Geraldo de Freitas realized his lifelong dream when he got the call from the UFC.
It didn’t matter if it was at featherweight, a weight class above where he normally competes, de Freitas (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity.
He made good in his UFC debut, defeating Felipe Corales via unanimous decision at February’s UFC on ESPN+ 2, extending his win streak to seven.
He now faces Chris Gutierrez in a bantamweight bout at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 14 in Uruguay.
Ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 14, get to know more about Brazil’s de Freitas below:
Full name: Geraldo de Freitas Junior
Nickname: “The Spartan.” The nickname is in honor of a great friend of mine, Igor Silva. He was very supportive of my dream of becoming a professional MMA fighter. We practiced jiu-jitsu together. When I was starting out, we used to watch the “300” movie, and he’d encourage me by saying we were Spartan warriors. He eventually passed away. So, this nickname is in his honor, so he’ll always be remembered.
DOB: Sept. 30, 1991. I’m 27 years old.
City of birth: I was born in the city of Conselheiro Lafaiete, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. I currently live in Rio de Janeiro.
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 135 pounds
Team: I represent the Nova Uniao team.
Can you recap your MMA career up to now? What lessons did you learn along the way?
When I started out, I had no manager. I always had dreams of living from MMA. I had no support, other than encouragement from my coaches and friends. At the beginning, anytime a fight opportunity appeared, I would immediately accept. I was really confident I would find a way to win. It was ignorance on my part. My losses were all in weight classes above – featherweight and lightweight. I would accept with days to go. I fought once at 135 pounds against a fighter who weighed 145 pounds.
But I make no excuses. I did learn a lot from those losses. That, and other difficulties in my life, brought me to where I am today. What happened was necessary, and I’m thankful for it. Maybe if I had been called into the UFC when I was younger, I wouldn’t have been ready for everything that’s yet to come.
How was your UFC debut, a decision win against Felipe Colares?
It was one of the happiest moments of my life. It was a dream come true. Since I was 11 or 12, I dreamed about being a professional fighter, and getting to the UFC. It didn’t bother me that I would be facing another Brazilian. If anything, that’s all I’d ever faced in my entire career. Whoever they booked me against, I’d fight. I wanted that opportunity, regardless of the opponent. It turned out to be another fight at a higher weight class (featherweight). But it was also the Jungle Fight champ (Felipe Colares) against me, the Shooto Brazil champ. Two national champions clashed in the UFC. It was fantastic.
How’d you become a pro MMA fighter?
I started practicing and competing in jiu-jitsu at 11 years of age. Around that time, we used to rent VHS tapes. I found one that included real MMA fights. From age 12, I decided that’s what I would be doing with my life. My poor mother would get very worried. She hoped it would be passing fad. I did everything I could to make my dream reality. I kept competing in jiu-jitsu, and started practicing muay Thai and boxing. It was hard to find all I needed in my hometown, Conselheiro Lafaiete. So, I moved to Belo Horizonte, the state capital, when I was 18. I tried to balance fighting, and my college courses in physical education. By the time I was 20, I moved to Rio de Janeiro to continue to pursue my goals.
Your next fight is in South America, near Brazil, against an American. You might be the local favorite. Does that make a difference?
I don’t believe in underdogs or favorites. On several occasions, I was considered the underdog in a fight, but that thought never entered my mind. Maybe it weighs on the minds of other fighters, but not me. As I see it, if another fighter is across from me, that means that he got ready to make the best of that opportunity. So, it’s my job to give my best and deny him all opportunities to be victorious. Only the fighter in front of me matters – not the past, and not the future. Every new opponent is the hardest opponent, no matter who it is. That’s why I have to bring my best every time. I’m getting ready even harder than before. That’s one of my goals – to be better with each fight. We’ve studied my opponent. We know he has dangerous kicks and could catch anyone by surprise. I’ll look to win in any way possible, no matter where the fight goes.
How’s your training going?
A year before I got into the UFC, I changed teams. I changed to the Nova Uniao team. I’ve always known they’re one of the best teams in the world. We have various excellent coaches. Andre Pederneiras is our leader. Rogerio Miranda is my head coach. Giovanni Diniz handles my boxing. Daniel
“Pirata” Malvino takes care of wrestling. We also have physical conditioning and medical assistance. It’s an excellent team – very professional. My training partners include Jose Aldo, Hacran Dias, Ronys Torres, Eduardo Dantas, Pedro Falcao, as well as Luciano Benicio, a former opponent of mine. I feel very ready.
Plans for the future?
There’s no future for me. I only see this fight now. I’ve only ever focused on what’s in front of me. The future will be the consequence of this fight. It’s all I can think about. I’ll bring everything to get the win. I’ll be the very best version of myself. I hope we have a great fight. We’ll put on a show for the fans.
