For many mixed martial artists from Brazil, fighting started on the beach with friends before and after school with a recreational martial art called Capoeira. It was no different for Belo Horizonte native and UFC middleweight Rafael “Sapo” Natal.“I started Capoeira with my friends in Brazil, “says Natal. “Every day after school we would get together and practice. Maybe I will try some Capoeira in my next fight, but then I discovered jiu-jitsu and after two years I was a world champion and after that, in 2003, I got into MMA.”Natal has never looked back, and at 31, he is realizing a childhood … Read the Full Article Here
Rafael Natal: From Capoeira to MMA
For many mixed martial artists from Brazil, fighting started on the beach with friends before and after school with a recreational martial art called Capoeira. It was no different for Belo Horizonte native and UFC middleweight Rafael “Sapo” Natal.“I started Capoeira with my friends in Brazil, “says Natal. “Every day after school we would get together and practice. Maybe I will try some Capoeira in my next fight, but then I discovered jiu-jitsu and after two years I was a world champion and after that, in 2003, I got into MMA.”Natal has never looked back, and at 31, he is realizing a childhood … Read the Full Article Here