Jussier da Silva Viera Formiga is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently signed with the UFC and competing in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Formiga is the former ShootoSouth America 123-pound champion. As of June 10, 2020, he is #6 in the UFC flyweight rankings.
Formiga won his professional mixed martial arts debut fight on November 29, 2008 at Shooto: Brazil 9 against Michael Willian Costa via split decision. This was followed up by an upset victory over Shinichi "BJ" Kojima via unanimous decision at Shooto: Revolutionary Exchanges 1: Undefeated. It was expected Formiga would be brought back for a year-end title rematch with Kojima. However, Kojima vacated the Shooto Bantamweight Championship, further complicating Jussier's future with the organization. Formiga was at this point, ranked as the number one Flyweight in the world and then fought Alexandre Pantoja, who was unbeaten as a Flyweight. On June 12, 2010, Formiga defeated Pantoja by unanimous decision to defend his South America Shooto 123 lb Championship.
Formiga signed a four-fight exclusive contract with the California-based Tachi Palace Fights organization. His first fight with the organization was against WEC veteran Danny Martinez at Tachi Palace Fights 7. Formiga won the fight by unanimous decision. Fomiga's next fight was against another WEC veteran in Ian McCall. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Formiga next faced top-ranked Flyweight Mamoru Yamaguchi at Tachi Palace Fights 10. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On July 14, 2012 it was announced that Formiga signed with the UFC. Formiga faced John Dodson on October 5, 2012 at UFC on FX 5. After a slow first round, Formiga began to succumb to the speed of Dodson, and was eventually finished via TKO with ground strikes at 4:35 of the second round. Formiga faced Chris Cariaso on May 18, 2013 at UFC on FX 8. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Formiga faced Joseph Benavidez on September 4, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 28. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Formiga faced Scott Jorgensen on March 23, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 38. Formiga won the fight via submission in the first round. Formiga unintentionally butted Jorgensen's chin with the top of his skull, which went unnoticed by the referee and submitted the dazed Jorgensen via rear-naked choke. Jorgensen appealed the headbutt to the Brazilian Athletic Commission, however the result was upheld. Formiga was expected to face Zach Makovsky on August 2, 2014 at UFC 176. However, after UFC 176 was cancelled, Formiga/Makovsky was rescheduled and eventually took place on August 16, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 47. Formiga won the fight via unanimous decision. Formiga was expected to face John Moraga on December 13, 2014 at UFC on Fox 13. However, on November 21, Formiga pulled out of the fight and was replaced by UFC newcomer Willie Gates. Formiga faced Wilson Reis on May 30, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 67. He won the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision. Formiga next faced Henry Cejudo on November 21, 2015 at. He lost the fight by split decision. Formiga faced Dustin Ortiz on September 24, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 95. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Formiga was expected to face Sergio Pettis on January 15, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 103. However, Formiga pulled out of the fight in late December and was replaced by John Moraga. Formiga faced Ray Borg on March 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 106. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. After alternating between wins and losses in the latest four fights, Formiga decided to move from his native Brazil to Florida, United States in order to train at American Top Team. Formiga faced Ulka Sasaki on September 23, 2017 at. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Formiga faced Ben Nguyen on February 11, 2018 at UFC 221. He won the fight via technical submission in the third round due to a rear-naked choke. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus. Formiga faced Sergio Pettis on October 6, 2018 at UFC 229. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Formiga faced Deiveson Figueiredo on March 23, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 148. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Formiga faced Joseph Benavidez in a rematch on June 29, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 3. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round. Formiga faced Brandon Moreno on March 14, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 170. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Formiga faced Alex Perez on June 6, 2020 at UFC 250. He lost the bout via first round technical knockout.
