Hermes França

Hermes França
Hermes França
Born	Hermes França Barros; August 26, 1974 (age 52); Fortaleza, Brazil
Occupation	Mixed martial artist
Years active	2001–present (with hiatus)
Known for	Former WEC Lightweight Champion; UFC Lightweight contender

Hermes França Barros (; born August 26, 1974) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who has competed in organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Maximum Fighting Championship (MFC), and Israel FC. He is recognized as a former WEC Lightweight Champion and was a contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Early career

França began his professional MMA journey on November 17, 2001, earning a victory against future WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown. He quickly built an undefeated record of 6–0, finishing every opponent before the second round, which attracted attention from the UFC.

First UFC stint

Making his UFC debut at UFC 42, França secured a unanimous decision win over Richard Crunkilton. He followed this with another victory at UFC 44 against Caol Uno, but suffered a majority decision loss to Josh Thomson at UFC 46. This period became difficult as he endured three straight defeats, including losses to Yves Edwards at UFC and during Euphoria: USA vs. World in 2005.

Post-UFC release

In 2006, França revitalized his career by capturing the WEC Lightweight title from Gabe Ruediger and later winning the AFC Lightweight championship via knockout against Ryan Schultz. He continued his momentum with wins over Toby Imada and Brandon Olsen before making a return to the UFC at UFC 61. Stepping in for an injured Roger Huerta, França submitted Joe Jordan with a triangle choke in the third round.

Second UFC stint

In August 2006, França took a last-minute fight against Jamie Varner at UFC 62, winning by armbar submission. That same year, he defended his WEC Lightweight belt against Nathan Diaz at WEC 24, marking seven consecutive victories.

At UFC Fight Night 8, França earned a TKO win over Spencer Fisher, which led to a title challenge against Sean Sherk at UFC 73. He lost by unanimous decision and subsequently tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone. This resulted in a suspension lasting until July 2008 and a $2,500 fine.

Following these events, França parted ways with The Armory gym and provided coaching assistance to BJ Penn for his UFC lightweight title bouts in early 2008. After his suspension ended, he returned but was defeated by Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision at UFC 83. He then secured a win against Marcus Aurélio at UFC 90. França was scheduled to face Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 17 but pulled out due to an ACL tear.

He later fought Tyson Griffin at UFC 103, losing by TKO in the second round. Subsequently, he was released from the UFC along with veterans such as Chris Wilson, Marcus Aurélio, and Justin McCully.

Post-second UFC release

After suffering a defeat to Eric Wisely and experiencing four losses in five bouts, França announced his retirement through his manager Reed Wallace. However, he eventually returned to competition, overcoming an 0-3-1 streak in 2010 by achieving submission victories in February 2011 and two additional wins in April 2011 over Robert Washington and Josh Thorpe.

Xtreme Vale Todo 5 controversy

During the December 19, 2010 Xtreme Vale Todo 5 event held in Costa Rica, França was initially declared the winner by judges' decision against Ferrid Kheder. Although the announcer, judges, and referee all unanimously scored the fight in favor of França, promoter Lu Dwyer controversially reversed the outcome, awarding victory to Kheder instead. Another promoter raised Kheder’s hand after the referee declined to do so.

This situation raised concerns about conflicts of interest because Kheder was sponsored by Dwyer and her company J & L Irrigation, which supported "Team FK" by covering expenses and receiving a portion of fight earnings.

A few days later, Kheder announced via Facebook that Dwyer had altered the fight result to a "No Contest" and proposed scheduling a five-round rematch within the promotion.

Arrest, Contract Termination by MFC, and Incarceration

Following his victory at MFC 29, Franca seemed set to compete for the title at MFC 30. Nevertheless, in mid-May 2011, he surrendered to authorities facing multiple charges of sexual battery involving a minor at his training gym located in Clackamas, Oregon. Subsequently, on May 19, MFC president Mark Pavelich ended Franca's contract, citing both the arrest and violations related to competing outside the promotion.

Franca entered a guilty plea for attempted unlawful penetration and received a sentence of 42 months in state prison, along with a probation period lasting four and a half years. Additionally, he was mandated to enroll as a registered sex offender.

Comeback to Mixed Martial Arts

Following his arrest and deportation back to Brazil, Franca concluded a three-year hiatus from competition to face Marcio Breno at Extreme Fighter: Nordeste on August 28, 2014. He was defeated by knockout in the first round.

Personal Background

Franca and his spouse have one son. He experienced the loss of his father when he was 14 years old.

Mixed Martial Arts

World Extreme Cagefighting
- Held the WEC Lightweight Championship once; third fighter to do so
  - Successfully defended the title twice
- Shares the record for most consecutive successful Lightweight title defenses alongside Jamie Varner and Gabe Ruediger
- Also tied with Jamie Varner and Gabe Ruediger for total successful defenses in the Lightweight division
Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Awarded Fight of the Night honors three times
- Received Submission of the Night recognition once
- UFC.com Honors
  - 2006: Ranked #6 Submission of the Year according to UFC.com awards
HOOKnSHOOT
- Captured HnS Featherweight Championship once

Professional MMA Record

External links