Mário Pinto (born 14 March 1998) is a Portuguese professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since October 2021, he previously competed for FightStar Championship and Levels Fight League. As of 12 September 2026, he is #10 in the Meta UFC heavyweight rankings.
Early life and amateur career Pinto was born in Portugal to parents from Guinea-Bissau before moving to Britain at a young age. He decided to pursue a career in mixed martial arts (MMA) as a teenager and later earned a degree in Sport and Exercise Science. Pinto took his first amateur bout in March 2018 and went on to compile an amateur MMA record of 5–1.
Professional career He made his professional debut in October 2021 at Contenders 31, where he faced Joffie Houlton and won the bout via first-round technical knockout. He then competed twice for FightStar Championship, defeating Berat Berisha by first-round TKO at FightStar Championship 21. Pinto followed this with his first professional submission victory at FightStar Championship 22, submitting Maxwell Djantou Nana via rear-naked choke.
In March 2023, he competed in the Levels Fight League (LFL) Heavyweight Grand Prix. Fighting three times in a single night, Pinto defeated Filip Bradarić by knockout in the first round, advancing to the semi-finals where he earned a unanimous decision victory over Aladin Ben Halima after three rounds. In the final he faced Moreno Kacapor and won by unanimous decision, capturing the LFL Heavyweight Championship. Pinto later defended the title in October 2023 against Benjamin Šehić, winning by third-round TKO. His second and final defence came in February 2024 against Kasim Aras whom he defeated by unanimous decision.
Pinto competed on Dana White's Contender Series in October 2024, facing Lucas Triverio Camacho. He won the bout via first-round knockout, earning a contract with the UFC. He made his promotional debut in March 2025 at UFC Fight Night 253, defeating Austen Lane by second-round knockout. This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award. Pinto returned in October 2025 at UFC Fight Night 261 against Jhonata Diniz. He won the fight by second-round TKO.
Pinto was scheduled to face Mick Parkin at UFC Fight Night 270 on 21 March 2026. However, the bout was cancelled and Pinto was instead matched against Felipe Franco. Pinto won by unanimous decision.
Pinto faced Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 287 on 5 September 2026. He won the fight by technical knockout in the second round. This fight earned him a $100,000 Performance of the Night award.
Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Levels Fight League LFL Heavyweight Championship (One time) Two successful title defenses LFL Heavyweight Grand Prix winner
Mixed martial arts record
|Win |align=center|13–0 |Ryan Spann |TKO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs. Parnasse | |align=center|2 |align=center|0:55 |Paris, France
|Win |align=center|12–0 |Felipe Franco |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |London, England
|Win |align=center|11–0 |Jhonata Diniz |TKO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs. Gamrot | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:10 |Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|Win |align=center|10–0 |Austen Lane |KO (punch) |UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev | |align=center|2 |align=center|0:39 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center|9–0 |Lucas Triverio Camacho |KO (punches) |Dana White's Contender Series 75 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:43 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center|8–0 |Kasim Aras |Decision (unanimous) |Levels Fight League 11 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Amsterdam, Netherlands
|Win |align=center|7–0 |Benjamin Sehic |TKO (punches) |Levels Fight League 10 | |align=center|3 |align=center|1:18 |Amsterdam, Netherlands
|Win |align=center|6–0 |Moreno Kacapor |Decision (unanimous) |rowspan=3|Levels Fight League: Heavyweight Grand Prix |rowspan=3| |align=center|3 |align=center|3:00 |rowspan=3|Amsterdam, Netherlands
|Win |align=center|5–0 |Aladin Ben Halima |Decision (unanimous) |align=center|3 |align=center|2:00
|Win |align=center|4–0 |Filip Bradaric |KO (punch) |align=center|1 |align=center|1:28
|Win |align=center|3–0 |Maxwell Djantou Nana |Submission (rear-naked choke) |FightStar Championship 22 | |align=center|1 |align=center|N/A |London, England
|Win |align=center|2–0 |Besart Berisha |TKO (punches) |FightStar Championship 21 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:07 |London, England
|Win |align=center|1–0 |Joffie Houlton |TKO (punches) |Contenders Norwich 31 | |align=center|1 |align=center|N/A |London, England
See also List of current UFC fighters List of Dana White's Contender Series alumni List of male mixed martial artists
References