Jose Delano makes his UFC debut Saturday night against former KSW champion Robert Ruchala at UFC Vegas 115 inside the Meta APEX, and that wouldn’t be possible without the Brazilian army.
Delano grew up in Recife and fell in love with martial arts early. His first experience as a professional MMA fighter wasn’t all that great, collecting victories but tasting defeats in matches that are so “underground” they are not registered on his official MMA record. In 2016, he decided to join the cavalry-mechanized infantry to find a better path for his life.
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“I was lost, I didn’t know the word of God,” Delano told MMA Fighting, “and I started shaping my life according to the army. You get into that military world and forget there’s a life outside of it. I had given up on my dream of fighting, I wanted a military career. It wasn’t exactly a dream, but I wanted stability, something MMA couldn’t give me, and the Lord changed my whole life. I was one of the best soldiers there, had the highest grades in everything I did, but God really didn’t want me to stay.”
Delano was inactive for years as a professional athlete after joining the army, and opted to go back to college and seek a career in physical education. He had a click in his head when his uncle Eduardo asked why he was wasting his potential away from MMA, a sport he clearly loved a lot more than physical education.
It all made sense, and Delano decided to chase a victory in his return to the sport before moving to Rio de Janeiro to try and join a bigger team. With an official record of 2-2 — not to mention previous “underground” bouts —, Delano tapped out Leandro Lopes in November of 2017 and three months later flew to Rio de Janeiro to train under former UFC champion Murilo Bustamante at Brazilian Top Team.
Delano, a young man who competed all the way up to welterweight in underground fights agreed “on the spot,” quickly became a hot featherweight prospect and LFA champion. The road to the UFC was long, but he eventually made it by beating Manuel Exposito via decision on Dana White’s Contender Series.
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“It was a year of preparation, lighting that fire back and truly dream about MMA as a career, and now I’m in the UFC,” Delano said. “Thanks to the Lord Jesus. He took me out of the army and said, ‘Son, that was very good to shape who you are, but that was a phase. That’s not what I want for your life. I want you to go around world and speak my word.’ I’m in the UFC for that today, to preach the word of the Lord Jesus.”
Delano had the chance to attend many UFC events in Rio de Janeiro before, being offered free tickets for the UFC 301 show in 2024 with Alexandre Pantoja and Jose Aldo at the top of the lineup, but turned it down. The first time he walked into an arena to watch a UFC event was October 2025, watching Charles Oliveira submit Mateusz Gamrot.
“I had the chance to go to UFC [301], when [Jose] Aldo fought,” Delano said, “but I said, ‘Man, I’m not going to watch the UFC live until I’m a UFC fighter.’ And look what’s happening now. I was going crazy. There was a moment when we might have been able to get into the octagon, but I said I’d only step in there when it was for real.”
The BTT product said he’s “more relaxed” not than prior to his DWCS appearance because he’s already “proven who I am” to company and fans, but understands “the stage is much bigger” now.
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“I fight for love and I’ll deliver the same show I’ve always delivered in every fight,” said Delano, expecting a “tough as hell” fight versus Ruchala on April 4. “There are no easy fights now. He’s very good on the feet and also very good in the grappling area. It’s going to be an awesome fight, man. If he wants to stand and trade with me, it’ll be me and him throwing down for three rounds. He doesn’t goes down easily, and neither am I, so it’s going to be a great show for you guys. We’ll probably come out a bit busted up, I think, but it’ll be three rounds of pure excitement for you.”
