From the child of the mats to the man in the Octagon, Raoni Barcelo’s life has been a rollercoaster ride for him, “I was born on the mat, actually, getting jiu-jitsu through my master father Laerte Barcelos.” Years of struggle led him to fight under the UFC banner, amassing a 7-4 promotional record. However, as important as his fighting career is, his family is equally important to him as well.

Despite having a demanding career, Barcelos is a family man who spends time with his family. Ahead of his clash against the bantamweight phenom Payton Talbott, let’s have a closer look at his personal life.

Raoni Barcelos’ wife and kids

With a career record of 18 victories and only five defeats, Barcelos is one of the best bantamweight fighters under the Dana White-led promotion. His career has been a rollercoaster, marked by both defeats and successes and throughout it all, his family has been a strong support system. The fighter has been married to Rauane Martins since 2019.

Last year, the Brazilian fighter celebrated his 5th marriage anniversary with his wife. He uploaded a photo from their wedding and captioned it as: “Today we celebrate 5 years of marriage How time flies, it seems like yesterday that rush, hustle and anxiety to see everything the way we plan for the most special day of our lives. I just have to thank God and the Orixas for the beautiful family, for my son who was the greatest gift we won and your love. Thank you to this wonderful woman that you are, companion, partner, friend.”

Not many details are available about their love life, but the couple was blessed with a son in 2022, and his name is Rayan. The couple recently celebrated Rayan’s birthday on December 9th last year. Well, now that we know about his family, let’s have a look at his background and extended family.

Raoni Barcelos’ family and background

Raoni Barcelos was born on May 1, 1985, in the vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The fighter comes from a family that practices martial arts. His father and coach Laerte Barcelos, who was a national freestyle wrestling champion, is a 7th-degree BJJ Coral Belt who was trained under the guidance of legendary figures like Osvaldo Fadda and Osvaldo Alves. According to Barcelos, he was motivated to pursue a career in MMA by Glover Texeira, “I was encouraged to fight MMA by the athletes Glover Teixeira and Pedro Rizzo.”

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Barcelo’s journey on the circuit of competitions began when he was just 17 years old. He made his competition debut at the Mundial in 2002, competing as a junior blue belt. Fast forward to today, the fighter has breached many milestones in his MMA career. His upcoming battle at UFC 311 will set the stage for the rest of his UFC career. Regardless, what’s your take on the fighter? State your thoughts in the comments below.