Allan Nascimento

Allan Alves do Nascimento was born on 11 September 1991 in São Paulo, Brazil, and was born and raised in the city, where he lived for the rest of his life. At 15 a schoolmate suggested he try Muay Thai. He enjoyed it, stuck with it, and was soon helping professional fighters prepare for bouts.

He joined the academy that would become Chute Boxe Diego Lima, and Diego Lima coached him from that first year. Nascimento said he was extremely thin when he arrived and weighed almost nothing, so as soon as people saw him they called him "Puro Osso" ("just bones"). The name stuck.

His family was not enthusiastic about fighting at first. He fought as an amateur without their knowledge and nearly made his professional debut in the United States without telling his parents, but that fight did not happen. Before his actual debut in Brazil he had a frank talk with them about what he wanted from life. Despite the risks, they accepted it and supported him.

Nascimento's martial arts education took place almost entirely in São Paulo. Diego Lima, leader of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima academy, trained him from age 15, and Nascimento said all of his fight camps were done there. He held a black belt in Muay Thai. He sharpened his jiu-jitsu at the B9 academy in São Paulo under Marco "Barbosinha" Barbosa, a partnership he called great. Details of his formal schooling have not been made public.

Nascimento turned professional in 2011 and won his first seven fights, including a triangle choke win at Thai Fight 3 in November 2011, a kneebar win at Legacy FC 12 in Houston in July 2012, and a heel hook win that earned him the Predador FC bantamweight championship in August 2012. In April 2013 he fought for the Legacy FC flyweight title in Dallas and lost a unanimous decision to Will Campuzano. He also fell short in title fights for Elite FC (2013) and the inaugural XFC flyweight belt (2015).

In October 2016 he won the vacant Gold Fight flyweight championship with a five round decision over Roberto Barbosa de Souza. In December 2016 he fought at the Rizin World Grand Prix in Saitama, Japan, losing a split decision to Yuki Motoya. He returned to win by armbar at Batalha MMA 8 in July 2017.

In August 2018 he lost a split decision to Raulian Paiva on Dana White's Contender Series Brazil. Four planned fights then collapsed, including a Miami card cancelled on fight day, and he needed surgery for injuries. A 2021 fight in Ecuador was cancelled 20 days out. In July 2021 he took a fight on one week's notice at Punho de Aço 6, submitted Elivaldo Lima Martins in the first round, and signed with the UFC two days later.

His UFC debut came at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi on 30 October 2021, a split decision loss to Tagir Ulanbekov. He beat Jake Hadley by unanimous decision on 14 May 2022 and submitted Carlos Hernandez with a rear-naked choke in 3:16 of the first round on 14 January 2023, earning Performance of the Night. Planned bouts against Tim Elliott, Su Mudaerji and Jafel Filho were lost to withdrawals between 2023 and 2024, and a 2025 booking against Asu Almabayev was scrapped when Almabayev was moved to a main event.

He finally met Jafel Filho on 31 May 2025 and won a unanimous decision, although he missed weight and was fined 20 percent of his purse. On 1 November 2025 he submitted Cody Durden with an anaconda choke in the second round, his fourth straight win and second Performance of the Night. A fight with Mitch Raposo in Canada in April 2026 was cancelled two days out when Raposo fell ill, and the pair met on 20 June 2026 in Las Vegas, where Raposo won a split decision. It was Nascimento's last fight. He finished with a professional record of 22 wins and 7 losses (2 by knockout, 15 by submission, 5 by decision) and a UFC record of 4 and 2.

Nascimento lived in São Paulo throughout his life and at the time of his death lived in the Morumbi district. He was married and had two children; their names have not been made public. He was a close friend and longtime training partner of Charles Oliveira, who said Nascimento had been beside him "in training, in the corners and in the hangouts". He also coached others: Rodrigo Silva, the younger son of television presenter Faustão, described him as a friend, brother, trainer, example and inspiration who had the gift of motivating anyone.

Nascimento often spoke about faith, patience and loyalty to his team. Reflecting on years of cancelled fights before he reached the UFC, he said: "Thankfully, I kept my faith, and today, I'm under contract with the UFC." He believed the delays had happened for the right reasons and that joining the UFC earlier might have led to only a brief stint. He was fiercely proud of Brazilian fighters, saying that Brazilians "never back down", and of Chute Boxe, saying his name always went along with the academy and that he brought "the Chute Boxe spirit" into the Octagon. After his win over Cody Durden he thanked Brazilian fans and wrote that every victory was for them.

Nascimento is remembered as a durable and exciting flyweight who spent a decade on the regional circuit and endured years of setbacks before reaching the UFC, then won four of his six fights there. Fifteen of his 22 professional wins came by submission, and he earned two UFC bonuses. Within Chute Boxe he was seen as an example of commitment, discipline and character. Charles Oliveira said the team now had "something even greater to fight for" and that Nascimento would be with them every time they stepped into the cage. Fighters including Ian Garry and Charles Johnson paid tribute to him at UFC 330 in August 2026.

Ultimate Fighting Championship: Performance of the Night, two times (vs. Carlos Hernandez, 14 January 2023, and vs. Cody Durden, 1 November 2025).

Gold Fight: Flyweight Championship, one time (won 29 October 2016).

Predador Fight Championship: Bantamweight Championship, one time (won 11 August 2012).

Nascimento appeared on Dana White's Contender Series Brazil in 2018, and his UFC fights were broadcast internationally. The UFC and UFC Brasil published Octagon interviews and featured athlete videos with him, and after his death UFC Brasil released a memorial video, "Em memória de Allan Nascimento (1991 - 2026)". He is credited on IMDb. His death was covered by ESPN, BBC Sport, Sky News, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, E! News, Entertainment Tonight and Brazilian outlets including ge and UOL.

On the morning of Monday 3 August 2026, Nascimento was found unresponsive in his home in the Morumbi district of São Paulo after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep. Despite the efforts of the responding medical team, he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 34, and had fought only six weeks earlier.

The UFC announced the news that day, saying its thoughts and deepest condolences were with his family, friends, teammates and loved ones. His wake was held on Wednesday 5 August 2026 at Cemitério Congonhas in São Paulo, attended by more than 200 people including Charles Oliveira, Mateus Bocão, Diego Lima, Rodrigo Minotauro, Jean Silva and Nágila Goku. At about 2pm Chute Boxe members carried his casket to the grave while mourners formed a corridor of applause and released white and blue balloons. No further medical findings on the cause of death have been made public beyond the apparent heart attack.