Luis Santos is a Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

. Santos is currently signed with the Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. "Bellator", which is Latin for "Warrior", is organized into seasons with each event hosting the rounds of championship knockout tournaments for three-five weight divisions.-History:In its first season,...

, fighting in their welterweight division.

Early career

Santos made his professional MMA debut in a one-night tournament at Tournament of Gladiators 5 in 2000; he won all three of his fights. Santos amassed a record of 18-0 before suffering his first loss in 2005. Although fighting primarily in his native Brazil, Santos did make his U.S. MMA debut on WEC 34

WEC 34

WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber for the WEC Featherweight Championship. WEC 34...

 in 2008.

Santos has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

 from Team Nogueira. He currently teaches and trains at Finney’s MMA in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, but is originally from Belem, Brazil. Before signing with Bellator, Santos was ranked #5 on the Bloody Elbow world MMA scouting report.

Bellator Fighting Championships

In January 2011, it was announced that Santos had signed with Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. "Bellator", which is Latin for "Warrior", is organized into seasons with each event hosting the rounds of championship knockout tournaments for three-five weight divisions.-History:In its first season,...

.

Santos debuted for the promotion in the Bellator Season 5 Welterweight Tournament. He fought Dan Hornbuckle

Dan Hornbuckle

Dan Hornbuckle is an American mixed martial artist. Hornbuckle holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Jack McVicker and has a self-proclaimed black belt in "intensity". Hornbuckle is Native American, and is a member of the Eastern Band Cherokee tribe...

 in the opening round held at Bellator 49 and won the fight via unanimous decision.

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