Julio Cesar (mixed martial artist)


Julio Cesar Neves, Jr. is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who has most notably competed in the featherweight division of Bellator MMA.

Background

Julio Cesar was born in Brazil. He achieved a coveted 30-0 record after defeating Poppies Martinez at Bellator 125, an unheard of accomplishment in mixed martial arts competition, given his age and the time span in which he competed.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Neves had been competing in the Brazilian circuit since late-2011, amassing 28 bouts and early finishes in a very condensed period of time before signing with Bellator MMA. He was doing so at a very young age, being only 19-years-old when he was signed to Bellator. He was expected to face Yuri Maia at Golden Fighters 7 on November 9, 2013, but it was cancelled because of the subsequent signing to Bellator.

Bellator MMA

Neves made his Bellator debut on April 18, 2014 at Bellator 117 against Josh Arocho. The 19-year-old was successful in his debut, defeating Arocho in the second round via TKO.
In his second bout with the promotion, Neves faced Poppies Martinez on September 19, 2014 at Bellator 125. He won via TKO in the first round.
In his third bout with the promotion, Neves faced fellow up-and-comer Jordan Parsons at Bellator 137 on May 15, 2015. He lost the back and forth fight via submission in the third round. This marked the first professional defeat of his career.
In June 2015, it was revealed that Neves, along with his brother Rafael Silva, were among 8 fighters released from the promotion.

Criticism

Neves' record has been subject of controversy in his home country of Brazil. According to many local MMA resources and forums, Neves built his undefeated record facing mostly "cans" and opponents with irregular MMA records while avoiding tougher challengers. Some of his opponents' records, in order, are: 0-3, 0-2, 3-2, 0-2, 9-8, 4-3, 0-1, 2-3, 1-3, 1-1, 0-3, 1-7, 1-1, 0-2, 12-10 and 0-2.

Mixed martial arts record