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Gesias Cavalcante (born July 6, 1983) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. He was the 2006 and 2007 K-1 HERO Middleweight Champion, and has also fought for Strikeforce, DREAM, Shooto, World Series of Fighting, and Cage Rage. Cavalcante also participated in the Dynamite!! USA event.
| Gesias Cavalcante | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 6, 1983 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Other names | JZ |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | Lightweight |
| Style | Luta Livre, BJJ, Kickboxing |
| Fighting out of | Deerfield Beach, Florida, United States |
| Team | Fight Sports Deerfield Beach |
| Rank | Black Belt in Luta Livre Black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 2 |
| Losses | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 37 |
| Wins | 22 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 10 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Losses | 12 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 5 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
While Cavalcante is primarily an MMA fighter, he made his K-1 debut fighting against Masato in the 2007 World Max tournament, losing via decision.[1]
On September 17, 2007, Cavalcante won the K-1 HERO'S' 2007 Middleweight (70 kg) tournament by defeating Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Vítor Ribeiro by TKO in the first round and Andre Amade by submission via armbar in the finals.
Cavalcante had agreed to fight former PRIDE Fighting Championship Lightweight standout Shinya Aoki at Yarennoka! but withdrew from the fight due to a knee ligament injury. The match was rescheduled for March 15, 2008, at Dream 1 to kick off the new DREAM promotion at the Saitama Super Arena.
Early in the first round, the referee stopped the action when Cavalcante apparently landed illegal elbow strikes to the back of Aoki's neck. The ringside doctor announced that Aoki was unable to continue due to the injury and Cavalcante apologized for the incident.[2] The fight resulted in a no contest. Elbow strikes to the neck and spine area are illegal under DREAM rules. Aoki was later found to have sustained concussion of the cervical vertebra.[3]
They had their rematch on April 29, 2008, at Dream 2. Cavalcante was defeated by Aoki by unanimous decision.[4] However, he sustained a severely bruised rib and tore cartilage in his costal area during the match.[3]
Cavalcante's next fight was set to be against Joachim Hansen at Dynamite!! 2008 on December 31, 2008, but the bout was canceled the day of the event due to Hansen not passing pre-fight medicals and subsequently being hospitalized for a "head injury".[5]
Strikeforce
Cavalcante signed a 4-fight deal with Strikeforce in June 2010. He made his debut against former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson, losing by a controversial unanimous decision.[6]
Cavalcante's next fight was against lightweight prospect Justin Wilcox at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum. The fight ended in a no contest after Cavalcante poked Wilcox's eye.
Cavalcante fought Bobby Green on July 30, 2011, at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson.[7] He won the fight via split decision.
On the 19th of May 2012, he lost a split decision to Isaac Vallie-Flagg at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier and was subsequently released from Strikeforce.
On June 30, 2012, Cavalcante was knocked out for the first time in his seven-year career by Luis Palomino at CFA 07 in Coral Gables, Florida.
Kickboxing
He competed at the Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2012 in Tokyo, Japan on November 17, 2012.[8] The Shoot Boxing World Tournament, or "S-Cup", is an eight-man, 70 kg/154 lb standing vale tudo tournament that combines striking, throws and submissions held by the Shoot Boxing Association once every two years. Cavalcante was drawn against Hiroki Shishido at the quarter-final stage and lost by majority decision.[9][10][11]
He signed with the Glory kickboxing promotion in August 2013.[12][13] Cavalcante was set to face Steve Moxon at Glory 11: Chicago - Heavyweight World Championship Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, US on October 12, 2013[14] but withdrew due to a lingering hand injury and was replaced by Reece McAllister.[15]
World Series of Fighting
Cavalcante faced off against UFC veteran TJ O'Brien at WSOF 1: Arlovski vs. Cole. He won by submission due to an Achilles lock only 63 seconds into the fight.
JZ next fought undefeated Justin Gaethje at WSOF 2. Cavalcante suffered a deep cut on the hairline due to a knee from Gaethje that forced the referee to stop the fight at 2:27 of the opening round.
In his third fight for the promotion, Cavalcante took on Strikeforce and 14 time UFC veteran Tyson Griffin at WSOF 4. After a back and forth fight, early in the third round Cavalcante took down an exhausted Griffin and proceeded to land a barrage of undefended punches from the back mount thus winning the fight via TKO.
Cavalcante was scheduled to rematch Justin Gaethje for the inaugural WSOF Lightweight Championship at WSOF 8 on January 18, 2014, in Hollywood, Florida, but pulled out due to an undisclosed injury.
Cavalcante faced Melvin Guillard on July 5, 2014, at WSOF 11.[16] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
Hawn came out of retirement to face Rick Hawn on October 21, 2022, at Combat FC 2. He won the bout via guillotine choke in the second round.[17]
Cavalcante competed at the IBJJF Miami Open on April 29 and 30, 2023 where he won a silver medal in the absolute division.[18]
He competed against Leonardo Silva in a superfight at Blue Collar FC: American Dream Conference on September 1, 2023 and won the match by submission.[19]
Cavalcante competed at the IBJJF Miami Fall Open on November 5, 2023, winning a gold medal in the master 2 middleweight division.[20]
Cavalcante competed against Gregor Gracie at Pit Submission Series 3 on March 23, 2024.[21] He lost the match by submission.[22] He then won a bronze medal in the no gi middleweight division of the IBJJF Fort Lauderdale Open 2024 on October 20th, 2024.[23]
- K-1 HERO's
- Shooto
- Shooto Americas Welterweight Championship (1 Time, First, Last)[24]
- Titan Fighting Championship
- Titan FC Lightweight Championship (1 Time)
| 0 wins (0 KOs), 2 losses, 0 draws | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-11-17 | Loss |  Hiroki Shishido | Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2012, Quarter Finals | Tokyo, Japan | Decision (majority) | 3 | 3:00 | 0-2 |
| 2007-06-28 | Loss | Masato | K-1 World MAX 2007 World Tournament Final Elimination, First Round | Tokyo, Japan | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 | 0-1 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes | ||||||||
| 37 matches | 22 wins | 12 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 6 |
| By submission | 10 | 1 |
| By decision | 5 | 5 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 2 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 22–12–1 (2) | Rick Hawn | Submission (guillotine choke) | Combat FC 2 | October 21, 2022 | 2 | 3:41 | Wilmington, Massachusetts, United States | Return to Welterweight. |
| Loss | 21–12–1 (2) | Erivan Pereira | TKO (punches) | Brave CF 11 | April 13, 2018 | 2 | 2:21 | Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil | |
| Loss | 21–11–1 (2) | Alan Omer | TKO (punches) | Brave CF 9: The Kingdom of Champions | November 17, 2017 | 3 | 3:30 | Isa Town, Bahrain | |
| Loss | 21–10–1 (2) | Kurt Holobaugh | TKO (punches) | Titan FC 44 | May 19, 2017 | 4 | 2:45 | Pembroke Pines, Florida | For the interim Titan FC Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 21–9–1 (2) | Robert Turnquest | Decision (unanimous) | Titan FC 42 | December 2, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida | Catchweight (160 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 20–9–1 (2) | Freddy Assuncao | Technical Submission (guillotine choke) | Titan FC 40: Cavalcante vs. Assuncao | August 5, 2016 | 4 | 0:24 | Coral Gables, Florida | Lost Titan FC Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 20–8–1 (2) | Pat Healy | KO (punches) | Titan FC 39: Cavalcante vs. Healy | June 10, 2016 | 1 | 2:07 | Coral Gables, Florida | Won Titan FC Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 19–8–1 (2) | Gele Qing | Submission (unknown) | KFU: Kungfu Union | September 21, 2014 | 1 | N/A | Dalian, China | Catchweight (175 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 18–8–1 (2) | Melvin Guillard | TKO (punches and elbows) | WSOF 11 | July 5, 2014 | 2 | 2:36 | Daytona Beach, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 18–7–1 (2) | Tyson Griffin | TKO (punches) | WSOF 4 | August 10, 2013 | 3 | 1:37 | Ontario, California, United States | |
| Loss | 17–7–1 (2) | Justin Gaethje | TKO (doctor stoppage) | WSOF 2 | March 23, 2013 | 1 | 2:27 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Due to a cut. |
| Win | 17–6–1 (2) | TJ O'Brien | Submission (Achilles lock) | WSOF 1 | November 3, 2012 | 1 | 1:03 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–6–1 (2) | Luis Palomino | KO (punches) | CFA 07: Never Give Up | June 30, 2012 | 3 | 1:41 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 16–5–1 (2) | Isaac Vallie-Flagg | Decision (split) | Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier | May 19, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | |
| Win | 16–4–1 (2) | Bobby Green | Decision (split) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson | July 30, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States | |
| NC | 15–4–1 (2) | Justin Wilcox | NC (accidental eye poke) | Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum | June 18, 2011 | 2 | 0:31 | Dallas, Texas, United States | Cavalcante poked Wilcox in the eye. |
| Loss | 15–4–1 (1) | Josh Thomson | Decision (unanimous) | Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II | October 9, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | San Jose, California, United States | |
| Win | 15–3–1 (1) | Katsunori Kikuno | Decision (split) | Dream 15 | July 10, 2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Loss | 14–3–1 (1) | Tatsuya Kawajiri | Decision (unanimous) | Dream 9 | May 26, 2009 | 2 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | |
| Loss | 14–2–1 (1) | Shinya Aoki | Decision (unanimous) | Dream 2: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round | April 29, 2008 | 2 | 5:00 | Saitama, Japan | |
| NC | 14–1–1 (1) | Shinya Aoki | NC (illegal elbows) | Dream 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round | March 15, 2008 | 1 | 3:46 | Saitama, Japan | Lightweight GP Opening Round; Aoki injured via illegal downward elbows to the back of the head. |
| Win | 14–1–1 | Andre Amade | Submission (armbar) | Hero's 10 | September 17, 2007 | 1 | 4:48 | Yokohama, Japan | Hero's 2007 Lightweight Grand Prix final. |
| Win | 13–1–1 | Vítor Ribeiro | TKO (punches) | 1 | 0:35 | Hero's 2007 Lightweight Grand Prix semi-final. | |||
| Win | 12–1–1 | Nam Phan | TKO (punches) | Dynamite!! USA | June 2, 2007 | 1 | 0:26 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Return to Lightweight. |
| Win | 11–1–1 | Caol Uno | Decision (majority) | Hero's 7 | October 9, 2006 | 2 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | Hero's 2006 Welterweight (165 lb) Grand Prix final. |
| Win | 10–1–1 | Rani Yahya | Submission (guillotine choke) | 1 | 0:39 | Hero's 2006 Welterweight (165 lb) Grand Prix semi-final. | |||
| Win | 9–1–1 | Hiroyuki Takaya | KO (flying knee) | Hero's 6 | August 5, 2006 | 1 | 0:30 | Tokyo, Japan | Hero's 2006 Welterweight (165 lb) Grand Prix quarter-final. |
| Win | 8–1–1 | Hidetaka Monma | TKO (punches) | Hero's 5 | May 3, 2006 | 1 | 2:08 | Tokyo, Japan | Hero's 2006 Welterweight (165 lb) Grand Prix opening round. |
| Win | 7–1–1 | Michihiro Omigawa | KO (punches) | Cage Rage 14 | December 3, 2005 | 1 | 0:49 | London, England, United Kingdom | |
| Draw | 6–1–1 | Ryan Schultz | Draw | SF 11: Rumble at the Rose Garden | July 9, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Portland, Oregon, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Henry Matamoros | Decision (unanimous) | HOOKnSHOOT: The Return | April 2, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | Won Shooto Americas Welterweight Championship[24] |
| Win | 5–1 | Cengiz Dana | Submission (guillotine choke) | Cage Warriors 9: Xtreme Xmas | December 18, 2004 | 3 | 4:55 | Sheffield, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 4–1 | Bart Palaszewski | Submission (guillotine choke) | IHC 8: Ethereal | November 20, 2004 | 1 | 1:03 | Hammond, Indiana, United States | |
| Win | 3–1 | Sebastian Korschilgen | Submission (kimura) | Shooto: Switzerland 2 | September 4, 2004 | 1 | N/A | Zurich, Switzerland | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Joachim Hansen | Decision (majority) | Shooto: 7/16 in Korakuen Hall | July 16, 2004 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 2–0 | Brad Mohler | Submission (achilles lock) | HOOKnSHOOT: Live | March 27, 2004 | 1 | 1:32 | Evansville, Indiana, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Justin Wiesniewski | Submission (guillotine choke) | AFC 7 | February 27, 2004 | 1 | 1:53 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States |
| ? Matches, ? Wins, ? Losses, ? Draws | |||||||
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 6–3–2 |  Vinicius de Jesus | Rear Naked Choke | Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds | June 6, 2021 | Cancún, Mexico | |
| Win | 5–3–2 |  Tom Gallicchio | Arm Triangle Choke | Combat Jiu-Jitsu Worlds | June 6, 2021 | Cancún, Mexico | |
| Win | 4–3–2 | Saul Viayra | Heel Hook | Subversiv 5 | May 1, 2021 | Miami, United States | |
| Loss | 3–3–2 | Jason Rau | Decision | Fight 2 Win 161 | January 21, 2021 | Miami, United States | |
| Win | 3–2–2 | Justin Renick | Decision | Fight 2 Win 160 | January 16, 2021 | Miami, United States | |
| Win | 2–2–2 | Nick Ronan | Decision | Fight 2 Win 157 | November 14, 2020 | Philadelphia, United States | |
| Loss | 1–2–2 | Nicky Ryan | Inside Heel Hook | SubStars: Poirier vs. Tonon | February 21, 2020 | Miami, United States | |
| Draw | 1–1–2 | Anthony Smith | Decision | Quintet Ultra | December 12, 2019 | Las Vegas, United States | |
| Draw | 1–1–1 | Chad Mendes | Decision | Quintet Ultra | December 12, 2019 | Las Vegas, United States | |
| Win | 1–1–0 | Jorge Patino | Guillotine Choke | Kasai Super Series Orlando | July 4, 2019 | Orlando, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1–0 |  Alireza Noei | Decision · Points | SFT 9 | January 19, 2019 | São Paulo, Brazil | |
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