Francisco Trinaldo
Active 2012–present · rated in 2 editions · peak overall 81.0
Scouting report
A seven-fight winning streak well into his late thirties reflected the conditioning of Francisco "Massaranduba" Trinaldo. Rising from Amarante, Brazil, Trinaldo competed 26 times in the Octagon with signature wins over Paul Felder and Jim Miller. His body kicks and durability are reflected in a Strength score of 84 and a Durability rating of 84.
Peak ratings
By edition
Trinaldo won three in 2016, beating Ross Pearson in Boston, Yancy Medeiros in Curitiba and Paul Felder in Brasilia, before dropping a submission loss to Kevin Lee in Fortaleza and outpointing Jim Miller at UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo in late 2017. His southpaw left hand, physical strength, and body kicks are reflected in an 84 Boxing and 80 Wrestling.
Between 2018 and 2019, Trinaldo knocked out Evan Dunham with a knee to the body in Sao Paulo and defeated Bobby Green by unanimous decision in Sao Paulo while dropping decisions to James Vick and Alexander Hernandez. His frame, counter-punching, and clinch control anchor his 84 Boxing and 82 Durability across these matchups.
Francisco Trinaldo, the kickboxer who kept winning past 35
Francisco Trinaldo took up kickboxing at 23 and went on to win the Brasilia state title three times. His nickname, Massaranduba, comes from a quarrelsome character in a Brazilian comedy show. Sherdog listed him as its top prospect in MMA in August 2010. He won the Jungle Fight lightweight belt over Adriano Martins, and reached the big promotion through The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil in 2012.
How Trinaldo's ratings shake out
Boxing. One of four ratings at 84. His hands finished Chad Laprise in 2015 with a left that put him down before ground strikes ended it.
Kickboxing. A solid 80. His background is in kickboxing, and he hurt Piotr Hallmann twice with body kicks in the first round of their 2013 fight, before Hallmann won by second-round kimura.
Wrestling. Also 80. He finished C.J. Keith with an arm-triangle choke in 2013.
BJJ. 80 as well. His early wins include a kneebar of Luiz Firmino and an arm-triangle over C.J. Keith, though Kevin Lee later submitted him.
Strength. Tied for the top at 84. He finished Evan Dunham in 2018 with a second-round knee to the body.
Durability. 84. He took a war with Yancy Medeiros in 2016 that earned both men Fight of the Night, and he stayed upright.
Cardio. 84. He kept picking up decision wins against Ross Pearson, Jim Miller and John Makdessi, and he was still competing in hard fights into his forties.
Fight IQ. A steady 80, level with his kickboxing, wrestling and BJJ.
Four ratings share the top, and that is the point
Boxing, strength, durability and cardio all sit at 84 on his best card. He beat Paul Felder by third-round TKO in 2016 and won a Fight of the Night decision over Medeiros.
Nothing is weak, but four ratings tie for lowest at 80
Kickboxing, wrestling, BJJ and fight IQ all sit at 80, so there is no rating to point at. The losses show where the cracks were. Kevin Lee submitted him in 2017 and Piotr Hallmann did the same with a kimura in 2013, and both of those losses were submissions.
Keep exploring
Closest lightweight profiles to Francisco Trinaldo, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Al Iaquintabest boxing 86 · weakest bjj 76
- Kevin Leebest wrestling 88 · weakest kickboxing 80
- Paddy Pimblettbest bjj 88 · weakest wrestling 78
- Jorge Masvidalbest cardio 88 · weakest strength 78
- Lightweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Francisco Trinaldo's strongest attribute, Boxing.
Draft Francisco Trinaldo into your build
Francisco Trinaldo enters the pool on any spin landing on lightweight between 2016 and 2019. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Francisco Trinaldo is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Francisco Trinaldo'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.