Guilherme Viana
Bellator 135 represents the most significant fight of Guilherme Viana’s career.
Why? Because it help him gain a clearer realization of whether his many sacrifices made to reach this point were worth it.
“I actually left law school to be a fighter,” Viana told MMAjunkie. “On my first try at making a living as a jiu-jitsu practitioner, I had to take a job as a state bureaucrat to pay the bills. Despite having money in my pocket, I was unhappy with that job. It wasn’t what I wanted out of life. My friends thought I was crazy because I voluntarily quit a good government job to resume my fight career after saving some money, and taking out a loan. Hopefully I’ll keep wining so I can pay that loan back. And during all those difficulties, I had to break up from my girlfriend, to pursue my career. So I’m single now.”
It’s not easy to give up the stability of a government job to compete in MMA. The sport is highly unpredictable with no guarantee of long-term physical or financial wellbeing. Viana said he received a lot of resistance from loved ones over his decision, but ultimately he ignored those notions and went after his dream.
“Today we still have discrimination against MMA,” Viana said. “When I started, it was worse. My father was always against it, due to some of the negative stories he had seen. He wished me to go into academics instead. My biggest supporter, besides my mother, is my brother, who is also an MMA fighter. As time goes by, we’ve been able to prove that it’s indeed possible to earn an honest living in MMA, so people start to accept it.”
Although he has just seven pro fights, Viana said his career has been enriched by moments that don’t necessarily show up a simple look at his record. He’s earned all his victories by knockout or submission and his lone defeat came in a narrow split decision.
And Viana said the most meaningful portion of his career so far doesn’t show up on his record, at all. He briefly appeared on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3″ before he was sent home in the elimination round.
“TUF” can be a positive or negative influence on a fighter’s career depending on how they approach the situation. Viana said he first thought it was a negative experience, but upon reflection, he believes it was invaluable.
“In addition to my official record, I also had a loss trying to get into the ‘TUF: Brazil 3′ house,” Viana said. “Similar to my one professional loss to Rodney Wallace, I didn’t prepare as well as I should. For ‘TUF,’ I didn’t really train. I wasted a perfect opportunity because I wasn’t focused. I was too concerned with personal problems. I couldn’t train as much as I should. But I give total credit to my opponent, who was better prepared and got the win.”
Viana’s (6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) many trials and tribulations led him to a career-changing opportunity this Friday. He’s set to make his Bellator MMA debut against former UFC contender Francis Carmont (22-10 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) at Bellator 135.
Bellator 135 takes place at Winstar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The light-heavyweight bout airs on the Spike TV-televised main card (9 p.m. ET) following prelims on MMAjunkie (6:30 p.m. ET).
Carmont is by far the most credentialed and recognizable name Viana has faced in his career, thus far. Viana knows it will be a tall task to spoil the Bellator MMA debut of “Limitless,” but the Brazilian feels his many sacrifices and years of commitment will pay off in the form of a victory.
“He was in the UFC top-10 not long ago; he’s a very dangerous fighter,” Viana said of his opponent. “He’s very complete. He has great cardio. But regardless of who my opponent is, I’m going to impose my game.
“I’ve seen both his strong and weak points. My training is always the same: I’m looking to impose my game and to define the fight by winning early. And I hope that he comes after me hard, so we can put on a show.”
For more on Bellator 135, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
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