joseph Baize TKO (punches) Southern Kentucky: Combat League align=center 1 align=center 2:30 Owensboro, Kentucky, United States - Loss align=center 11–2 Brent Weedman Submission (armbar) AFL: Bulletproof align=center 2 align=center 4:39 Atlanta, Georgia, United States - Win align=center 11–1 Cody Senseney TKO (punches) AFL: Eruption align=center 1 align=center 2:45 Lexington, Kentucky, United States - Win align=center 10–1 Eric Davila Submission (armbar) ROF 31: Undisputed align=center 2 align=center 3:52 Broomfield, Colorado, United States - Win align=center 9–1 Daniel Douglas Submission (rear-naked choke) RMBB & PCF 1: HellRazor align=center 1 align=center 0:28 Denver, Colorado, United States - Win align=center 8–1 Kyle Baker Submission (triangle armbar) Reign in the Cage align=center 1 align=center 4:45 Alabama, United States - Win align=center 7–1 Ed Nuno TKO (injury) XFS 6: Bad Blood align=center 1 align=center 0:28 Boise, Idaho, United States - Win align=center 6–1 Joshua Hancock TKO Evolution: Mayhem in Albany align=center 1 align=center N/A Albany, Georgia, United States - Loss align=center 5–1 Matt Brown TKO (punches) ISCF: Invasion align=center 2 align=center 2:50 Kennesaw, Georgia, United States - Win align=center 5–0 Ray Perales TKO (submission to punches) Xtreme Fight Series 3 align=center 1 align=center 3:07 Boise, Idaho, United States - Win align=center 4–0 John Nellermoe Submission (triangle choke) ISCF: Southside Slugfest align=center 1 align=center 1:07 Peachtree City, Georgia, United States - Win align=center 3–0 Nathan Osterkamp Submission (rear-naked choke) Border Warz align=center 1 align=center 1:57 Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States - Win align=center 2–0 Steve Linton Submission (verbal) ISCF: Fever Fight Night align=center 1 align=center N/A Atlanta, Georgia, United States - Win align=center 1–0 Carlos Julio Molestina KO (punches) Wild Bill's: Fight Night 3 align=center 1 align=center 1:08 Duluth, Georgia, United States
See also
* List of male mixed martial artists