Ariel Machado, is a Brazilian kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He is the K-1 World Grand Prix 2024 Final Champion, and the reigning K-1 World Heavyweight Champion.
Combat Press ranked him as a top ten light heavyweight kickboxer in the world between November 2021 and June 2022, with Machado peaking at #7.
Machado participated in the WGP Kickboxing 26 tournament, facing Junior Alpha in the semifinals. Machado lost the fight by decision. In his next appearance with WGP Kickboxing, he faced Maycon Silva. Machado won the fight by decision.
He took part in the 2016 Glory Light Heavyweight tournament. In the semifinals, he defeated Pavel Zhuravlev by a unanimous decision. He lost the final bout to Zinedine Hameur-Lain by a second round KO.
Machado next fought in the 2016 Glory Middleweight Contender tournament. He lost the very first bout to Yousri Belgaroui by decision.
Machado was scheduled to fight in the 2017 Glory Light Heavyweight Contender tournament. He won a unanimous decision against Danyo Ilunga in the semi-finals. In the tournament final, he fought a rematch with Zinedine Hameur-Lain, and won by TKO in the first round.
Briefly fighting outside of Glory, Machado was scheduled to face Lucas Alsina during WGP Kickboxing 38. Machado won the bout in the third round, knocking Alsina out with a flying knee.
He fought for the Glory Light Heavyweight title during , held at the time by Artem Vakhitov. Vakhitov successfully defended the title, winning by unanimous decision.
His next two fights were outside of Glory, which he won by a split decision against Haime Morais during WGP KB 47, and by KO against Marcelo Nuñez during WGP KB 57.
Machado was scheduled to fight Michael Duut during Glory Collision 2. Machado won by unanimous decision.
Machado took part in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2024 Final on December 14, 2024. In the quarterfinals he knocked out Rhys Brudenell in the first round with a hook. In the semifinals he stopped Errol Zimmerman by second round technical knckout with low kicks. In the final he knocked out Feng Rui with a left hook 2 minutes and 55 seconds into the first round.
Machado faced Rio Richardson at K-1 Dontaku on July 13, 2025. He won the fight by a first-round technical knockout.
On April 20, 2019, it was announced that Machado failed a drug test prior to in 2017. He was suspended for 20 months following a positive test for banned substances at the event, where he challenged reigning champion Artem Vakhitov.
Awards
|- style="text-align:center; background:#" | 2026-04-11|| ||align=left| Claudio Istrate || K-1 Genki 2026 || Tokyo, Japan || || || |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 |
|- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc" | 2025-11-15|| Win ||align=left| Roel Mannaart || K-1 World MAX 2025 - 70kg World Championship Tournament Final || Tokyo, Japan || TKO (Punches)|| 1||3:00 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" | 2025-07-13 || Win || align=left| Rio Richardson || K-1 Dontaku || Fukuoka, Japan || TKO (3 Knockdowns/low kicks) || 1||2:58 |- style="background:#cfc" | 2024-12-14 || Win||align=left| Feng Rui || K-1 World Grand Prix 2024 Final, Final|| Tokyo, Japan || KO (Left hook) || 1 || 2:55 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#cfc" | 2024-12-14 ||Win ||align=left| Errol Zimmerman || K-1 World Grand Prix 2024 Final, Semifinals|| Tokyo, Japan || TKO (2 Knockdowns/low kicks) || 2 || 2:33
|- style="background:#cfc" | 2024-12-14 || Win ||align=left| Rhys Brudenell || K-1 World Grand Prix 2024 Final, Quarterfinals|| Tokyo, Japan || KO (Right hook) || 1 ||2:35
|- style="background:#cfc" | 2024-08-24 || Win||align=left| Jhonny Klever || K-1 World GP 2024 in BrasÃÂlia, Final|| BrasÃÂlia, Brazil || TKO (Low kicks) || 3 || 1:40 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#cfc" | 2024-08-24 || Win ||align=left| Guto Inocente|| K-1 World GP 2024 in BrasÃÂlia, Semifinals || BrasÃÂlia, Brazil || Decision (Unanimous) ||3 ||3:00
|- style="background:#cfc" | 2024-08-24 || Win ||align=left| Abner Ferreira || K-1 World GP 2024 in BrasÃÂlia, Quarterfinals || BrasÃÂlia, Brazil || TKO (2 Knockdowns/low kick) || 2 || 1:40
|- style="background:#cfc" | 2024-07-06 || Win||align=left| Giannis Stoforidis || SENSHI 22 || Varna, Bulgaria || TKO (Punches) || 2 || 1:29 |- style="background:#fbb;" | 2024-02-03|| Loss||align=left| Arseniy Smirnov || RCC Fair Fight 26|| Yekaterinburg, Russia || Decision (Unanimous) ||3 ||3:00 |- style="background:#fbb" | 2023-09-10|| Loss ||align=left| Liu Ce || World Grand Prix Semifinals || Yokohama, Japan || KO (Low kick) || 2 || 1:57 |- style="background:#cfc" | 2023-09-10|| Win ||align=left| Michaà  Turyà Âski || World Grand Prix Quarterfinals || Yokohama, Japan || Ext.R Decision (Unanimous) || 4||3:00 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2023-06-17 || Win ||align=left| Lucas Paredes || WGP Kickboxing #70 || Curitiba, Brazil || Decision (Unanimous) ||5 ||3:00 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#fbb" | 2023-03-25|| Loss ||align=left| Valeriy Bizyaev || Ural FC 2 || Samara, Russia || KO (Punches) || 2 || 2:45 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- style="background:#fbb" | 2023-02-02|| Loss ||align=left| Beybulat Isaev || Muaythai Factory || Kemerovo, Russia || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 ||3:00 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2022-11-04 || Win||align=left| Lucas Monteiro || WGP Kickboxing #67 || Curitiba, Brazil || TKO (Low kicks) || 2 || |- bgcolor="#fbb" | 2022-07-15|| Loss||align=left| Nikita Kozlov || RCC Fair Fight 18 || Yekaterinburg, Russia || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2019-12-21|| Win||align=left| Michael Duut || Glory Collision 2 || Arnhem, Netherlands || Decision (Unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2019-09-13|| Win||align=left| Marcelo Nuñez || WGP Kickboxing #57 || Curitiba, Brazil || KO (Right Hook) || 1 || 1:18 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2018-07-27|| Win||align=left| Haime Morais || WGP Kickboxing #47 || Curitiba, Brazil || Decision (Split)|| 3 || 3:00 |- style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 2017-10-28 || Loss||align=left| Artem Vakhitov || || Lyon, France || Decision (unanimous) || 5 || 3:00 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2017-07-01 || Win||align=left| Lucas Alsina || WGP Kickboxing #38 || Curitiba, Brazil|| KO (Flying Knee)|| 3 || 2:42 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2017-02-24 || Win||align=left| Zinedine Hameur-Lain || , Final || Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA || TKO (Punches) || 1 || 2:43 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2017-02-24 || Win||align=left| Danyo Ilunga || , Semi-finals || Hoffman Estates, Illinois, USA || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2016-10-21 || Loss||align=left| Yousri Belgaroui || - Middleweight Contender Tournament, Semi-finals || Broomfield, Colorado, USA || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 |- style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 2016-07-22 || Loss||align=left| Zinedine Hameur-Lain|| , Final || Norfolk, Virginia || KO (strikes) || 2 || 1:00 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 | |- |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2016-07-22 || Win||align=left| Pavel Zhuravlev || , Semi-finals || Norfolk, Virginia, USA || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2016-04-09 || Win||align=left| Maycon Silva || WGP Kickboxing #29 || Brazil|| Decision || 3 || 3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2015-09-05 || Loss||align=left| Junior Alpha || WGP Kickboxing #26, Semi-final || Guarapuava, Brazil|| Decision || 3 || 3:00 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2010-06-21 || Win||align=left| Edvaldo Gameth || Copa Mestre Omar Dias de Muay Thai || Curitiba, Brazil|| KO || 2 ||
|- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2009-04-05 || Loss||align=left| Alessandro Geloco || Brave FC || Curitiba, Brazil|| KO (Right Hook)|| 1 || |- bgcolor="CCFFCC" | 2009-01-|| ||align=left| José Carlos Oliveira || || Brazil|| Decision || 3|| 3:00
|- bgcolor="CCFFCC" | 2008-03-08|| Win||align=left| Ante Verunica || ObraÃÂun u ringu 7 || Zadar, Croatia || Decision (Split)|| 3|| 2:00
|- bgcolor="#cfc" | 2007|| Win||align=left| Fábio Pelézinho || || Brazil|| KO (Right Cross) || 2 ||
|- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" | 2005-10-27 || Loss||align=left| Cosmo Alexandre || K-1 Rules Heavyweight Factory GP || São Paulo, Brazil || Decision || 5 || 3:00
|- | colspan=9 | Legend:
|- bgcolor="#fbb" | 2021-10- || Loss||align=left| Bahram Rajabzadeh || W.A.K.O World Championships 2021, K-1 1/8 Final +91 kg || Jesolo, Italy || Decision (3:0) || 3 || 2:00 |- | colspan=9 | Legend:
|- |Win |align=center|7-3 |Mauri Roque |TKO (Corner Stoppage) |Power Fight Extreme 12 | |align=center|2 |align=center|5:00 |Curitiba, Brazil | |- |Loss |align=center|6-3 |Julio Cesar Araujo Fernandes |Submission (Rear naked choke) |Talent MMA Circuit 11 - Sao Jose dos Pinhais 2014 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:58 |Pinhais, Brazil |- |Win |align=center|6-2 |Dyego Roberto |TKO (Punches and Knees) |Power Fight Extreme 11 | |align=center|2 |align=center|0:43 |Curitiba, Brazil |- |Loss |align=center|5-2 |Gerson da Silva Conceicao |Submission (Punches) |Watch Out Combat Show 29 | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:03 |Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |- |Win |align=center|5-1 |Rodrigo Jesus |TKO (Punches) |Power Fight Extreme 9 | |align=center|2 |align=center|0:45 |Curitiba, Brazil |- |Win |align=center|4-1 |Bruno Assuncao Bogado |TKO (Head Kick) |Adventure Fighters Tournament 4 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:33 |Curitiba, Brazil |- |Win |align=center|3-1 |Tiago Batista Costa |TKO |Beltrao Combat 2 | |align=center|2 |align=center| |Brazil |- |Win |align=center|2-1 |Wanderley da Hora |TKO (Punches) |Duelo de Titas | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:40 |Brazil |- |Win |align=center|1-1 |Tiago Monaco Tosato |TKO (Punches) |Adventure Fighters Tournament | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:37 |Curitiba, Brazil |- |Loss |align=center|0-1 |Paulo Bueno |Submission (Punches) |Toycas Toyota Cup 2006 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:20 |Curitiba, Brazil