Carlos Eduardo Rocha (born July 12, 1984), also known as Carlos Eduardo Rocha, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. Early life Born an orphan in Cabedelo, Brazil he worked as a dish washer, often sleeping outside, on the street, and on beaches. He started training in martial arts at the age of six and eventually he saved enough money to move to Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. In Fortaleza, he was taken in by Dárcio Lira, from whom he learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu and earned his black belt. He claims to have won around 50 regional tournaments in Brazil and Germany between 1996 and 2008 before turning to professional mixed martial arts. Before turning pro, he worked as a Jiu-Jitsu instructor and bouncer. He got his nickname "Tá Danado" (or "The Spaz") because of the herky-jerky way he moved around on the mat when working his jiu-jitsu. His coach would tell him 'Hey kid, stop being so agitated (danado), stay calm.' when he grappled. The term is meant to liken him to the cartoon character Taz. Mixed martial arts career In 2008 he traveled to Dresden as a cornerman of German MMA pioneer Andre Balschmieter for an 8-man tournament. When Balschmieter had to pull out due to injury Rocha elected to take his place. Because of numerous injuries, the tournament was dropped to four fighters, and after a quick submission victory over Johannes Kunz, Rocha found himself competing for the Free Fight Alliance (FFA) middleweight title in only his second professional fight. 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. He went on to gain La Onda's Manto Cup in an 8-man, one-night tournament in 2009 and was signed by the UFC soon afterward. Ultimate Fighting Championship Rocha made his official UFC debut November 13, 2010, at UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami. To motivate him, Rocha's manager told him he only had a one-fight contract, and he would need to win to stay in the UFC. He fought TUF 11 runner-up Kris McCray defeating him by kneebar at 2:21 of round 1. Rocha's next fight came only two months later, on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort against Jake Ellenberger. Rocha was a replacement for Jon Fitch after Fitch was moved to the UFC 127 main event