Born an orphan in Cabedelo, Brazil he worked as a dish washer, often sleeping outside, on the street, and on beaches.
[1] He started training in martial arts at the age of six and eventually he saved enough money to move to Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
He claims to have won around 50 regional tournaments in Brazil and Germany between 1996 and 2008 before turning to professional mixed martial arts.
Rocha won the fight by submission, over the far more experienced Steve Mensing, to become FFA Middleweight Champion and was quickly pegged as a rising star in the German MMA circuit.
After his fight with Ellenberger, Rocha hoped to compete at UFC 134 in Rio pending the results of shoulder[5] and elbow surgery.
After recovering from surgery he moved to the US and started training with team Black House in Los Angeles, California.
However, it was later announced that the judge, Ric Bays, had scored the fight for the wrong corner and that Pierce had actually won unanimously.