No. 1 Flyweight ‘Formiga’ Seeks to Escape Humble Existence

Edmilson de Oliveira Vieira da Silva died at 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Four days earlier, he was riding his motorcycle on a federal road when a drunk driver ran over him.

He left behind a wife, daughter and two sons -- one of them being Jussier da Silva, the world’s top-ranked flyweight and current Shooto South America 123-pound champion.

“My father was everything to me,” Silva says. “He was the only person that supported my decision to become a fighter, and he always told me that someday I would have something much bigger than what I’m seeing today.”

Silva knows a life much harder than the typical fighter. He lives in a tiny house accessible only by foot or motorcycle; the only “road” leading to his home is far too narrow and rough for cars to traverse. Inside that small home, Silva lives with his mother, sister and 4-year old son, Pedro Davi “Formiga,” who already shares his father’s noms de guerre. The financial pressures of being a single father and the primary breadwinner for a packed household force Silva to work a schedule that might break lesser men.

A typical day includes an intense six and a half-hour training session with the Kimura Nova Uniao team, led by MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach Jair Lourenco, boxing coach Netinho Pegado and wrestling coach Pedro Cunha. Of course, training does not pay the bills, so before every session, Silva works as a messenger for the local hospital where he earns the Brazilian minimum wage -- roughly the equivalent of $250 a month.

“The money isn’t enough for everything, especially since an athlete needs supplements and some money to take care of his body,” Silva says. “I can only help my family, but I can’t always pay all of the bills, so it’s tough.”

It beats the previous job he held, working as a delivery boy on the same streets that claimed his father’s life. Shuttling around on a motorcycle may sound like fun, but Brazil’s streets are often a congested mess on which traffic laws are more passive suggestions than concrete rules.

“Eight hours of risk every day -- pure adrenaline,” Silva says. “Today my job is more satisfactory, especially since my bosses understand the importance of the sport in my life.”

Despite teetering on the edge of financial ruin, Silva remains grateful to have bosses who do not hassle him about his second job. That characterizes Silva in a nutshell -- a man appreciative for all he has to his name, a man resolute in the belief that his hard work will bring better days. Remember, this is not some prospect fighting on regional shows while going through the standard issue hard knocks. Silva, the best flyweight on the planet, has no sponsors, not even one. Such is the reality facing many Brazilian fighters, which is why America is viewed as the Promised Land.

Not long after his father’s death, it appeared as if Silva’s life was taking a turn for the better. An American organization offered him a five-fight contract, including a proposed catchweight bout against Mike Easton for a purse far bigger than any Silva had ever earned. Contract offers from America bring equal amounts of enthusiasm and trepidation for Brazilian fighters, however, as it means they must grapple with the local consulate in search of a visa.

“I was very frustrated because they think that we are making excuses to go live in the U.S.,” Silva says. “You need to have the plane tickets to go and come back already bought. You need to show that you have a secure job, a place to live … the process is very difficult, and sometimes they don’t even look at your paperwork before denying you.”

Despite collecting all the necessary documentation and filling out a mountain of confusing forms, Silva was denied a visa by the consulate because he had only a contract offer and not a signed agreement.

“I believe I lost the biggest opportunity of my career because I would have fought in the U.S., made a very good purse and maybe earned opportunities to fight in other, even better promotions,” Silva says.

Instead of fighting in the U.S. and establishing himself at the forefront of the burgeoning American flyweight scene, Silva will defend his Shooto South America 123-pound title against Alexandre Pantoja on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The bout was in peril when word hit the Internet that Silva was seeking donations to help him cover the cost of his plane ticket to the event. A year full of disappointments and tragedy for Silva seemed set to add another unfortunate chapter. However, thanks to help from Lourenco, close friends and a PayPal donation drive that went viral via Internet forums and Twitter, Silva raised the funds to pay for his flight.

“I was very surprised and very, very happy. What surprised me the most was to know that people who don’t even know me and maybe don’t even watch my fights helped me,” Silva says. “I’m very thankful to them and hope I can find some way to contribute back to them. I still don’t know how, but I hope I can.”

Silva seems genuinely concerned about finding an avenue through which to repay supporters. One would almost expect him to show some bitterness over his lack of sponsorship or the fact that he lives in a tiny home in the middle of nowhere, but he remains his usual soft-spoken, respectful self.

Some successful fighters build hype by spewing rhetoric; others recklessly spend their winnings on all the trappings of imaginary wealth. Silva’s favorite part of the day consists of returning home to play with his son before reading the Bible and rolling into bed.

In Silva’s mind, securing a better future for himself and his family begins and ends with fighting in the U.S. Dominick Cruz made $18,000 in taking the World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight title from Brian Bowles -- a paltry sum in comparison to what the premier UFC stars make. However, it would represent a life-changing purse for Silva. Better yet, he might even find a sponsor or two.

“I definitely want the Shooto world title,” Silva says, “but my dream is to fight in America, especially the WEC if they open the flyweight division, because the fighters there are recognized and very well paid.”