Alexandre pantoja is the current flyweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Current flyweight champion (up to 56,7kg) and living a great moment in his career, Alexandre pantoja Before reaching the throne, he had to overcome several challenges beyond fighting in the octagon. In addition to working as a driver to help with expenses in the USA, the Brazilian recalled the drama he experienced after arriving in California.
“When I started working with Uber, I thanked God, because I had been working on the construction site before. I arrived at American Top Team after losing, I was coming from a week of fighting and I traveled with a backpack. I stayed in Boston, at the house of a guy who lent me his house, I stayed there teaching for two weeks and then went down to Florida. I arrived without knowing how to drive, I had never had a car. The first thing I did was find the (job) catalog, I came back from losing, I had to send money to my wife, my ex-agent screwed me over, saying I had to pay him back,” Pantoja said in an interview with Overdogs Brazil.
A. Pantoja has been in the UFC since 2017. (Photo: Reproduction Facebook UFC)
Continuing his speech, Pantoja revealed that he had worked as a weeder before becoming a driver and highlighted the price he received to be able to support himself in the country.
“I had to get my driver’s license, I passed the test, I bought a car for three thousand dollars, I invested a lot of money. I started working with catalogs, I weeded to earn 10 dollars an hour, I went and weeded and it went on. It took me two years to start working at Uber. When the pandemic hit, we were out of action for eight months, I even lost in Abu Dhabi to Askar askarov (…) I trained in the morning, arrived at night, turned on the app, went there and made 100 dollars and that was it”
Finally, the flyweight champion praised his wife Gabriela, who was fundamental in helping the family pursue their dreams.
“Then I earned the money, brought Gabriela (wife) back with the kids, gave her the green card, invested in the apartment and ran out of money again. Gabriela started working as a cleaner, and I did Uber to make up for the income. Gabriela wasn’t a slave to her work, but she made two thousand dollars a month. I made $100 on the weekends, and I worked a little more. But it’s hard to stay competitive in training while working. Gabriela kept me going; if she didn’t work, I would have to work a lot more,” he concluded.
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