- George Chung
- Mar 30, 2024
- 2 min read
Luiz Cado returns to action at BRAVE CF 81 when he takes on Ismail Naurdiev in the co-main event of BRAVE Combat Federation’s third event in Slovenia.
From the rough streets of Curitiba to the bright lights of the cage, Luiz Cado's rise in the world of MMA has been nothing short of remarkable.
Born in 1992, Cado's childhood was marked by poverty and violence. Raised in a family where his father worked as a butcher and his mother cared for his ailing grandmother, Cado found solace in the world of sports.
Growing up, Cado was a fierce supporter of Coritiba, one of the two big football clubs in Curitiba. This loyalty towards Coritiba made him part of the Hooligan firm of the club. And being part of the hooligan firm meant that he often had to engage in violence with rival firms. This proved to be the first taste of fighting in the life of Cado.
As a teenager, Cado often got mixed up in street fights. Just when his life seemed to be going nowhere, an unexpected invitation to join Muay Thai by a legendary figure of the rival Athletico-PR firm changed the trajectory of his life. Cado immediately fell in love with Muay Thai and trained regularly.
However, this did not keep Cado away from the violence on the streets. In fact, he used his newly acquired Muay Thai skills to get the better of his rival firm members in the street; making him feel invincible. This feeling of invincibility led Cado to drugs and alcohol.
While Cado was thriving as a Muay Thai fighter on one side, his life outside the ring was on a downward spiral due to his addictions.
The rise of MMA’s popularity in the state forced Cado transition into MMA as well. He found success inside the cage just like his run in Muay Thai but during this transition also, he was struggling with his addiction. The addiction was so deep that sometimes, he would even get intoxicated during fight week.
His true potential was being eclipsed by his addiction but the cure for this was in Combat Sports itself.
Cado’s life turned upside down after he joined Evolucao Thai. With the help of Andre Dida, his teammates and his coach, Cado crawled out of the abyss of his addictions and started channelling all his energy towards combat sports. Outside the cage, he joined law school with the goal of being an advocate for social causes.
Fast forward to the present, Cado is now at the brink of challenging for the Super Welterweight World Title in BRAVE Combat Federation as he prepares for his fight at BRAVE CF 81 against Morocco's Ismail Naurdiev.
