Diego Nunes (fighter)
| Diego Nunes | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born |
November 30, 1982 Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil |
| Other names | The Gun |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Featherweight (145 lb) |
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Team |
X-Gym Black House (MMA) |
| Rank | purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 25 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 6 |
| By decision | 7 |
| Losses | 6 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Website | Official UFC Profile |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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| |
Diego Torresean Nunes (born November 30, 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, currently fighting as a featherweight for Bellator MMA. Nunes was also formerly signed to the WEC and the UFC. He is known for precise striking and his ability to keep a high pace.
Mixed martial arts career
Diego trains with Team Nogueira Brazil. Nunes' professional career in mixed martial arts began in May 2004, when he defeated Jorge Santos Velho by TKO. He has fought in GP, TFC, Shooto, WEC and the UFC.
World Extreme Cagefighting
Diego won his WEC debut against Cole Province by unanimous decision at WEC 37. Nunes was scheduled to fight Cub Swanson on the undercard at WEC 40, but a hand injury just days before the bout, forced Nunes to cancel the fight. He next fought Rafael Dias at WEC 42 on August 9, 2009. Nunes defeated Dias via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).
Nunes suffered his first professional loss to LC Davis via unanimous decision at WEC 44.[1]
Nunes was expected to face Leonard Garcia on March 6, 2010 at WEC 47,[2] but Nunes was forced from the card with an injury.[3] Nunes was replaced by former UFC fighter George Roop.[4]
Nunes then faced Raphael Assunção on June 20, 2010 at WEC 49.[5] He won the fight via split decision.
Nunes faced Tyler Toner on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51.[6] He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[7]
Nunes faced Mike Brown on January 1, 2011 at UFC 125.[8] He won the fight via split decision.
Nunes faced Kenny Florian on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131.[9] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Nunes was expected to face Manvel Gamburyan on September 24, 2011 at UFC 135, but Gamburyan pulled out of the fight due to a shoulder injury.[10] Then, on August 29, Nunes confirmed his own exit from the card, citing an injury.[11]
Nunes/Gamburyan eventually took place on December 30, 2011 at UFC 141.[12] Nunes won the fight via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Nunes next faced Dennis Siver on April 14, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva.[13] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Nunes faced Bart Palaszewski on October 5, 2012 at UFC on FX 5.[14] After three full rounds, Nunes won the fight via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27). The performance also earned both participants Fight of the Night honors.
Nunes then faced Nik Lentz on January 19, 2013 at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping.[15] He lost the fight via unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.[16]
Bellator MMA
In June 2013, it was revealed that Nunes signed with Bellator MMA.[17]
In his debut, Nunes faced prior title challenger Patricio Freire at Bellator 99 in the Quarterfinals of the season nine featherweight tournament. He lost the fight via knockout at just 1:19 in the first round. This is the first time that Nunes had ever been knocked out, or even finished, in his career.
In February 2014, Nunes entered into the Bellator season ten featherweight tournament. He faced Matt Bessette in the quarterfinals at Bellator 110 and lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision.
Post Bellator
After an unsuccessful run in Bellator, Nunes faced longtime MMA veteran Joachim Hansen at Superior Challenge 11 for the featherweight title. Nunes won the fight by KO in the second round with a hard left hand after breaking his knee in the first round
Personal life
Diego is of Italian heritage. Diego is married. He is a Christian and regularly posts Bible verses on his Facebook page.
Championships and achievements
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Bart Palaszewski
- Superior Challenge
- Superior Challenge Featherweight Championship (One time, current)
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 25 matches | 19 wins | 6 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 0 |
| By decision | 7 | 5 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 19–6 | Joachim Hansen | KO (punch) | Superior Challenge 11 | November 29, 2014 | 2 | 1:51 | Soldertalje, Sweden | Won the Superior Challenge Featherweight Championship. |
| Loss | 18–6 | Matt Bessette | Decision (split) | Bellator 110 | February 28, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Uncasville, Connecticut, United States | Bellator Season 10 Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 18–5 | Patricio Freire | KO (punch) | Bellator 99 | September 13, 2013 | 1 | 1:19 | Temecula, California, United States | Bellator Season 9 Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 18–4 | Nik Lentz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping | January 19, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
| Win | 18–3 | Bart Palaszewski | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot | October 5, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 17–3 | Dennis Siver | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva | April 14, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Win | 17–2 | Manvel Gamburyan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 141 | December 30, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–2 | Kenny Florian | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 131 | June 11, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Win | 16–1 | Mike Brown | Decision (split) | UFC 125 | January 1, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–1 | Tyler Toner | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 51 | September 30, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 14–1 | Raphael Assunção | Decision (split) | WEC 49 | June 20, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | |
| Loss | 13–1 | LC Davis | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 44 | November 18, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–0 | Rafael Dias | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 42 | August 9, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 12–0 | Cole Province | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia | December 3, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–0 | Marcelo Franca | Submission (guillotine choke) | Shooto: Brazil 8 | August 30, 2008 | 1 | 2:20 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 10–0 | Henrique Mello | KO (head kick) | Top Fighting Championships 3 | May 2, 2007 | 1 | N/A | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 9–0 | Luciano Dos Santos | Submission (guillotine choke) | Sul Fight Championship 1 | September 16, 2006 | 1 | 4:40 | Santa Catarina, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–0 | Jetron Azevedo | Submission (armbar) | Storm Samurai 10 | January 28, 2006 | 1 | N/A | Brazil | |
| Win | 7–0 | Piri Piri | Submission (guillotine choke) | Floripa Fight 1 | November 26, 2005 | 1 | 0:55 | Florianopolis, Brazil | |
| Win | 6–0 | Einstein Santana | Submission (guillotine choke) | Battle Front 1 | May 29, 2005 | 1 | N/A | Brazil | |
| Win | 5–0 | Jorge dos Santos Velho | TKO | GP: Tornado 5 | March 19, 2005 | 1 | N/A | Caxias do Sul, Brazil | |
| Win | 4–0 | Giovani Diniz | KO | Profight Championships 3 | January 31, 2005 | N/A | N/A | Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Lindomar Silva | Submission (guillotine choke) | GP: Tornado 3 | October 28, 2004 | N/A | N/A | Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Michel Michel | KO | GP: Tornado 2 | July 18, 2004 | 1 | 0:30 | Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jorge dos Santos Velho | TKO (punches) | Copa Gaucha: Fight Center 2 | May 15, 2004 | 2 | N/A | Caxias do Sul, Brazil |
References
- ↑ "WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo results". www.wec.tv/index.cfmom. 2009-11-19.
- ↑ "Leonard Garcia and Diego Nunes agree to WEC 47 bout". mmajunkie.com. 2010-01-18.
- ↑ "Injury forces Diego Nunes to withdraw from WEC 47 on March 6 in Columbus". mmamania.com. 2010-02-18.
- ↑ "George Roop tapped as late replacement, faces Leonard Garcia at WEC 47". mmajunkie.com. 2010-02-20.
- ↑ "Rafael Assuncao vs. Diego Nunes in the works for WEC 49 preliminary card". mmajunkie.com. 2010-04-30.
- ↑ "Tyler Toner vs. Diego Nunes added to "WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan"". mmajunkie.com. 2010-08-23.
- ↑ "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com. October 28, 2010.
- ↑ "WEC vets Mike Brown and Diego Nunes targeted for UFC 125 matchup". mmajunkie.com. November 10, 2010.
- ↑ "Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes in the works for UFC 131 in Vancouver". mmajunkie.com. February 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Diego Nunes vs Manny Gamburyan fight announced for Sept. 24 in Denver". mmamania.com. July 22, 2011.
- ↑ "Nunes confirms UFC 135 exit, awaits Gamburyan in December.". Sherdog.com. August 29, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
- ↑ "Manny Gamburyan vs Diego Nunes Back On for UFC 141". mmaweekly.com. October 31, 2011.
- ↑ "Diego Nunes vs. Dennis Siver added to UFC on FUEL TV 2". mmajunkie.com. January 24, 2012.
- ↑ "Bart Palaszewski vs. Diego Nunes targeted for UFC on FX 5 in Indianapolis". mmajunkie.com. July 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Diego Nunes meets Nik Lentz when UFC returns to Brazil on Jan. 19". mmajunkie.com. November 2, 2012.
- ↑ "UFC releases featherweights Diego Nunes and Milton Vieira". bloodyelbow.com. February 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Diego Nunes signs with Bellator". mmafighting.com. June 8, 2013.