Benardo Sopaj Tattoos: Meaning Behind UFC Star’s Chest & Other Inks

Tattoos play a big role in the aesthetics of an MMA fighter. They’re a form of self-expression, etched onto the skins of fighters. For Cub Swanson, his tattoos show his grueling journey from Palm Springs to the UFC. For Viviane Araujo, her tattoos showcase her connection to Brazil and her role as a protector. As for Benardo Sopaj aka ‘The Lion King’, his tattoos speak about his self-confidence.

Sopaj is new to the UFC, and his tattoos show his sense of determination and tenacity. In that light, let’s take a close look at the 11-3 bantamweight prospect’s tattoos, and see how they shape his personality and journey as a fighter.

Benardo Sopaj’s chest tattoo: Eye and lion

“I’m my hero,” said the 24-year-old while speaking to the UFC. Perhaps this is one of the reasons he has a huge lion tattoo on the left side of his chest. The right side of his chest is adorned with a hyper-realistic tattoo of an eye with teardrops falling from it.

It is pretty easy to guess why he has the lion tattoo. His fight moniker is ‘The Lion King’ reflecting his aspirations of someday being the king of his division. Hence, this tattoo fits perfectly with his persona.

The eye on his right chest could be a reflection of his focus as a fighter, with the tears reflecting the struggles of the journey itself. It’s quite an incredible feat that Sopaj started training when he was 15, and turned pro the very next year in 2016, amassing a record of 11-3 by age 24. He spoke to UFC about his roots and said, “I started training at 15 years old. In the beginning, I started for fun.” Despite suffering his only KO loss in his promotional debut, his journey to the UFC is truly a feat very few can achieve.

But his chest tattoos are not the only ones the fighter adorns. What other tattoos does the 24-year-old Albanian fighter adorn? Let’s take a closer look.

Other tattoos on Benardo Sopaj 

Let’s list up what tattoos he has —On his chest, he has a tattoo of an eye tattoo and one of a lion. Other than that, the word ‘Self’ is tattooed on right his shoulder blade, and ‘Made’ on his left shoulder blade. Through these tattoos, Benardo Sopaj proudly declares that he is ‘self-made’. Apart from that, his left bicep has a tiger tattoo. The left arm has a long-sleeve tattoo (the details are not known). The number 9008 is tattooed on Sopaj’s lower belly. He also has a large angel tattooed on his lower ribcage with some quotes that are not legible from his social media pictures.

Sopaj also has a tattoo in one of the most painful places in the body that one can get a tattoo – on the back of his ear on his neck. It’s a beautiful tattoo of a bird with a red triangle in the background encapsulating the bird.

The Albanian fighter is not shy about his tattoo, nor does he refrain from expressing exactly how hard he worked to get where he is. His bio on Instagram shows a snippet of his mindset, as well, reading, “There’s no talent here, this is hard work and obsession.” Do you think this obsession is going to have him win at UFC 311?  Let us know in the comments below.