The lightweight division in the UFC is perhaps the most stacked division in all of MMA, consisting of the world’s best 155ers on the planet. So, while talking about the top 15 fighters, we often forget about the other up-and-coming fighters. After all, some of them have shown a lot of promise. Similarly, Brazilian lightweight Elves Brener has also made quite the impression in Dana White‘s promotion, as he returns to action this weekend.

Elves Brener burst onto the scene with three straight wins, two of which were knockouts. 2023 was his year, but 2024 is a year he’d like to forget, given that he lost both of his matches. Now, on a 2-fight losing skid, Brener will hope to avoid another defeat, as he butts heads with Esteban Ribovics at UFC Vegas 108. But before we get to that fight, let’s get to know the Brazilian lightweight on a personal note, starting with the details of his roots and origins.

Elves Brener Brazilian? Ethnicity and nationality

Although Elves Brener fights out of São Paulo, his birthplace is actually Maues, Amazonas. As you may have realized, the 27-year-old is Brazilian by nationality. But when it comes to his ethnicity, it’s a bit tricky. While we can summarize that Brener is of Brazilian ethnicity, if we take a look deeper, the lightweight fighter is a native of the Amazon region, which makes him a representative of the diverse communities in the northern part of South America’s largest nation.

Now, let’s talk about another aspect of Elves Brener’s personal life, his religion. According to certain sources and his social media handles, the 27-year-old appears to be a devout Christian, pretty much like the majority of the population in Brazil. Brener has spoken about his faith in God during interviews and even in several social media posts. In an Instagram post, the 16-5 fighter wrote, “Thank you for sustaining me until now, father in heaven,” after his second win in the UFC.

We’ve heard stories of many Brazilian fighters, some of them being very inspirational. But given that Elves Brener is a relative newcomer and an unranked fighter, most fans may not know his story, so let us take a look at his life growing up.

More about Elves Brener’s early life and background

Much like some of the other Brazilian fighters, Elves Brener also started his martial arts journey at a very young age, with a strong background in jiu-jitsu. As such, the 27-year-old is a black belt, but his striking is not that bad either. Although he’s a master of the ground game, with 11 submission wins to his name, Brener also has 3 knockout wins. Slowly but surely, he’s showing his potential to become a complete fighter.

Elves Brener made his way just like any other fighter, gaining tons of experience on the regional scene before making it to the UFC. He was 13-3 before signing with Dana White’s promotion. Now, the lightweight fighter may just be a couple of fights away from finding himself in the rankings, but to get there, he needs to get back in the winning column.

Elves Brener is a Chute Boxe fighter and has world-class teammates, including former champion Charles Oliveira, to support him along the way. He’s only 27 years old and still has a lot of time to improve and get better at his craft. It will be interesting to see if he can avoid another loss this weekend and start making his climb in the division. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.