Following his first round submission over Joseph Benevidez, the newly crowned UFC flyweight champ, Deiveson Figueiredo, sat down with MMA Fighting to discuss what he had to overcome in life to get to where he is today.
The story of where Figueiredo comes from is truly inspiring. After growing up in the Amazon Jungle of Brazil, he had to defeat all odds to get to where he is today.
The interview was done in Portuguese and was translated to english through subtitles.
“Man, I lived in Soure, Brazil and worked as a masonry helper, worked as a security guard for parties. I’ve had many experiences in my life. I even worked as a fisherman in the open ocean. I hated it, that wasn’t for me. But then I moved to Belem, Brazil and started working with sushi, learned how to do it, and then worked as a hairdresser. I worked there for a year and eight months, I learned how to do it. And then I worked as a motorcycle taxi-driver. My life was always intense and heavy work, a real battle to conquer what I have today. I thank god for giving me health and strength to keep on the right path and not let me give up,” Figueiredo told MMA Fighting.
Now that he is champion, Figueiredo no longer has to work a variety of odd jobs to put food on the table. He can now solely focus on perfecting his craft as a mixed martial artist.
