Necessity forced the hand of current Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight prospect Felipe dos Santos, who chose martial arts as a means to escape his circumstances.
“I was inspired to train due to the reality of my hometown,” he told Sherdog.com. “I lived in a dangerous neighborhood. I needed to occupy my mind. My first contact with the sport was in practicing capoeira. From there, I started sanda, also known as Chinese boxing. Then I went to muay thai, but it all started with capoeira.”
Dos Santos, 23, now appears to have a bright future at 125 pounds as he prepares for his latest test—an intriguing clash with Andre Lima in a UFC Fight Night 242 prelim this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.