Jiu-Jitsu Phenom Paixao Headed To WEC

By Frank Curreri

In Brazilian jiu-jitsu circles, Fredson Paixao is a living legend. But in the MMA universe, five years into his pro career and in the midst of his athletic prime, he remains an obscure fighter.

The fact that Paixao is a king in one domain and a mere commoner in another is somewhat striking given the freakish athletic potential that he possesses. The Brazilian native turned Las Vegas transplant is overflowing with physical talent. Anyone who has seen him during a training session will likely come away thinking, ‘That guy is an animal,’ meaning it as a compliment, of course. Paixao is jaw-dropping explosive for a featherweight: He can deep squat 405 pounds for four reps and deadlift 375 pounds for eight reps. Even when he’s fond of his training partners, he occasionally sends them to the hospital with his other-worldly strength. Some sparring mates have been knocked out, others have been put out of commission with torn ligaments in their knees or wrenched ankles that hurt for weeks and served as constant reminders of Paixao’s supreme submission prowess.

“Oh my God – he’s the strongest guy at 145 pounds right now,” said Carlos Sanchez, a hulking 200-pounder who is a training partner, close friend and confidante to Paixao and owns a massive scar on his left thigh that was given to him by a Paixao heel strike that developed into a dangerous hematoma. “He’s the strongest guy at 145 walking the earth right now. The stuff he does is not normal for a 145 pounder or even a 200 pounder. You’ll see.”

Yes, we will see come April 5th in Chicago, when Paixao (8-2) is scheduled to clash with Wagnney Fabiano (11-1), widely considered one of the premier featherweights in the world.

Paixao, 29, is feeling antsy and impatient for the matchup. When he signed with the WEC, Paixao and his representative, Sanchez, boldly asked the organization’s braintrust if they could face the top three fighters in the super-stacked featherweight division. No tune-ups, no steppingstones, no “safe” fights. Paixao wanted Jose Aldo -- now. He wanted Urijah Faber -- next. He wanted someone like Wagnney Fabiano or Leonard Garcia right after that. And if he could pull off three straight upsets, a shot at the title might be next. It was an uncommon wish list for a fighter who hadn’t even made his WEC debut and is absent from any Top 10 lists of featherweights of lightweights. And the WEC brass have essentially called Paixao’s bluff.

But Paixao’s master plan begs the question, why the rush? He’s only 29, after all – four years younger than Fabiano and Brown.

“This is his life, this is the only opportunity he’s got,” said Sanchez, who translates for Paixao and does the vast majority of talking during his interviews. “He’s 29 years old; he’s not a kid. This is the opportunity of his life, so he’s got to hold onto it and not let go. He ain’t got a second chance.”

Up until this point in his career, Paixao has seemed a bit one-dimensional. While standing, he has looked flat-footed and shown limited head movement, generally waiting for his opponents to strike so he can dart in for a clinch or a takedown. Yet Paixao’s last fight was almost two years ago, a first-round submission victory over journeyman Thomas Denny. Most notably, Paixao fought at welterweight that night and tipped the scales at 167 pounds. He is much more svelte and chiseled these days, and has sparred with a host of Vegas-area fighters, including UFC fighters Wanderlei Silva and Matt Brown. Paixao’s boxing trainer is Roberto Valdez, a former trainer for the Cuban National Boxing Team.

“He will not get knocked out,” Sanchez asserted of Paixao, whose two losses were both by decision. “It will not happen. I can only tell you from sparring with him: He hits like a heavyweight. Whatever he hits, he’s out to break stuff. His punches are wicked.”

Such punching prowess, not evidenced in earlier Paixao fights, would be a revelation. But in MMA, such surprises are common occurrences. Time and again, heralded grapplers such as Gabriel Gonzaga, Josh Koscheck, Mike Brown and Rashad Evans have shocked fans and opponents alike with devastating punches and head kicks. Until further notice, however, many will presume Paixao is not a particularly dangerous striker, though perhaps his standup game has dramatically evolved. Rather interestingly, he doesn’t think Fabiano is all he’s cracked up to be.

Paixao was originally scheduled to fight Jose Aldo, but the bout was scrapped due to visa-related issues for Paixao. He is hoping to storm through Fabiano and then take on Aldo, who is also trained by Andre Pederneiras. They feel that Fabiano poses even less of a threat than Aldo.

“He doesn’t see Wagnney putting him in danger with anything,” Sanchez said. “He feels comfortable. This guy is a submission guy so it will be easier. This is going to end up on the ground. Wagnney is a submission guy; all of his wins are by submission except for one.”

Much of Paixao’s newfound urgency may be rooted in his impoverished upbringing. Growing up in Manaus, Brazil, he was forced to work at a young age.

“Like a lot of Brazilians, I was poor,” said Paixao, who was raised by a single mother after his father abandoned them. “I was a vendor selling ice cream in the streets. I was selling them for 10 cents to help my family. I had to eat the ice cream because I didn’t have money to eat … but I ate more than I sold and my mom would get upset. When I was nine, I sold pastries for a neighbor. I ate all of the pastries and just worked for that one day.”

As a teenager, one of Paixao’s friends suggested that he train Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Paixao, a fan of Kung Fu and Karate, resisted the idea, thinking jiu-jitsu was for sissies. He went to a local jiu-jitsu academy, not to work out, but to make some extra money cleaning the mats. When he finished his chore, the instructor encouraged him to become a student. Paixao accepted, and the next day – his very first day of practice – many students took turns tapping him and cranking on his limbs. Paixao was 16 years old. Within two years he earned his purple belt, won the Mundials and was immediately promoted to Black Belt. He skipped the brown belt ranking altogether, which is highly unusual.

Paixao, who is an avid chess player, believing it bolsters his decision-making skills on the mat, admits that MMA is not something he loves.

“I love jiu-jitsu,” he says. “I never liked MMA until I found out you could make money doing it. I like the money so now I like MMA. I consider myself one of the good fighters and now I have to show it. This is my opportunity to show who I am.”