The phrase “tough upbringing” has become a cliché in this country. What does it mean at this point?
Poor parents? Single-mother household? Bad neighborhood? Maybe worse. Maybe there were gangs and drugs. Shootings and muggings.
Bibiano Fernandes had a tough upbringing. But it wasn’t entirely different to what less fortunate kids have in the United States.
The ONE FC bantamweight, one of the very best in his weight class on the planet, grew up in the Amazon jungle of Brazil. Shoplifting from a store wasn’t even an option for Fernandes. If he was hungry, he had to hunt and gather.
“When you say I was poor, yeah I was really poor,” Fernandes said. “I had nothing. But you know what? I was happy. That’s all I knew.”
Fernandes, 33, doesn’t think much about those days. But living like that has certainly shaped his life, one of discipline and perseverance. One of appreciation. You won’t hear Fernandes complaining about much.
Even the ONE FC interim bantamweight championship he’s fighting for May 31 in Manila against Koetsu Okazaki doesn’t matter that much to him. A title? A label like that? It’s unimportant to someone with such perspective.
“A fight is a fight,” Fernandes said. “I’ve had plenty of titles. It doesn’t mean anything to me. But I’m going to do my best to win and fight for the fans.”
Sure, that’s unorthodox thinking. But consider the history. Fernandes’ father sent him to live with his aunt in the Amazon after his mother died when he was 7. A few years later, when he was old enough to get a job and make money, he returned to his father in the city of Manaus. There, he cleaned houses and sold ice cream bars for income.
There is also where he found jiu-jitsu. That was a rich man’s sport, though, and Fernandes was the poorest of the poor. He was funded by a friend’s mother for one month and loved it. Fernandes didn’t want to leave, but his sponsor could no longer afford the tuition. The trainer told him if he came in and cleaned the gym every day, he could stay for free.
“He told me: ‘That’s your pay,’” Fernandes said.
Those early days paved the way for Fernandes becoming one of the most decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu champions ever. He has won four BJJ world championships and, after starting in MMA in 2004, has been the DREAM bantamweight and featherweight champion and also the organizations’ grand prix champion in both weight classes. Realistically, Fernandes has been one of the best lighter weight class fighters in the world for the better part of a decade.
Last year, he had a chance to sign with the UFC and there were even rumors that it was a done deal. But Fernandes chose ONE FC instead, saying it was a better decision for his family – an implication that ONE FC offered him more money. It was also important for him to continue fighting in Asia where he has become very popular through DREAM.
“The ONE FC fans know me already,” said Fernandes, who now lives in Vancouver and trains often at Matt Hume’s AMC Pankration team in Seattle with the likes of UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. “I want to keep fighting in front of the fans that support me.”
They’ll get reacquainted with him May 31. Fernandes (13-3) is one of the most talented fighters on the roster and someone who resonates with fans across the world.
“He has fought the biggest names in the sport and he has one of the best resumes in the world,” ONE FC CEO Victor Cui said. “Bibiano is a legend in MMA.”
Just don’t ask him if he’s someone ONE FC is attempting to build around. Then you’ll get that humble kid who smiled while running around the jungles of Brazil.
“ONE FC is definitely growing,” Fernandes said. “But I don’t think about that. I just want to fight. I just like to train hard every day.”
He’ll save the complicated stuff for everyone else.