From Cowboy to Cagefighter, Gabriel Santos of the UFC 312 is now fighting for size

Gabriel Santos Dream of being a cowboy, and he is now able to travel the world by hitting people in the face to make a living.

The featherweight of “mosquitinho” box falling back to octagon on Saturday to face Australia Jack Jenkins in enemy territory at UFC 312 In Sydney, but returns to daily battles, he has fought since his childhood as a testimony of his heart and his determination.

Born in Beberibe, a small town located just outside the capital of the Fortaleza state, the Brazilian talent was raised by her mother on a small farm, where she worked as a cleaning lady.

“I was a very handful child and I loved my animals,” Santos told MMA Fighting. “My dream was to be a cowboy, but my mother had no money for such a thing. We couldn’t buy anything, imagine buying bulls and cows. One day, she managed to buy me a little horse and it was the world for me. »»

His life took a turn when a cousin began to take Jiu-Jitsu lessons and presented himself to the farm trying to teach him movements. The only bond of Santos to fights at the time was through films and cartoons, especially Blood sport And Dragon Ball Z. They obtained a large canvas on the floor to use as a carpet and started to practice. Santos learned a single decision in these improvised wrestling courses, which turned out to be useful when his mother’s bosses decided to sell the farm, leaving them no alternative than to move to the city.

“He taught me to pass the guard, the knee on my stomach and Americana,” said Santos. “When I moved to town, I decided to join a Jiu-Jitsu gymnasium and I hit everyone with this same movement (laughs). I wanted to compete right away in a tournament, but the coach said it was too early. Months later, I have to compete, however, and I have never stopped since. »»

Santos added more techniques to its arsenal and started collecting medals in the local circuit because falling in love with a different sport: mixed martial arts. The year was 2013 and the UFC landed in Fortaleza for the very first time for a card titled by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira And Abricio Werdum which also had a trio of local talents, Ron Jason,, Godofredo Pepey And CAIO Magalhaes. For a 16 -year -old grappling, it was a sign that he could have a future in sport.

“I still like competition in Jiu-Jitsu, but that didn’t pay much money at the time, so I started to focus on MMA instead,” said Santos, who did his Beginnings in MMA 2014. “It’s crazy to look back and see this in 2014, I was heading for the same discharge song Charles ‘Do Bronx’ (Oliveira), and now we are in the same team.”

Santos won 10 in a row in the Brazilian circuit to get a shot in UFC, saying that the titles of LFA and the future MMA with victories on Jose Delano and the future UFC fighter – and now teammate – –Elves Brener. Its first octagon appearance came to replace Nathaniel Woodlose Lerone Murphy in London. Santos had his back against the wall after a stop defeat David Onamabut rebounded with a decision to decision against Yizha A year later.

Santos’ first son was due five weeks after the UFC 312, and the athlete falling boxing joked by saying that he expected a perfect evening in Australia “to end the hardest camp in my life, Then start a new one “. Jenkins is 3-1 under the banner of the UFC and victorious in 10 of his last 11, and Santos knows that he is in a war.

“I discovered that I was going to become a father just before my last fight and it gave me more fire. This is more motivation, you are fighting anymore, ”said Santos. “It’s a dream for me to fight in Australia, so I go with everything I can for this fight. We must be ready for everything in a fight. You can’t plan something, really, but I think I’m going to type it.