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As someone who grew up in the rough favelas of Sao Paulo in Brazil, adversity was a near-daily occurrence for Felipe Lobo.
However, through martial arts, the 30-year-old striker changed his family's fortune, and it could get better when he steps on the global stage at ONE Fight Night 19 this Friday, February 16.
That evening, the man known to many as ‘Demolition Man’ squares off against Jonathan Haggerty with the two-sport king’s Muay Thai crown on the line inside the revered Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
The Revolution Muay Thai Phuket superstar recognizes it as another tough challenge. But obstacles are what pushed him onto the path he enjoys today – and he knows another career-defining performance is all it would take for him to leave Bangkok as a ONE world champion.
Speaking to The AllStar, Felipe Lobo shared:
“I come from nothing, and I have nothing to lose. So it’s just going to be war. And I will give it my all.”
Watch the full interview here:
“I was very sad and cried a lot” – Felipe Lobo on his move to Thailand as a 20-year-old
Though Felipe Lobo lived by the belief that pressure makes diamonds, there were times when it was too much to deal with for the No.3-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai challenger.
After honing his craft for half a decade in Brazil, the Muay Thai athlete packed his bags and sought fresher opportunities some 15,000 kilometers away in sunny Thailand.
As much as it was paradise on paper – and a move that would jump-start his journey to stardom – it was quite a challenge for the young phenom on a personal note.
In a separate interview with ONE Championship, Felipe Lobo said:
“The biggest obstacle I faced in my life was living abroad. I had never been away from my family, and at the age of 20, I came to live in Thailand.
“It was very difficult to adapt and be away from my family. For four or five months, I was very sad and cried a lot. It was the most difficult moment of my life.”
Despite whatever he has faced, ‘Demolition Man’ hasn’t lost sight of his main goal. He remains as motivated as ever to overcome yet another challenge in life when he steps inside the ring for a shot at the ONE world title.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire card live and for free in U.S. primetime on February 16.
