It appears that Antonio Carlos Junior will be cast in the upcoming season of Big Brother Brazil.
The two-time BJJ world champion used to compete in the UFC. He got a UFC contract by winning TUF Brazil 3’s heavyweight category. Carlos Junior was a part of Team Wanderlei, competing against the fighters on Team Sonnen.
After a three-fight losing streak, Carlos Junior was released from the UFC back in 2021. He joined the PFL and ever since then, he’s been undefeated. He also won the 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament.
According to TV Globo, the official broadcast partner of Big Brother Brazil, the BJJ blackbelt will be a contestant on its 23rd season.
TV Globo shared a teaser video on their official Twitter account. It shows the 2021 PFL light heavyweight champion talking about his casting:
“I’m completely out of my comfort zone. I think my opponents will see me as someone strong. Fighting represents that. There’s this stereotype about fighters being angry, aggressive guys. I’m the complete opposite of that.”
Carlos Junior, 32, will be staying in the Big Brother house for 100 days (if he doesn’t get eliminated sooner). He’ll be competing for a cash prize of 2 million Brazilian Reals, or $390k. His ‘opponents’ will be a mix of regular joes and some other celebrities.
Big Brother is the longest-running reality show in Brazil as it has been on TV for almost two decades now.
But he’s not the first fighter to be a contestant on the show. In fact, former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate competed on Celebrity Big Brother, a spinoff of the show. The MMA legend won the season and the $250k prize.
Another famous fighter who has appeared on Big Brother is the controversial social media star, Andrew Tate. The former kickboxing world champion was a cast member on the British version of the show in 2016.