After being introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his younger years, Rousimar Palhares’ life was changed forever.
“In Santo Antonio do Monte, I started (working out) in a humble academy and one day I saw two guys rolling on the floor,” the 31-year-old Brazilian recently explained to Bleacher Report through his translator before his fight at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro on January 14.. “One of them was Master Iran Brasileiro, who invited me to try.”
After thousands of hours of training, Palhares, who holds a black belt in the art, remembers his first day of training as if it was yesterday.
“The other guy was trying to hold me and I kept throwing him from one side to the other,” Palhares explained. “We trained for 30 minutes until the moment the guy asked to stop.”
According to Palhares, Brazilian jiu-jitsu provided a “way to drift (his) mind from (his) poor reality.”
Prior to taking to the mat, Palhares’ reality was, at times, quite stark.
“I was born in a very small city in the countryside of Brazil called Dores de Indaia,” Palhares recounted. “I’m part of a very poor family alongside nine brothers and sisters. My childhood was very difficult, with my parents struggling to feed the 10 of us.
“I started working at the age of seven as a rural worker with my father, taking care of crops of rice, beans, corn and pumpkin. At the age of 12, I started working for other people again, taking care of crops as well as milking cows, building fences and cattle breeding. At that period, I got used to (living) in sheds made of wood and straw with no floor. At the age of 17, my parents got divorced and I moved with my mother to another city called Santo Antonio do Monte.”
After arriving in Santo Antonio do Monte, Palhares returned to farming and anticipated a long life of manual labour.
Once he was involved in martial arts, however, Palhares’ ambitions changed dramatically.
From Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Palhares—with a great deal of support from his family—ultimately tried his hand at mixed martial arts.
Training under the famed Brazilian Top Team banner, Palhares won seven of his first eight professional matches before being invited to compete in the UFC’s Octagon in the summer of 2008.
Palhares emphasized how important his success in martial arts—namely his tenure in the UFC—has been to his life. More importantly, he hinted toward his family’s life.
“(Fighting in the UFC means) everything for my life and my family’s life,” Palhares explained.
“(Martial arts) is the means to improve a very difficult life for me and my family.”
Palhares, who holds victories over Ivan Salaverry, Jeremy Horn, Lucio Linhares, Tomasz Drwal, Dave Branch and Dan Miller, is to return to the Octagon to face Mike Massenzio at UFC 142 in Rio on January 14.
Palhares—who is all too familiar with how fortunes can change in a matter of seconds—however, is careful to avoid looking too far in the future.
“My concern is the upcoming fight,” Palhares offered. “One step at a time. I don’t worry with the second step without accomplishing the first one.
“For someone who experienced what I’ve been through, today I’m already living a dream and I will always work to do my best.”
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