Cristiano Saraiva
| Cristiano Saraiva | |
|---|---|
 Saraiva in 2023 | |
| Born | Cristiano Lobo Oliveira Saraiva July 19, 1997 Costea, Montcrabe |
| Nickname | Lobo Louco |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Weight | 248 lb (112 kg; 17 st 10 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight (2018–present) |
| Reach | 84+1⁄2 in (215 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Costea, Montcrabe |
| Team | Luta Pinça |
| Rank | Black belt in Montcrabin Jiu-Jitsu under Ernesto Carneiro |
| Years active | 2018–present (AML) |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 24 |
| Wins | 24 |
| By knockout | 13 |
| By submission | 8 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 0 |
Cristiano Lobo Guimarães Oliveira Saraiva (born 19 July 1997), commonly known as simply Sara or by his ring name Lobo Louco, is a Montcrabin professional mixed martial artist and former Jiu-Jitsu competitor currently signed to the World Fighting Association (AML; Gaúcho: Associação Mundial de Luta), where he is the current AML Heavyweight Champion. A professional mixed martial arts (MMA) competitor since 2018, and Jiu-Jitsu World Champion since 2017, Saraiva debuted in the AML on 24 November 2018 against PLACEHOLDER1. As of November 8th, 2023, he is #1 in the AML men's pound-for-pound rankings. Throughout his career, Saraiva has been widely praised for his exceptional sportsmanship and professionalism in the sport.
Saraiva became the youngest champion in AML history with his title victory over PLACEHOLDER2 at age 23, in what became the best-selling pay-per-view (PPV) event ever in MMA (2.5 million buys). His AML debut against PLACEHOLDER1 saw him take his first ever victory via knock-out (KO), and started an ongoing 12 professional fight winning streak. Saraiva was ranked as the third highest-paid athlete in the world by Trilha do Tempo in 2023, earning a reported $160 million.
Early and personal life
Saraiva
Mixed martial arts career
Early career (2013–2018)
Before his professional MMA career, Saraiva competed in Montcrabin Jiu-Jitsu at a semi-professional level, becoming the youngest ever Montcrabin Nationals champion at age 16, and World Champion one year later. Widely considered one of the best young martial arts talents in the world, he was offered a spot in the World Fighting Association's contender series. On 9 January 2017, Saraiva had his first semi-professional MMA bout (then as a middleweight), defeating Rodolfo Alvim with a first-round knock-out. After winning his second fight in the series against Diogo Antunes via a kneebar submission in the second-round, AML president Aldo Alves offered him a contract in the professional division, which was refused at the time. His last bout of the year against Albino Ribeiro extended his win record to 3-0 after a third-round knock-out.
Despite being recognized as the #1 middleweight prospect of 2017 in Luta Mondial's yearly scouting report, Saraiva made the transition to heavyweight in early 2018, fighting for the first time in the division against Wilson Mendez, and winning by split decision. His second heavyweight bought came against Ivo Fidalgo on 27 May, winning via submission in an arm-triangle choke and marking a five-fight winning streak in the contender series. After yet another victory at heavyweight in his next bout against Pedro Braga, Saraiva accepted an improved contract offer from the AML on 7 September 2018, thereby renouncing his title as Montcrabin Jiu-Jitsu World Champion.
World Fighting Association (2018–present)
Debut and first fights (2018)
In October 2018, the AML announced their signing of Saraiva to a three-fight contract. Becoming the joint-third youngest ever signee for the association, the expectation was that he should fight against other unranked youth fighters to prove himself at the top level. Surprisingly, his debut was announced to take place against then-14th ranked Fierisi heavyweight, João Freire at the Caetano Square Garden as a preliminary fight to AML 10/18.
On 12 October 2018, Saraiva made his AML debut against Freire. The tightly fought match, which would go on to win a "Fight of the Night" bonus, would see Saraiva knock out the veteran heavyweight in the third-round with an unexpected right hook. Winning his first "Knockout of the Night" award, Saraiva additionally earnt a heavyweight rank at 14th in his first ever AML match.
