Matheus Mattos is known as a big hitter, so it may come as something of a surprise that initial foray into sport came not through muay thai or capoeira, but another, very Brazilian pastime.
As he prepared to face 14-1 Dagestani prodigy Kasum Kasumov at Bellator Champions Series 3 in Dublin on Saturday, Mattos talked about his decision as a teenager to shift to fighting. “My first sport was soccer,” the 32-year-old bantamweight told Sherdog. “My mother was always passionate about soccer. So, I ended up following her dream. It also became my dream to become a soccer player.