Ten years on the streets, addiction beaten and a 41-second MMA debut win
Ulisses Silva de Melo, 35, needed 41 seconds to submit Felipe Alvez on his professional MMA debut at Jungle Fight 156 in the Ibirapuera; he spent about ten years on the streets, three of them in Cracolândia, and now works at a factory in Pires do Rio.
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Ulisses Silva de Melo, 35 anos, subiu ao cage do Jungle Fight 156 no Ibirapuera, em São Paulo, neste sábado (24), e precisou de 41 segundos para finalizar Felipe "Mão de Pedra" Alvez na estreia profissional no MMA.
O peso do resultado vai além do cage: o combate aconteceu na cidade onde ele passou boa parte da vida sem teto. Nascido em Ipameri (GO), Ulisses viveu cerca de dez anos na rua, sendo três deles na Cracolândia, no centro paulistano, período marcado pela dependência química.
A virada teve nome: o pastor Roberto Moura. Com esse incentivo, entrou num centro de recuperação em Águas Lindas de Goiás e ficou lá por um ano e dois meses — tempo suficiente para deixar as drogas.
Hoje ele mora em Pires do Rio (GO), trabalha como auxiliar de produção numa indústria de alimentos e treina artes marciais nas horas que sobram do expediente.
Na viagem a São Paulo, dormiu num hotel a poucos passos do ponto onde costumava passar as noites.
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