Rafael Correa
"Gordinho / Baraka"
Wins on the mat — every scramble is a trap.
Fight Plan: Rafael Correa
A coach-ready game plan — historical weaknesses opponents have exploited and what to drill in camp.
- High susceptibility to guillotine chokes when initiating takedowns
- Lack of 'Plan B' when unable to secure a submission early and into the second round
- High-pace pressure in rounds 2–3 to drain output
- Set traps for the overhand — chin has been tested
- Stack southpaw sparring partners in camp
- Underhook battles and posture work off the back
Fighter fingerprint
Six-axis profile — the shape tells you the style at a glance.
Finishing and Fight IQ are the standout edges; opponents should expect their game plan to lean on these.
- Aggression70
- Cardio65
- Wrestling60
- Fight IQ75
- Distance Control66
- Finishing100
Prep for camp: Rafael Correa
Recommendations a coach can act on tomorrow — opponent tendencies, drills, and the sparring styles to stack against this fight.
- Aggressively pursues submissions, specifically looking for neck attacks and back takes
- Utilizes a high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu foundation to dictate terms on the ground
- Shows a 'finish or be finished' mentality with zero career decisions in 16 pro fights
- Force a high-pace round 1 — break the gas tank early
- Set the overhand trap — chin has cracked under clean shots
- Posture and frame drills off bottom — never give up the back
- Southpaw pressure striker
- Black-belt grappler comfortable on bottom
- Switch-stance technician to simulate game-plan changes
See it on film
Every read above should be verifiable. Jump straight to the footage on the platforms that host it legally — official channels first, archive sites second.
Clinch work, level changes, control time
Last 3 performances, full rounds and post-fight breakdowns
Coaches: official clip embeds per fighter are coming next — for now, deep links open searches pre-filtered to Rafael Correa.
How Rafael has changed
Trend lines across the last three years of tape.
Synthesized from recent fight tape · refresh to recompute
Stylistic neighbors
Closest matches across attributes, finish profile, and discipline — useful for sparring partner selection.
Status / Injuries
No recent injuries reported; however, listed as inactive in MMA since 2017.
Checked 6/21/2026
Recent Form
- L2017-10-21vs Bruno RoversoSubmission (Guillotine Choke) · R2 · Arzalet Fighting 2
Availability
Ineligible for regional rankings due to long-term inactivity from professional MMA.
Attribute Profile
Scouting Summary
Rafael Correa is a high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist and black belt world champion known for his 'Gordinho' lineage. In MMA, he is a pure finisher who has never gone to a judges' scorecard, though he has struggled with submission defense against fellow high-level grapplers in recent outings.
Primary source ↗Tendencies
- Aggressively pursues submissions, specifically looking for neck attacks and back takes
- Utilizes a high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu foundation to dictate terms on the ground
- Shows a 'finish or be finished' mentality with zero career decisions in 16 pro fights
- Relies on technical grappling transitions rather than output-heavy striking
Signature Moves
- Rear-Naked Choke
- Armbar
- Half-guard sweeps
- Guillotine defense/counters
Weaknesses
- High susceptibility to guillotine chokes when initiating takedowns
- Lack of 'Plan B' when unable to secure a submission early and into the second round