Antonio Carvalho: The Next Big Thing At 145?

photo copyright: sherdog.com

MMACanada has an interview with perennial 145 contender from Canada and a really impressive mma fighter in Antonio Carvalho. Carvalho is best known for his wins over Takeshi “Lion” Inoue and Rumina Sato in the Shooto organization in Japan. Carvalho has always been considered one of the best featherweight fighters in the world by hardcore MMA fans.

In the interview, Carvalho talks about his struggles as a foreigner in Japan, struggling to make a living.

“Japan is a very expensive place to live, from the food to the housing – it’s definitely not cheap. “I was totally out of my element, a foreigner in Japan working on an entertainment Visa – I had to make ends meet by taking odd jobs”.

Antonio struggled to make ends meet and had to save for a large amount of time before garnering enough money to book a flight back to his loved ones. At one time, the DREAM organization paid for his ticket simply because he was hired as a cornerman and training partner by close friend and current DREAM lightweight champion, Joachim Hansen!

Carvalho talks about the toll the the struggles took even on his fighting career as his run turned on to a bad patch.

“Somewhere along the way I lost focus – in training, and in fighting. I also had other personal issues going on at the time, but I lost focus…I’ve always had that fire to go in and win, but that fire was gone, I need to get it back.”

Now back in his home country Canada, Antonio is finally getting his focus back on MMA while he rehabs from his injuries.

To read this excellent article in its entirety, click here.