Famed MMA coach Pablo Sucupira believes that figuring out what type of animal you are is key to becoming a world champion.
Sucupira founded the popular Fighting Nerds team (formerly Club Sao Paulo) alongside sixth-ranked middleweight contender Caio Borralho. In the years since, the gym has seen a slew of top-shelf talent emerge inside the Octagon, including knockout artist Jean Silva, streaking welterweight standout Carlos Prates, and rising lightweight contender Mauricio ‘One Shot’ Ruffy.
With an immense amount of success in such a short period of time, Sucupira revealed what he believes is an important part of the process in building a future champion.
“The first thing for a fighter is to understand which animal he is,” Sucupira told John Gooden in a recent interview on the UFC Fight Pass YouTube channel. “If you’re tall, short, strong, or quick, each athlete must understand their nature. Humans are the only animals who don’t hunt or get hunted, so we learn from animals.”
The Fighting Nerds continue their MMA takeover in april
Between Silva, Prates, and Borralho, they are a combined 11-0 under the UFC banner. Borralho scored his fourth straight win inside the Octagon in November, defeating Neil Magny via a first-round knockout. Next, he’ll step into the main event spotlight on April 26 when the promotion heads back to Kansas City.
On that night, ‘The Nightmare’ will square off with Irish sensation Ian Machado Garry.
Before that, Jean Silva will look to notch his fifth win inside the Octagon when he meets controversial featherweight standout Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 in Miami. Silva’s return to the cage comes less than two months removed from his highlight-reel KO over Melsik Baghdasaryan in Seattle.
