A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Carlson Gracie and a founding member of Brazilian Top Team, Bustamante was the second middleweight titleholder in Ultimate Fighting Championship history and reached the final of the 2005 Pride Fighting Championships middleweight grand prix. Bustamante was an active competitor from September 1991 to March 2012, compiling a 15-8-1 record across 24 professional fights. He last appeared at Amazon Forest Combat 2 on March 31, 2012, when he took a three-round unanimous decision from Dave Menne in a rematch with the former UFC middleweight champion.
As Bustamante’s exploits drift further and further into the past, a look at some of the numbers that accompanied his during his journey:
55: Years of age for Bustamante, who was born on July 30, 1966 in Rio de Janeiro.
11: Bustamante victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, accounting for 73% of his career total (15). His list of victims included the aforementioned Menne, 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland and UFC 12 tournament winner Jerry Bohlander. Bustamante owns four other victories by decision.
61: Seconds needed for Bustamante to force a corner stoppage against Chris Haseman at a Martial Arts Reality Superfighting show on Nov. 22, 1996. Having occurred in his third professional appearance, it was the fastest finish of his 24-fight career.
4: Countries in which Bustamante competed as a mixed martial artist. He went 7-6 in Japan, 4-1-1 in the United States, 4-0 in Brazil and 0-1 in Australia.
267: Days spent by Bustamante as UFC middleweight champion. He laid claim to the 185-pound crown with a second-round technical knockout of Menne at UFC 35 on Jan. 11, 2002, made one successful defense with a third-round submission of Lindland at UFC 37 four months later and then vacated the title to sign with Pride Fighting Championships.
1: Stalemate on the Bustamante resume. He fought to a 40-minute draw with two-time NCAA All-American Tom Erikson under the MARS banner in 1996.
13: Calendar years in which Bustamante competed at least once. He went 1-0 in 1991, 3-0-1 in 1996, 1-0 in 1997, 2-0 in 2000, 0-1 in 2001, 2-0 in 2002, 0-2 in 2003, 0-1 in 2004, 3-1 in 2005, 1-1 in 2006, 1-1 in 2007, 0-1 in 2010 and 1-0 in 2012.
29: Rounds completed by Bustamante under mixed martial arts rules. He went the distance on 11 different occasions, putting together a 4-6-1 record in those bouts.
11: Promotions in which Bustamante plied his trade in MMA. He went 4-5 in Pride, 3-1 in the UFC, 2-0-1 in MARS, 1-0 in Desafio, 1-0 in Universal Vale Tudo Fighting, 1-0 in Pentagon Combat, 1-0 in Pancrase, 1-0 in Deep, 1-0 in Amazon Forest Combat, 0-1 in Yarennoka and 0-1 in Impact Fighting Championship.
.689: Cumulative winning percentage between the seven men—Dan Henderson (twice), Chuck Liddell, Quinton Jackson, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Amar Suloev, Makoto Takimoto and Jesse Taylor—who defeated Bustamante. They boast a combined record of 175-79.