Young fighter steps out of his comfort zone

He may be just 19 years of age, but Vitor Lopes has put the country’s mixed martial arts community on notice after a couple of stunning performances late last year.

The teenager, an accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu exponent with a string of national titles to his name, decided to up the ante, entering a couple of high-profile national amateur MMA events.

First up was the annual Beatdown 7 eight-fighter elimination tournament in Hamilton, where Vitor took on three different welterweight opponents on the same night, all more experienced, and beat them all.

He followed up with victory in the Canterbury Takedown event, his one fight a straight final.

He now boasts a 4-0 record from his first foray into the hugely popular sport of MMA, a far cry from Brazilian jiu-jitsu which he was first introduced to aged five at his father Marcelo Lopes’ gym in Blenheim, already home to three world champions.

So, after so much success at the latter, why the change to MMA?

“I just wanted to get outside my comfort zone,” explained Vitor. “You can combine all the martial arts, so there's always more to learn, which gets me excited to do it.”

Given the step up to a new discipline, and against such seasoned operators, most fighters would have been a little daunted and Vitor says he was no exception.

“Every fighter is a little bit scared before they get in the cage or the ring … but if you just train hard, you get more confidence. If you're just more prepared, you'll perform better under that pressure.

“Everyone feels that pressure … you're scared of being knocked out or something and getting hurt, but it's part of the game. That's why I like it … also the fact that not many people want to do it. That’s why it is so exciting.”

Exciting it may have been, but Vitor’s first MMA fight night was also a test of the young man’s mental and physical prowess.

“Having three fights on one night was pretty challenging, yeah … it took a lot of focus.

“I was pretty confident in my grappling, in my jiu-jitsu … I thought I would be able to dominate in that field. But still, there's always that, you know, that thing in the back of your head saying, oh, it could go another way, you know?”

Amateur MMA rules differ from professional guidelines in that no elbow or knee strikes are allowed, but Vitor says “everything else is allowed … like punching in the face, kicking the face, ground and pound”.

“So, yeah, you can still get seriously injured, but I was pretty confident going in. It was tough though, because after the first fight you get an adrenaline dump, then you go backstage, cool yourself down, then you have to warm back up again, get that adrenaline up, and then after the second fight, another adrenaline dump, go back stage, recover, focus, and then come up with different game plan for the other fighter.

“By the last fight, it was the last fight of the night, around midnight, so I had to take some energy drinks to keep me focused and put some caffeine in the body.”

Despite his rookie MMA status Vitor got the job done in the final, taking down the hometown favourite four times and winning a unanimous decision, providing the highlight of his fighting career so far.

“I felt really good because everyone back home was watching, you know, my students, friends and family were watching on the live stream.”

Closer at hand was the man who has guided his career so far. Dad Marcelo was in the corner, shouting encouragement, often in Portuguese.

Marcelo admits he had reservations about his teenaged son stepping into the MMA arena, as did the Hamilton event promoter Carlo Meister, a former pupil of Marcelo’s.

However, a gruelling workout for Vitor against four kickboxers in Christchurch convinced Marcelo that his protege was ready, and he persuaded Meister that he need not worry about the young man’s safety. As it turned out, the promoter may have been better placed worrying about the health of the other seven fighters.

Vitor says he has never worked so hard in his life in the lead up to the event, a fact reinforced by his coach.

“I told him, look, people want to do it, but they don't want to pay the price,” said Marcelo.

“He paid the price and that’s what happened. He fought three of four times but he could have fought 10 times. He is way better prepared physically because we have been just doing repetition here for hours.”

Having tasted success, Vitor is keen for more fights in New Zealand before a possible trip to a major tournament in Melbourne.

A shot at the professional ranks is also a long-term goal for the rising star.

“If I just keep improving, keep getting better and get more experience at amateur level, then I can hopefully start a new journey at the professional level.”

Vitor does not have to look far for inspiration. His father and mentor is a former champion with a 3-0 MMA record, while MMA legends such as George St-Pierre and Anderson Silva are athletes he admires.

“Guys like that, they really inspire me … I just hope to do the same with the younger generation. I just want to show them that it's possible to achieve their goals, to step out of their comfort zone, work hard and succeed.”