Brazil has long produced top-level mixed-martial-artists, and it now appears the country will play a big role in the plans of the sport's biggest promotion, the UFC.But while fans around the globe will surely witness televised scenes from the country's beautiful beaches and lavish countryside, near-incomprehensible poverty is rarely but a few steps away.
Veteran manager Alex Davis, a Brazilian native and current resident of the country, hopes fans will keep close to their hearts the background of some of the country's fighting prospects, especially as the nation's talent continues to rise to prominence.
"Poverty sucks, no matter where you come from in the world," Davis recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Poverty will be different, though, from place to place. When we talk about poverty in Brazil, it is definitely a bunch of notches below poverty in the U.S. But I guess that if you compared the poverty that exists in some places in Africa, a favela in Rio de Janeiro must look like wealth.
"I'm not really familiar with any top-level fighters that have come out of poor regions in Africa. Brazil, however, has produced a number of great names coming out of these harsh conditions."
Davis, who has served as both a trainer and manager throughout his life, has seen many of these fighters rise from the favelas to various degrees of success in MMA. UFC middleweight submission ace Rousimar Palhares immediately pops to his mind.
"Toquinho"
"Rousimar Palhares is a real story about a guy who rose out of an extremely poor agricultural poverty," Davis said. "The first time he managed to get himself to Brazilian Top Team, he trained with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. 'Minotauro' really enjoyed rolling with this newcomer. He said, 'Man, this kid is tough. Let's go again!' But Rousimar declined. He had not eaten. He had only a cup of coffee for breakfast. That's how Rousimar started off on the road which brought him where he is today.
"Rousimar comes from a poverty that is hard to understand from a first-world perspective. The kind of work that Rousimar did daily is beyond our comprehension. To cut down trees with an axe, clean pasture with a hoe and clean out tropical brush with a sickle, amid heat and mosquitos for 12 hours – and with hardly enough to eat? That's a really hard way to live, anyway you look at it, and there are unfortunately many people who have to do this, even now.
"If Rousimar's heroic effort and rise could serve a higher purpose, it would be to raise the awareness that this poverty exists for real. It's one thing to hear about it on CNN. It's another to feel Rousimar's tears as he tries to talk about it. It kind of hits us then."
Palhares' chest famously shows the scars of his youth, as the damage from a farming accident is evident on his chest. But he isn't the only Brazilian Davis has seen overcome tremendous odds.
"India"
"Ediene 'India' Gomes' claim to fame is that she beat a man in an MMA match man at a Rio Heroes event," Davis said. "Her story is as dramatic as Rousimar's.
"Ediene was born in northeast Brazil, also in a rural area and even poorer then where Rousimar comes from. In this area, people not only face extreme poverty but also lack of water. Lizards, 'calangos,' are a common source of protein here.
"Ediene was born into an extremely poor family. Her mother was unable to raise her, so she gave her to a little 'richer' family. However, kids were born to this family, and they were not able to support Ediene plus their own kids, so they gave her to a Catholic institution. From there, she was sent to an orphanage in Sao Paulo, where she ran away and went to live on the streets of as a homeless child. One can only fathom the full meaning of this, especially when one lives in conditions like this, by seeing these poor creatures for one's self. They live by going through the trash for food and by petty theft. They live under awnings and under bridges of Brazil's big cities. It is really, really pitiful."
It was then that Gomes' life took a dramatic turn. However, it wasn't necessarily for the immediate better.
"She lived like all the other homeless urchins, picking through trash for food, stealing things when opportunities arose, cleaning windshields at stop lights for a few cents," Davis said. "She would do 'aviaos,' little errands for drug dealers. She would also fight, not for pleasure mind you – for survival.
"She ended up getting picked up by the Brazilian institution for homeless children, FEBEM. Should be a relief huh? Well, FEBEM is notorious for being one of the toughest and worse place for a child to be. They pick these kids up on the streets and throw them in together in this institution. The kids become tougher and better at what they do: stealing, drug-running and whatever else."
Gomes survived the harsh conditions and was eventually released from the institution and given a chance to formally train in martial arts.
"She left FEBEM and was given an opportunity to train Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and she never looked back," Davis said. "She went into MMA, where her fearlessness and her heart is legendary. At Rio Heroes, there were no girls to fight, so she said, 'Give me a guy, damn it!'
"I am proud to tell you she is currently at American Top Team. She has not risen to stardom, but she has a decent life. I managed to get here there, and Ricardo Liborio took her under his wing and managed to get her legal residency in the U.S. She regularly submits guys there."
"Junior"
One of Brazil's most recent success stories involves current UFC lightweight contender Edson Barboza. The talented striker grew up humbly, and his family remains close with Davis even today.
"Another kid who sprang out of a favela was Edson Barboza," Davis said. "He is my son-in-law's best student. Many a time, my son-in-law helped this kid. Edson's dad still takes care of the cantina at Academia Fight Co, our little school in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janiero. Sometimes I will go to work out or something, and he will come up to me and give me a hug and will hang near me. He won't say a word, but he doesn't need to. It is one of the best feeling to have – to know you have helped someone beyond poverty like that.
"I remember once years ago coming from a Muay Thai tournament with Edson and the other guys. As we talked on the way home about these things, Edson started crying. I scolded him: 'Keep your chin up, son! You will succeed! Many people have come from even worse situations then yours.' I guess God heard and made those words reality."
It is the story of countless other Brazilians, as well. And as the UFC expands into the country, Davis hopes more talented fighters will be presented with a way out of the hopeless despair. He also hopes fans from around the globe can fully understand the obstacles such prospects are forced to overcome.
"Unfortunately, for every story with a happy ending, there are thousands upon thousands that have no ending," Davis said. "They are still out there hungry, in the filth, in conditions that are unspeakable. We must always remember this."
