A Brazilian born German resident, Carlos Eduardo Rocha is a welterweight prospect and competitor of the UFC. The Dario Lira BTJJ product has honed his early skills on German soil, with the first nine fights of his career (including his UFC debut) occurring in the country. Of note, Rocha finished three opponents in an eight-man one-night tournament to capture La Onda Manto Cup in November 2009.

A grappler, Rocha began with judo before moving on to Brazilian “Traditional” Jiu Jitsu at the age of six, eventually earning his “BTJJ” black belt from Darcio Lira. Equipped with solid technical skills and a savvy met presence, Rocha shows diversity in his submission game in searching for armbars, leg locks and arm triangles. He’s extremely comfortable competing from any position on the mat, and does attempt to secure submissions from unconventional positions. Given that tendency, opponents stay alert on the defensive, keeping them at bay offensively. Particularly effective from the top, Rocha employs a variety of good guard passing techniques and transitions. Although Rocha isn’t recognized as a ground and pound fighter, he will attempt to use his punching to try and open up grappling opportunities on the mat. He’s good in the scramble and shows composure off his back although he will need to work on controlling his opponents’ posture from the bottom. Rocha will need to continue adding to his wrestling and takedowns, especially since he’s a grappler who prefers the top.

Rocha strikes with composure throwing good high and low kicks. He routinely throws a spinning back kick, shows the ability to take a punch and uses his striking to set up takedown attempts by shooting in. Although he won’t shy away from engaging, Rocha hasn’t shown much finishing ability with his standup early in his career. Defensively, Rocha appears very stationary and give his opponent opportunities on the feet. He’ll also need to work on expanding his striking arsenal as he has work to do if he wants to truly round out his game.