Fabio Maldonado
Active 2010–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 74.0
Scouting report
Durability, body punching combinations, and a strong chin made Fabio "The Iron Hillbilly" Maldonado a fan-favorite brawler. Born in Sorocaba, Brazil, the professional boxer authored a four-fight UFC winning streak, his durability captured by an 86 Durability rating and 84 Boxing.
Peak ratings
Fabio Maldonado, a 40-5 amateur boxer in a cage
Fabio Maldonado came into MMA in September 2000 after a 40-5 amateur boxing career with 27 knockouts. He took up jiu-jitsu the same year and made his professional boxing debut in 2002. He fought exclusively in Brazil for his first eight years and had a 17-3 record in the decade before he reached the Octagon. In a draft he is a boxer with a strong chin who is at home in a brawl.
How to read the Maldonado numbers
Boxing. His second-best number at 84. He rallied against Gian Villante in 2014 by using his boxing after losing the first round.
Kickboxing. The low side of a boxer's game at 68. His success came mostly from his hands.
Wrestling. The lowest number on his card at 66. He is not going to win by shooting takedowns.
BJJ. A modest 68. He started jiu-jitsu in 2000, but his best results have come standing.
Strength. A strong 80. He rocked Igor Pokrajac on several occasions in 2012.
Durability. The top of his card at 86. Against Glover Teixeira he absorbed so much punishment on the ground that Sherdog named it Beatdown of the Year, and only a doctor stoppage at the end of round two ended it.
Cardio. A very good 82. He came back from a first-round deficit to beat Villante and won decisions over Roger Hollett and Joey Beltran.
Fight IQ. A fair 75, in line with a fighter whose plan is built around his hands.
Durability at 86 is the story
His chin and his resilience are the best numbers on the card. He lost on the scorecards to Kyle Kingsbury in a fight that still won Fight of the Night, then stayed in with Teixeira through two rounds of ground punishment. Years later he dropped and nearly finished Fedor Emelianenko in the first round of a Russian card before losing a controversial majority decision.
Wrestling at 66 lets opponents pick the place
Wrestling is his lowest rating, and the record shows the risk. Teixeira did his damage on the ground, and Stipe Miocic stopped him early in a heavyweight fight. Kickboxing and BJJ at 68 do not give him much of a route back once the fight leaves his boxing range. Fighters who take him down early can avoid the punches.
Keep exploring
Closest light heavyweight profiles to Fabio Maldonado, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Ion Cutelababest strength 86 · weakest bjj 70
- Volkan Oezdemirbest boxing 89 · weakest bjj 70
- Jimi Manuwabest boxing 89 · weakest bjj 70
- Thiago Silvabest boxing 84 · weakest wrestling 76
- Light Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Protecting your streak: a guide that fits Fabio Maldonado's strongest attribute, Durability.
Draft Fabio Maldonado into your build
Fabio Maldonado enters the pool on any spin landing on light heavyweight between 2014 and 2015. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Fabio Maldonado is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Fabio Maldonado's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.