Nov-19-2009

Fabricio Camoes’ Long Road to Las Vegas

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By Martins Denis

In the fight world, a place where we are used to hearing nicknames such as 'The Dragon', 'The Hammer', 'The Huntington Beach Bad Boy', 'Pitbull' and many others, toughness is usually associated with the aforementioned monikers.

So when a fighter with a nickname of 'Morango' (strawberry) comes to the UFC, you may think it is a little strange for a man that has his goals focused on kicking, punching and grappling to have such a name. But for newcomer Fabricio ‘Morango’ Camoes, who faces Japanese star Caol Uno in one of the preliminary matches of UFC 106 in Las Vegas this weekend, this is just one more obstacle to be surpassed, to prove that nicknames are not that big a deal.

"In Brazil it is very common to have weird nicknames, and once I lived in the suburb of Rio de Janeiro," he says. "I loved the strawberry yogurt and every single time I met my group of friends I was taking it, so the nickname came easily. So in my case it is very important to be good in what you do when you have a nickname like that."

From the time his nickname was introduced, when he was around nine years old, until today, Camoes - a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Royler Gracie and Vini Aieta - is surrounded by funny moments. And while the Rio de Janeiro native had to deal with a lot of situations in his homeland due to the nickname, they were never equal to one he encountered when he moved to USA.

"One day I was training and one of my partners asked the translation of my nickname, because he knew my potential and considered me a tough fighter," Camoes says. "So he asked, 'Is Morango something like The Brazilian Assassin or Killer?' I told him the meaning, he looked serious to me and after a breath he said that the strawberry in Brazil may have a different taste than in USA."

Camoes laughs, but his commitment to his craft is no joking matter. Introduced to martial arts by his mother, Camoes started with judo, and then took up tae kwon do, Muay Thai, and boxing before finally encountering Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 15. His passion for the gentle art began with the first training session he took part in and it was not just in any academy, but in a Gracie school led by the legendary Royler Gracie. The Gracie Tijuca dojo was the building where Camoes learned how to be a better citizen and fighter, but he does not forget the initial difficulty.

"Everything was very expensive - competition subscription, the gi, the monthly payment to the academy, transportation - and in the beginning, you know, we do not have sponsors, so you have to deal with all," he says. "My father helped me a lot during that period; I used to say I was sponsored by a trademark named 'DaddySponsor' (laughs). I will never forget those who helped me in the beginning. A few professors allowed me to train without paying the academy and thank God it allowed me to reach where I am now."

With a tough start while still learning some submissions, the transition from Martial Arts to MMA would take a long time, right? Wrong. Two years later, Camoes was debuting in a No Holds Barred show. Still under 18 years old, the kid did not know exactly what kind of hell he was going to confront. A tournament in the middle of Brazil was the field in which he would debut, and if it was not tough enough for a debut, add in the fact that he traveled 20 hours by bus to reach the place. Not enough yet? Only the champion would win money, something close to $585. Hum… ...now it is a high challenge. Wait, that’s not all, as the 161-pound Camoes filled the only spot open, in the 176-pound championship, where the winner of the last tournament was defending his belt. That champion was Anderson "The Spider" Silva, whom Camoes would fight with bare knuckles in a bout scheduled for 30 minutes.

"We were (Pride vet. Cristiano Marcello and Camoes) invited to an event, and the 'good news' kept coming when we arrived there," he says, laughing. "After convincing the promoter that I had been authorized by my father and professor to fight, I told Marcello that we should try our best, because this was the only way we could return to Rio de Janeiro in a plane instead a bus again (laughs). I fought first against a student of legendary Jose "Pele" Landi-Johns, Eliezer Ninja, I beat him and advanced to the finals against Silva, who mopped his opponent up in the first fight. This was 27 minutes of war and he beat me when I couldn’t defend anymore due to fatigue. I do not regret taking the fight. That was amazing to debut against a champion like Silva, who became a friend afterwards. I would do it the same way if I had that chance again. In the end of all, Marcello won the 155 pound tournament and gave me half of his prize money and we came back to Rio de Janeiro in a plane."

After that tournament, Camoes opted to be a welterweight fighter, a category where he collected a not too stellar record of 4-4 and went through the worst stage of his career. He injured his knee during a fight in 2003 and stayed sidelined for more than 12 months.

"I believe all fighters have difficult times and the way that you face them makes you more complete," he says. "Even when I injured my knee and lost that fight I never gave excuses, this is my philosophy in overcoming obstacles. My MMA career started without specific training, without a manager, fighting in upper weight divisions, and I realized that sooner or later I would reach the mainstream, and get awards and of course the money that the professionals do and I grabbed it all when I fought in Super Challenge 2006 in Sao Paulo, Brazil."

The event Camoes is talking about was a grandiose MMA show in Brazil and was full of top Brazilian 160 pound fighters in a tournament format. Camoes was not initially scheduled to compete and did not care much about the 8-man tournament, mainly because he never had fought as a 160 pounder. But a participant injured himself in training and a last minute replacement was requested. Camoes got a call, accepted and started a quest for glory. Beating three opponents in one night filled with the most dangerous competitors is certainly the biggest moment of his career thus far, but he was unable to capitalize on the momentum of the win, as he stayed nearly two years without fights until his debut in USA in 2008.

"This was a long wait and everything happened because my managers, Ed Soares and Jorge Guimaraes, invited me to live in San Diego. Of course I expected to fight in UFC or Pride after my conquest in SC, but inexplicably it was not even rumored," Camoes said. "I waited for this chance in the UFC a long time. I need to fight against the best in the best place. Fighting in other shows prepared me to fight against Caol Uno on Saturday night, as well as the training with guys like Diego Sanchez, Jeremy Stephens, Hermes Franca, Dominick Cruz, Brandon Vera, Rani Yahya, Joe Duarte and Xande Ribeiro."

Uno, a Japanese ace with 13 years of fighting under his belt and a record 25-12-4, is the test that Camoes was always talking about. Considered one of the best lightweight competitors produced in Japan, Uno will come to this fight hungry after losing his last fight to Spencer Fisher at UFC 99 in July. For the Brazilian, who has posted seven consecutive wins, the tougher the better.

"Facing him will be something very natural for me," he said when asked about facing an elite fighter. "This is the chance of a lifetime that I have dreamed about. I believe this show is in response to all of the training, blood and tears that I passed through. I am in the best shape of my life, my technique is sharpened and my training is flowing superbly. I know he is the more experienced fighter, but he has no idea from where I came and what I went through to arrive in the UFC, so I hope he comes prepared because this will be rock and roll in its pure and simple essence."

For the Brazilian fans, who constantly are complaining that the lightweight fighters from Brazil are good but not enough to aspire to title fights, Camoes has a particular analysis of this stacked weight class in UFC.

"They all have good qualities, and Brazil is very well represented," he said. "The 155 pound division has a lot of talent challenges, so your road to a title shot is long. I am entering the UFC to test myself; I can't think about titles before my debut. I want to fight the best first. And before people bad mouth any fighters, remember, our country (Brazil) does not support our sport as it should, so our task is harder and we need the support."