Mario Bautista, the UFC bantamweight who trains at The MMA Lab, has “Death Before Dishonor” across his chest and “Battle Born” split between his forearms. A colorful design sits on his right thigh. The photos show a mix of lettering and illustrations, with space between the larger pieces.

Death Before Dishonor on the chest

In a UFC 307 photo against Jose Aldo, Bautista’s chest faces the camera enough to read “Death Before Dishonor.” The words are written in decorative black script below the collarbones, with a sweeping line beneath them.
The phrase expresses a preference for honor over disgrace. The tattoo doesn’t establish a specific event or prove how Bautista would respond in every fight; it’s a motto, and his reason for choosing it hasn’t been explained here.

Battle Born across the forearms

At a weigh-in, Bautista crosses his arms so “Battle” on the right forearm and “Born” on the left read together. Both words are large, flowing script with extended strokes.
“Battle Born” is associated with Nevada, where Bautista comes from. The public connection is clear, though the photos don’t say when he got the tattoos or what else the phrase means to him.

A closer look at the Born lettering

A hotel training photo brings “Born” on Bautista’s left forearm close to the camera. His navy UFC shirt covers the chest, and his black gloves are up as he works a pad. The lettering remains clear without the crossed-arms pose.
Coverage has also mentioned a ram skull on the other forearm and the number 775 on an upper arm, but the selected images don’t show either clearly enough to confirm the details. For another fighter’s extensive tattoo coverage, see Alessio Sakara’s tattoos.

The colourful right-thigh tattoo

Against Patchy Mix at UFC 316, Bautista raises his right thigh and exposes part of a colorful tattoo. The visible section has a patterned border, colored details and an animal-like face. The shorts cover its upper edge, and the frame cuts off part of the lower design.
Some descriptions call the figure lion-like, but this crop doesn’t establish its exact identity or cultural source. It’s more pictorial than the black script on Bautista’s chest and arms.

Training at The MMA Lab

This pad-work photo shows Bautista training in a navy shirt at The MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona. His chest phrase is covered, while some forearm lettering remains visible.
The MMA Lab has been a long-standing part of Bautista’s career. UFC coverage has discussed his connection to the gym and its earlier fighters; the training setting adds context, not an explanation for his tattoos.

Work on the mats

In the wider hotel photo, Bautista works on the mats with a partner in a red shirt as another person warms up behind them. A small part of the thigh design shows below his shorts, but the distance makes it hard to examine.
The video below is Bautista’s UFC Las Vegas Octagon interview after a fight.

Vinicius Oliveira, known as LokDog, has “Força & Honra” across his chest, a skull on his throat and a patterned left sleeve. Separate designs sit on his right side, and more lettering and artwork appears on his legs. The photos show different parts of the collection; they don’t explain every personal meaning.

Força and Honra across the chest

At the UFC 303 weigh-in, Oliveira’s arms are spread and “Força & Honra” is visible below his collarbones. The Portuguese phrase means “strength and honour.” A winged cross and circular badge sit on his right upper chest; the badge has large RG letters and is reported as a Sombra Team MMA design. Smaller text around it is harder to read.
A separate, narrow cross sits near the center of his torso. A scale sign blocks the lower body in this photo, so the image is useful for the chest but not a full view.

The throat skull and torso artwork

A portrait after UFC 318 shows a large skull on the front of Oliveira’s throat. The same view reveals a bird-like design with spread feathers on the left abdomen and a smaller playing-card arrangement near the opposite waistband. A UAE emblem is visible on his right upper arm; reporting also mentions UAE Warriors and UFC promotion tattoos.
The face portrait at the top of the page shows separate hanging-glove shapes on the side of his neck. These are distinct from the frontal skull. The images establish the subjects and placements, but not a personal meaning for each one.

The patterned left-arm sleeve

Against Kyler Phillips at UFC 318, Oliveira’s left shoulder and arm face the camera. Curved bands, pointed shapes and repeated patterns run from the chest across the shoulder and down the sleeve, with open skin breaking up the darker areas.
Some descriptions call the style tribal or Polynesian-inspired, but the photos don’t establish a precise cultural origin. His glove covers the back of the hand in this view, so it doesn’t confirm any hand designs.

An earlier view of the chest and arm tattoos

In a March 2024 photo from Oliveira’s UFC debut against Benardo Sopaj, his chest lettering, right-side winged cross and patterned left arm are visible from a turned angle. It shows substantial coverage was already present at that point, but not when or how the tattoos were done.
For another fighter with extensive coverage, see Alessio Sakara’s tattoos. The comparison is about placement; the designs don’t imply a shared origin or meaning.

Leg lettering and lower-leg tattoos

Against Said Nurmagomedov, Oliveira’s legs show lettering above the knees and more artwork down the lower legs. The words aren’t clear enough to transcribe, and the bent pose and opponent partly block the designs.
A standing portrait gives a fuller sense of the coverage. Some reports mention Japanese-looking imagery on a calf, but the selected photos don’t clearly identify a shrine, character or story.

Life inside the Octagon

A wider fight photo shows Oliveira pursuing Sopaj near the fence. He earned his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023; their March 2024 debut fight ended with a flying-knee knockout. He later faced Ricky Simon and Said Nurmagomedov.
“LokDog” also appears on his mouthguard in the featured portrait. That printed text is equipment, not a tattoo. The action shots show the collection in use, but don’t settle the meaning of its symbols.

Fight-night introductions

The final photo shows Oliveira with his arms raised before facing Nurmagomedov in Riyadh. Bruce Buffer stands nearby with a microphone and card; blue arena light fills the scene. It’s an introduction photo, not a victory image.
The UFC Saudi Arabia interview below is a post-fight conversation, giving Oliveira’s voice alongside the tattoo photographs.

Rob Font has two distinct upper-arm tattoos: a cross with a banner on the right and a small figurative scene on the left. The chest between them is comparatively open. Photographs show the pieces from different angles, but don’t identify the people or exact words in the memorial details.

The cross and banner on the right upper arm

A photo against Cory Sandhagen in Nashville in August 2023 shows the cross on the outside of Font’s right upper arm, between shoulder and elbow. A banner crosses the design. Body Art Guru says its wording begins with “RIP,” but the photo doesn’t clearly show the smaller text or name the person being remembered.
The piece is compact, with open skin around it rather than a full sleeve.

The figurative tattoo on the left upper arm

Against Deiveson Figueiredo in Austin in December 2023, Font’s bent left arm brings a second design into view: a seated child-like figure beside what appears to be a grave marker. Body Art Guru describes it as a child beside a grave, but the photo doesn’t establish who the figure represents.
The small lettering beneath the marker isn’t clear enough to transcribe. The arm’s bend and a soft cage pattern in the foreground make this image better for the scene’s general shape than its finer details.

A different angle against Marlon Vera

During the April 2022 bout with Marlon Vera at the UFC APEX, Font reaches forward and turns part of his left upper arm away from the camera. The heavily tattooed back in the foreground belongs to Vera. This frame gives fight context, not a clean view of Font’s designs.
For a broader contrast in coverage, see Alessio Sakara’s tattoos; the comparison is about layout, not personal meaning.

Before the Seattle fight

Before facing Jean Matsumoto in Seattle in February 2025, Font raised both arms and pointed downward. The inner surfaces of his arms face the camera, while the outer upper arms where the tattoos sit turn away. It’s a pre-fight moment, not a result photo.
Font had originally prepared to face Dominick Cruz, who withdrew and was replaced by Matsumoto. The change is fight-week context; it doesn’t explain either tattoo.

The result in Seattle

After beating Matsumoto by split decision, Font was photographed with both arms raised and a water bottle in hand. The wide frame shows the cage and the people around him, but the tattoos aren’t turned toward the camera for detail.
The UFC Seattle interview below follows the win. It’s a conversation about the fight, not the memorial designs.

After the Yanez fight

This post-fight portrait follows Font’s April 2023 knockout of Adrian Yanez at UFC 287. He’s wearing a black jersey that covers his upper arms; the photo shows his face and the moment, not the tattoos.
Across the clearer views, the visible designs are a cross-and-banner piece on the right arm and a grave-marker scene on the left. The smaller inscription and personal dedications remain unconfirmed.

Julian Erosa, known as Juicy J, has a grinning face tattoo on the front of his left thigh, just above the knee. His chest and arms look comparatively open in these photos, so the black design is easy to miss beneath his shorts. Tattoo coverage has compared it with The Guy, Disturbed’s mascot, but Erosa hasn’t explained the reference.

The grinning face on the left thigh

The training photo shows the whole design: two uneven eyes above a broad grin with a grid of teeth. The features sit separately on the skin rather than inside a complete head outline. The tattoo is on the lower front of the thigh, where it can be covered when his shorts hang normally.
EssentiallySports describes it as resembling The Guy. That’s a reported comparison, not a confirmed account from Erosa or evidence of when he got it.

A partial view of the thigh tattoo in action

In an April 2023 fight with Fernando Padilla at the APEX, Erosa’s shorts reveal part of the same tattoo during an extended punch. The eyes and some of the grin are visible; the frame cuts off the rest. Padilla’s colored leg tattoo belongs to the other fighter.
The training photo shows the full mouth, while this one shows where the design appears in action.

The Elkins fight in Miami

At UFC 314 in April 2025, Erosa throws a knee against Darren Elkins. The lifted leg and gathered shorts hide the thigh tattoo. The visible shoulder artwork belongs to Elkins, not Erosa.
This image gives the fight setting, but the training photo is the useful view of Erosa’s ink.

After Ramos at the APEX

A portrait after Erosa’s March 2024 win over Ricardo Ramos shows him standing in a cap and fight shorts. His upper body is visible, but the shorts cover the thigh design. UFC’s report noted that Erosa and his wife had recently welcomed their son.
That family context doesn’t establish a connection to the tattoo; Erosa hasn’t given one here.

Against Dawodu at the fence

Against Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279 in September 2022, Erosa raises a knee near the fence. The camera catches the distance between the fighters, but his turned hips and shorts keep the thigh tattoo out of a clear view.
For a more extensively tattooed fighter, see Alessio Sakara’s tattoos; Erosa’s visible design sits apart from his relatively open upper body.

Career context

At a Rochester weigh-in in May 2019, Erosa flexes in front of the event backdrop. The frame ends before the thigh, so it can’t establish whether the tattoo was already there. It’s a pre-fight appearance, not a result photo.

After the Woodson fight

This close post-fight photo follows Erosa’s June 2020 submission win over Sean Woodson. His thigh is outside the useful part of the frame; the image adds an earlier moment in his career, not a view of the tattoo.
The clearest description remains the uneven eyes and wide, toothy grin. The UFC 314 Octagon interview below gives Erosa’s voice after his fight.

Darren Elkins wears “The Damage” across his chest, with a dragon-like design extending over his left shoulder and upper arm. The lettering is his UFC nickname; the photos show how the two pieces sit together without forming one continuous panel.

The Damage lettering across the chest

A photo after Elkins’ January 2018 win over Michael Johnson shows the two-line chest inscription. “The” sits above the larger “Damage,” written in rough-edged letters with short crosswise marks along some strokes.
The chest is the clearest location for his nickname. The image dates the visible design to January 2018, but doesn’t give the tattoo’s appointment date or artist.

A closer look at the chest tattoo

A closer photo after the April 2022 fight with Tristan Connelly shows the uneven edges and stitched-looking marks in the letters. Elkins’ UFC profile says “The Damage” came from his bruising easily and cutting quickly. He embraced the nickname with humor, rather than trying to hide it.

The dragon across the left chest and shoulder

During the October 2023 exchange with TJ Brown, Elkins is on the right in blue shorts. A dragon-like head sits high on his left chest beside the lettering, with dark shapes and a few red-toned areas continuing toward the shoulder.
The creature has a curved outline, pointed details and an open-looking jaw. Brown’s tattoos in the same frame belong to Brown. The 2018 photo already shows left-side artwork, so the 2023 image doesn’t establish when the dragon was added.

The dragon on the left upper arm

A grappling photo from the Brown fight reveals the curled part of the design on Elkins’ left upper arm. Dark, scale-like texture follows the arm, with a red area inside the curve. The pose brings this surface toward the camera and hides the chest words.
The images show the creature crossing the left chest, shoulder and upper arm, but don’t establish the order in which those areas were tattooed. For a different MMA layout, see Alessio Sakara’s tattoos.

The result against TJ Brown

The wider result photo places Elkins on the left, the referee in the middle and Brown on the right. The chest nickname and dark left-side piece are still visible, but the closer photos above are better for their details.
The MMA Fighting interview below was recorded at the July 2017 open workouts. Elkins talks about the Damage tattoo, his comeback against Mirsad Bektic and his work as a pipefitter.

Andre Fili, known as Touchy, has tattoos across his chest, neck, left arm and legs. A three-eyed face anchors the chest; a trident, other faces and bold color fill the surrounding space. His right leg carries more coverage than the left.

The central chest face

The central chest design is a dark face with three eyes and an extended red tongue, framed by gold-toned loops. EssentiallySports identifies the figure as Kali. The photo with Cub Swanson shows it centered beneath Fili’s collarbones, with the surrounding artwork continuing toward the abdomen.

The trident and surrounding chest artwork

A December 2023 photo against Lucas Almeida shows a gold-toned trident on Fili’s left chest, a second face on the opposite side and the central figure between them. The pieces aren’t symmetrical, but the central face gives the composition a visual anchor.
Almeida’s tattooed back belongs to the other fighter in the frame.

Neck ink and the full front view

A pre-fight photo at UFC 296 gives a steady front view. A broad black shape with red curved marks covers the front of Fili’s throat, and smaller ink continues around the sides of his neck. More faces and irregular outlines fill the abdomen below the chest piece.
The image shows the colors and placement, but doesn’t identify every figure or give a personal explanation for the religious-looking imagery.

The colourful left-arm sleeve

In the London photo against Nathaniel Wood, Fili’s left arm reaches toward his opponent. Green, red and dark areas cover the shoulder and upper arm, with little bare skin separating the shapes. The sleeve connects visually with the torso work near the shoulder.
The arm’s angle changes what faces the camera; the photo is useful for seeing how the color wraps around the limb.

The right-leg tattoos

Fili’s right leg has extensive coverage, with larger shapes on the thigh and denser details lower down. The shorts hide the upper edge. His other leg has a smaller green-toned, face-like patch near the lower leg, so the two sides don’t form a matching pair.

The leg tattoos in a kicking stance

Against Wood, Fili’s right leg stretches across the frame in a high kick. The thigh shows a rib-like shape and red-toned artwork; narrower lines continue toward the lower leg. This is another angle on the same leg, not a separate piece.
The supporting leg shows the green face-like patch against more open skin. Bent joints alter the shape of the tattoos, but the contrast between the two legs remains clear.

The collection in a raised-arm view

After the September 2022 bout with Bill Algeo, Fili raised his arms as the referee lifted his wrist. The wider photo shows the chest, abdomen, left arm and both legs together. It confirms that substantial torso and leg coverage was visible by then, though it doesn’t date individual pieces.

Career context

For another heavily tattooed fighter with a different layout, see Alessio Sakara tattoo guide. The comparison is about how large areas sit together, not who has more tattoos. Fili’s December 2023 UFC interview below follows his win over Almeida; it gives fight context, not a tattoo-by-tattoo explanation.

Terrance McKinney, known as T.Wrecks, has a dinosaur across his back, a cross and wings on his chest, and a helmeted figure on his left arm. More designs cover his forearm and legs. The photos show broad differences in scale and placement without explaining every tattoo’s personal meaning.

The cross and wings on his chest

A front-facing celebration photo shows a vertical cross centered between feathered wings across McKinney’s chest. A shaded, tiger-like face sits below it, with lettering farther down. EssentiallySports connects the cross and wings with his Christian faith; McKinney’s own reason for this arrangement isn’t given here.

The dinosaur back tattoo

A February 2025 fight with Damir Hadzovic in Riyadh shows the large, open-mouthed dinosaur on McKinney’s back. Broad lettering runs above the head. The image fills most of the central back, with shading narrowing toward the waist.
McKinney is on the left in red shorts. His raised knee leaves the design unobstructed, making this the clearest view of its size and shape. The dinosaur also fits his T.Wrecks nickname.

The back lettering in a turning view

A turning view from the May 2024 fight with Esteban Ribovics in St. Louis shows the lettering wrapping across McKinney’s upper back. The dinosaur sits below it. The words stay prominent at an angle, while perspective narrows one side of the design.
This is another view of the same back piece, not a separate tattoo.

The helmeted figure on his left arm

During the clinch with Brendon Marotte, a helmeted figure with a curved crest is visible high on McKinney’s left arm. Dark shading fills the center, with finer lines around it. The photo doesn’t identify a specific warrior or character.
Marotte’s feather-like arm tattoo belongs to the opponent, not McKinney.

The left forearm tattoos

A second photo shows loops, dark patches and face-like shapes continuing along McKinney’s left forearm, below the helmeted design. The bent arm turns the ink toward the camera. His glove covers the hand and wrist, so this view doesn’t confirm smaller hand or knuckle tattoos.

The thigh tattoos in a front view

In the Ribovics fight photo, rounded dark motifs sit on McKinney’s left thigh below the shorts, with narrower shapes continuing down. The fabric hides the upper edge, so the full boundary isn’t visible.
The exposed pieces are separated by bare skin rather than forming one uninterrupted mass.

The leg tattoos in a full-body view

An August 2023 photo against Mike Breeden shows both legs in a long striking stance. Ink appears on the calf and below the shorts on the other side. The wide frame gives a better sense of scale and open skin, though not every small design is clear.

Fight-night introductions

This smiling photo shows McKinney in a UFC tracksuit, with his chest and arms covered. It adds fight-night context rather than another view of his tattoos.
For a different fighter’s layout, see Alessio Sakara tattoo guide. The video below is McKinney’s UFC 317 Octagon interview after the fight; it gives a moving view, not a full tattoo explanation.

Ignacio Bahamondes, known as La Jaula, has most of his visible ink on his left arm. A grid surrounds a red heart-like design on the shoulder; an orange tiger and green dragon appear farther down. His right forearm has a separate black character.

The heart and cage on his shoulder

Against Christos Giagos, the black grid curves around the top of Bahamondes’ left shoulder, with a red heart-like design inside it. EssentiallySports describes the image as a heart in a cage, a clear visual link to his La Jaula nickname.
The open squares leave skin visible between the lines. The photo shows the placement and design, but doesn’t give a personal explanation or tattoo date.

The tiger on his left arm

An orange tiger face sits on the outer left arm below the shoulder. Its dark stripes and warmer color stand apart from the open grid above and the darker forearm work below.
The April 2024 photo shows Bahamondes on the right and the tattooed Giagos in the foreground. Giagos’ back ink belongs to the opponent.

The green dragon and yin-yang design

The inner side of the left arm shows a black-and-white yin-yang circle beside a curved green dragon with yellow and orange accents. A punching photo turns that surface toward the camera.
EssentiallySports compares the dragon to Shenron from Dragon Ball Z; the visible image is a green dragon, but the specific reference isn’t confirmed by Bahamondes.

The left sleeve with the arm extended

In an August 2023 fight with Ludovit Klein in Nashville, Bahamondes extends the tattooed arm. The outside view shows the tiger, shoulder grid and darker forearm designs as a connected stretch of coverage.
Some lower shapes look like portraits and there’s lettering near the arm, but the photo isn’t clear enough to identify the faces or read the words.

The sleeve in a kicking stance

At UFC 306 in September 2024, Bahamondes kicks Manuel Torres with his left arm held away from his body. The full-body shot shows the sleeve in proportion to his frame and how the shoulder pattern stops before the upper back.

The character on his right forearm

A training photo shows a bold black character on Bahamondes’ inner right forearm. It sits by itself, with open skin around it. The design is clear, but the photograph doesn’t confirm its language or meaning.
His sleeveless top exposes both arms, making the contrast with the dense left sleeve easy to see.

Training at Valle Flow Striking

UFC’s caption places this heavy-bag session at Valle Flow Striking in Chicago on January 20, 2024. Bahamondes wears red gloves beside the bag. The photo adds a training setting, not another close view of a tattoo.

Life inside the training room

In a group photo from the Las Vegas Performance Institute on March 5, 2025, Bahamondes sits at the far right in a grey top and blue leggings. Belal Muhammad stands at left, with Yair Rodriguez seated nearby.
For a different approach to arm and torso coverage, see Alessio Sakara tattoo guide. The video below is Bahamondes’ UFC 313 interview after his bout with Jalin Turner; it shows the sleeve in motion, but isn’t a tattoo breakdown.

Charles Jourdain, known as Air Jourdain, has a large skull across his back, different designs on his chest, shaded work on his left arm and newer ink on his neck. He has discussed warrior imagery in his collection; the photos show the shapes and placement, while his comments provide context for some of the meaning.

The neck tattoo from the side

A side photo before Jourdain’s April 2026 fight with Kyler Phillips in Winnipeg shows dark faces and flowing lines beside his beard. EssentiallySports identifies the throat piece as Odin and reports Jourdain connecting the god’s sacrifice for knowledge with the physical cost of fighting. He has also said he wants figures from different warrior eras, including a samurai.
The image shows the placement beside his jaw and shoulder, though his beard and lowered head cover parts of the tattoo.

The skull covering his back

A back portrait shows a large skull with dark eye sockets, teeth and cracks across its forehead. An hourglass-shaped detail sits inside an oval above it, with lines stretching toward the shoulders. The image covers much of Jourdain’s back and narrows toward the waist.
The skull and hourglass invite familiar associations with time and death, but the photos don’t establish Jourdain’s personal interpretation.

The moon and creature on his chest

A November 2024 photo against Victor Henry shows two different chest designs: a round moon-and-paw motif on one side and a long-snouted creature on the other. Jourdain is on the left; Henry’s tattooed back is in the foreground.
Two lines of non-Latin writing sit lower on the torso, but the moving photo doesn’t support a reliable translation. The chest pieces have different shapes and remain distinct, with open skin around them.

The shaded faces and writing on his left arm

In a December 2019 fight with Dooho Choi in Busan, Jourdain’s bent left arm shows shaded face-like images above several rows of writing. The figures have heavy dark patches, while the script runs in more orderly lines along the forearm.
This dated view shows substantial left-arm coverage was already present in 2019. The writing wraps around curved skin and is partly hidden, so the full text and identities of the shaded faces aren’t clear enough to state.

The thigh tattoos in a raised-knee view

Against Davey Grant in Vancouver in October 2025, Jourdain raises a knee and exposes both thighs. One has a larger black-and-gray design with curved outlines; the other carries a red, angular shape. The shorts cover their upper edges.
The photo shows their different colors and scale, but not complete outlines beneath the fabric or confirmed meanings.

Life inside the Octagon

Jourdain’s photographs span from the 2019 Busan fight to the 2026 Winnipeg bout. Changes in pose and camera angle explain some differences in visibility. For another fighter with broad coverage, see Alessio Sakara tattoo guide.
The Edmonton interview below shows Jourdain with Daniel Cormier after his 2024 fight with Victor Henry. It’s a fight conversation, not a full explanation of his tattoos.

After his June 2025 loss to Nazim Sadykhov in Baku, Nikolas Motta got a large gladiator scene across his chest. The black-and-gray tattoo shows a Roman arena, helmet and lion-decorated shield. Motta described it as a reminder of resilience and commitment, not a marker of a win.

The gladiator chest tattoo

The design spans both pectorals. In the angled artist photo, the arena fills Motta’s right chest, while the helmet sits high on the left and the shield rests closer to the center. Dark shading ties the pieces together without boxing them into a single frame.

The arena is drawn at an angle, with stacked arches and a broken-looking upper edge. That view gives the building a curve; shadows deepen inside the arches and lighter marks pick out the stonework. The helmet’s broad outline and dark face plate make it the main focal point near the shoulder.

The chest tattoo up close

A frontal close-up shows round openings in the helmet’s face plate, a seam down the middle and lighter marks that suggest worn metal. The shield carries a lion’s head, a curling shape beneath it, a geometric rim and small fastener-like dots. A strap with a visible buckle crosses the left pectoral below the helmet.

The closer view also shows fine marks in the arena that suggest masonry, with several upper sections appearing broken away. Black-and-gray shading keeps the arches, helmet and shield distinct. Motta’s right-arm sleeve appears at the edge of the artist photos: broad shaded forms and pale, radiating shapes near the elbow. The interview about his chest tattoo gives no explanation for that sleeve, so its designs and meaning are unclear.

In a July 2025 MMA Fighting report, tattoo artist Italo Nanais identified the figure as a Murmillo gladiator. Nanais said the commission brought together physical struggle, mental strength and emotional endurance. Motta said he wanted a lasting reminder of the mindset he took from the Sadykhov loss. The report puts the tattooing at about 16 hours. For another fighter’s extensive coverage, see Alessio Sakara’s tattoos.

Career context: earning a UFC contract

A November 2020 Contender Series photo shows Motta on the right in gray trunks, kicking Joe Lowry. The chest scene came later. Before earning his UFC contract through Contender Series, Motta had also appeared on The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4.

In a September 2022 UFC interview, he spoke about leaving home to train and spending long stretches away from family and friends. That’s part of his career story, but it doesn’t explain every tattoo.

Life inside the Octagon

In this September 2022 fight photo, Motta throws a punch at Cameron VanCamp. Motta is on the left in gray-and-white shorts with red wrist tape; the extensive tattoos on the right belong to VanCamp. The earlier cage images also show how much less crowded Motta’s chest looked before the gladiator piece.

Motta has said he enjoys the physical contest and wants to entertain, while also working to make smarter decisions in the cage. The comments sit alongside the action photo without turning it into a story about the chest tattoo.

Life inside the training room

A January 2024 warm-up photo shows Motta kicking a trainer’s Fairtex pad before a fight at the UFC APEX. The gym floor and cage in the background make this a different kind of view from the still artist portraits, and the date places it before the gladiator tattoo.

In a November 2024 interview, Motta discussed training in Thailand for a fight with Maheshate in Macau, working with the Hickman brothers and living in Las Vegas while training at Xtreme Couture.

Career context: fight-night introductions

A February 2022 weigh-in photo shows Motta with his right hand raised and his upper chest still mostly clear. Along with the 2020 and January 2024 images, it helps place the gladiator work later in his career.

The UFC interview below followed Motta’s January 2024 finish of Tom Nolan, before he got the chest tattoo. It offers an earlier view of him talking after a fight.