The Fighting Nerds became the cool kids in 2024.
No MMA team turned heads more than the Nerds over the past 12 months as they exploded into the UFC rankings with impactful wins spread across their professional team.
Led by coaches Pablo Sucupira, Flavio Alvaro and Wagner Mota, contenders emerged as Caio Borralho, Carlos Prates, Jean Silva and Mauricio Ruffy all went undefeated and each displaying exciting fight abilities.
In addition to their elite fighting skills, Sucupira and his class have put forth A-grade branding and self-expression. The signature nerd glasses have become a staple of their fight nights and have even been worn by the likes of Elon Musk and Joe Rogan.
“When you think about a nerd guy, you always see a guy who wants to be the best in the classroom,” Borralho told MMA Junkie in August. “The nerd, if he’s going into a test and he took a B+, he would be upset. Like, ‘I wanted my A+.’ … We have a big message to inspire people. We’ve seen a lot of bully things happening in the world. A lot of this sh*t happening, it’s bully payback time.”
Unofficially formed in 2014 and built from scratch by the coaching-student bond of Sucupira and Borralho, the team’s first UFC fight was Borralho in 2021. As he climbed the ranks and earned the gym its first UFC headliner in 2024, Prates and Silva flew up their divisional ladders.
In 2024, Borralho defeated Paul Craig and Jared Cannonier. Carlos Prates debuted with a huge knockout of Trevin Giles – foreshadowing of the knockouts of Charles Radtke, Li Jingliang and Neil Magny (in a main event) that came later.
Ruffy knocked out Jamie Mullarkey, then defeated James Llontop by decision. Bruna Brasil and Thiago Moises also picked up UFC victories.
For those reasons, The Fighting Nerds is MMA Junkie’s 2024 Gym of the Year.
