Felipe Douglas Enters XFCi Season 1 Tourney Semifinals
"On the 26th I'll win by knockout, it will be a birthday present for my mom" says Felipe Douglas. Generally the interest in martial arts comes through family roots or is cultivated by action movies and great sports idols, but Felipe Douglas is an exception.
Three years ago he started dating (his now wife) Larissa, sister of muay thai trainer Johnny Head. He began training thai, a month after that he was training jiu -jitsu and then MMA, his goal from the start. Despite his preference for striking, that was not the reason for the nickname "Buakaw". It came from his haircut, because at that time it was a lot like the Muay Thai icon, Buakaw Banchamek. He admits there is a certain pressure to be known by that name, but says he's gotten used to it.
Felipe wants to go to Thailand to improve his technique, but when asked about a training session with Banchamek he says... "Oh , I'd rather not do it, just watch it. I would have to train carefully, it couldn't be too hard, he is awesome.. He is the 'Pelé' of muay thai" (laughs) .
When talking about the early days, Felipe remembers an unusual story: "Me and five more athletes went to a tournament in the country, and all needed to cut weight, so we went online to look for a sauna closer to where we were, and when we got there we realized it was a gay sauna. (laughs) As there were not many people there at that time, we got inside one of the sauna places, closed the door and it was just as normal. But it was definitely a funny situation."
By the end of 2013 he had a well-structured life in Taubaté, São Paulo, where he lived with his family, but he gave up everything to go live in a big city (São Paulo), looking forward to improve his game and ground techniques.
Now he lives in the gym where he trains and support himself with the money he gets from his fights. For now, he doesn't think about teaching, his day-to-day is all about training sessions, with total focus on his fighter career. His decisions have always been supported by his family, at all times. "My family always supports me. I want to thank XFC for helping me to give a boost on my career and get sponsors. Before that, when I wasn't very well-off financially speaking, it was my family who helped me a lot. They are amazing".
On XFC's next edition (XFCi 4 – April 26th), Felipe Douglas intends to win by knockout and dedicate his victory to his mother Roselaine, whose birthday is on the 27th. To be able to reach this goal, he is training extensively, both standing and on the ground. "I'm ready to fight. I'm an MMA fighter, from the team in São Paulo. I want to be the tournament champion and then fight for the title. I want to get to the top, to make history inside the organization, which is without any doubt, one of the best events I have ever participated! What caught my attention most, above all things was the way they (XFC) treat the athletes. "
Felipe also says that if he could choose an opponent to face in the finals, he would like to fight Bruno Canetti. Nothing personal, just to be able to star in a classic Brazil x Argentina championship inside the hexagon. But he prefers not to think about that for now and just focus on Alex Kaspary, his opponent for April 26 XFCi 4.
XFCi 4 Season One Semi-Finals will take place live from Sao Paulo Brazil, on April 26, 2014 at 00:30am Brasilia time/ 11:30pm Eastern Standard time on REDE TV and streamed worldwide at XFCMMA.com.
PROFILE:
Name: Felipe Douglas
Nickname: Buakaw
Birthday: 09/05/1992
From: Taubaté
Weight Class: Featherweight
Team: 011 MMA Team
Accomplishments: Muay thai black belt, Jiu-jitsu blue belt
Record: 9-1-0
Article by Val Carnaval
