André Fialho

André Fialho (born April 7, 1994) is a Portuguese mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. He is the former UAE Warriors champion and has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), PFL, Bellator and LFA.

Background
As a teenager, Fialho was interested in football and was also an amateur boxing champion in his native country of Portugal, after being convinced to begin boxing by his father, who was a former boxer and founded his own gym in 2019.

However, after meeting a MMA coach when on holiday in the Algarve, he decided to focus solely on MMA. In 2015 he left for the United States of America in search of his dream, to be a professional MMA fighter.

Bellator MMA
After winning 6 fights on the regional circuit, all by finish, Fialho made his Bellator debut against Manuel Meraz on February 26, 2016, at Bellator 150. He won the fight via TKO in just 29 seconds.

In his sophomore performance on May 14, 2016, at Bellator 154, Fialho faced Rick Reger and won the bout via TKO stoppage in the first round.

In his highest profile fight for the promotion, Fialho faced Chidi Njokuani at Bellator 167 on December 3, 2016. He lost the fight via knockout just 21 seconds into the first round.

Fialho faced A.J. Matthews at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. After a back-and-forth contest, in which both fighters were able to land significant strikes, hurting their opponent, ultimately Fialho won the bout via split decision.

Fialho was scheduled to face Brennan Ward on October 12, 2018, at Bellator 207. However on September 10, 2018, Ward notified the promotion that he will retire from MMA. Fialho was instead scheduled against Javier Torres. He won the close bout via majority decision.

Professional Fighters League
Fialho joined the PFL as a tournament replacement for PFL Season 2018 Middleweight Champion Louis Taylor at PFL 1 on May 9, 2019. As a result, he faced Chris Curtis. Fialho lost the bout via third-round knockout.

Fialho fought Glaico França at PFL 7 on October 11, 2019. He lost the bout via majority decision, but França tested positive for stanozolol and so the bout was overturned to a no contest.

Legacy Fighting Alliance and XMMA
Fialho faced Antonio dos Santos Jr. at LFA 92 on October 2, 2020. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Fialho fought former UFC fighter James Vick at XMMA 1 on January 30, 2021. Fialho won the fight by second-round technical knockout.

UAE Warriors
Fialho completed his time with the company with a 3–0 record. He debuted against Sang Hoon Yoo at UAE Warriors 20, winning the bout via TKO stoppage 18 seconds into the bout. He would then go on to defeat Lincoln Henrique at UAE Warriors 22 on September 4, 2021, collecting another first round TKO. He would then get booked against UFC vet Stefan Sekulic on October 29, 2021, at UAE Warriors 24. He would win the bout via TKO after dropping Sekulic with an elbow in the clinch and then finishing him on the ground.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
In his debut, Fialho fought Michel Pereira on short notice at UFC 270, on January 22, 2022. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Fialho next faced Miguel Baeza on April 16, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: Luque vs. Muhammad 2. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. The win earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

Fialho faced Cameron VanCamp on May 7, 2022, at UFC 274. He won the fight by knockout in round one. The win also earned Fialho his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus award.

Fialho faced Jake Matthews on June 11, 2022, at UFC 275. He lost the bout via knockout in the second round.

Fialho faced Muslim Salikhov on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215. He lost the bout via technical knockout in the third round.

Fialho faced Joaquin Buckley on May 20, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 223. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.

Fialho faced Tim Means on September 23, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 228. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round three. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Fialho was released by the UFC in October 2023.

Post-UFC
Fialho faced Jakhongir Jumaev at UAE Warriors 50 on May 18, 2024 and lost by knockout in the first round.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Tim Means
 * Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Miguel Baeza and Cameron VanCamp
 * Tied for most bouts in a calendar year (5 bouts in 2022)