Toninho Furia: In his own words

Toninho Furia fights in the 16-man opening round of the ROAD FC $1 Million Lightweight Tournament at Xiaomi ROAD FC 040 on July 15, 2017.

Gleristone Santos is now more commonly known by his fight nickname “Toninho Furia”. The Brazilian veteran has a massive 39 MMA fights over 11 years. His life in MMA has not been easy, but his fighting spirit has stayed strong and true. Here is Toninho Furia's story in his own words.

My first martial arts

I'm from Brazil, orb and raised in Campina Grande, Paraiba.  Now I live in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. Here in the North East we have that culture of starting our careers really early, so we acquire a lot of experience over the years. But life is hard, there's not really much support, and few fighters are successful because of the lack of structure and proper training. I was blessed to have a chance to make a living out of it, thanks to God.

I started at Karate at 5 years old and went to Capoeira at 9. When I was 12, I stopped doing martial arts because of the end of my parent's marriage. We went through some really tough times. I stopped studying and started to walk in bad company. My older brother Kelles used to train and compete at Jiu Jitsu, and he rescued me. He brought me to a very small and humble gym.

I always liked fights, I'm a big Bruce Lee and Jean Claude Van Damme fan. I always liked the striking arts. I didn't like BJJ or grappling. What made me curious to train BJJ was when my brother gave me my first kimono and had me train with a kid 10kgs lighter than me. The kid submitted me 5 times and I couldn't understand how it happened! So I wanted to learn Jiu Jitsu, and I never stopped.

MMA Teams

I met Cage Rage and PRIDE veteran Jean Silva in 2005. He told me that if I wanted to be part of his team, I had to study, so I went back to school. The experience with him as an athlete and as a person is something that I carry with me up to this day.

I trained 6 years at Brazilian Top Team with Murilo Bustamante. I learned a lot and I'm very thankful for everything he did for me at the time, but it ended in a sad way. I missed a UFC opportunity, and my training conditions and quality of life when I signed with Bellator were really poor. I was 27 years old, I had a family to support.

Then I met Patricio Freire at my second fight for Bellator. We fought in the past. He was the responsible for my only knock out loss, back in 2008. He was fighting at the same event, but he saw I was alone and couldn't speak English. So he was kind to me, he translated for me and helped me to cut weight, and invited me to train at his gym Pitbull Brothers with no obligations. One month later I was in Natal, and I was very warmly welcomed by them.

Patricio has a wide and incredible vision, and he has great friendships and professional relationships like with Matheus Aquino (my new manager), Thiago Tourão (the team's head coach) and many others.

Fight Career

When I was just 16, with only two months of practice, I had my MMA debut. I went to watch my brother fight, and an athlete from our team didn't show up. Someone had seen me train with my brother and they asked me to replace him right there. I accepted and won! I didn't have much technique but I was fast and explosive, and it caught people's attention.

In 2010 I went to Rio de Janeiro to try to make a living as a fighter. It was a pretty big risk. I beat a guy that people were saying was close to signing with the UFC, Diego Braga, a Brazilian Muay Thai Champion. After I won, the doors started opening for me. I was ranked as the best in my weight class in Brazil, and I became a two-weight class champion at Bitetti Combat. These are my most prestigious titles on the national scene, and in my 39 fights in MMA, I have great affection for the memory. With those two titles, I was able to get international opportunities that led me to ROAD FC.

In Titan FC, I was very well physically, mentally and technically. But I broke my arm, so when I had my Bellator debut I was in the worst condition of my life. I didn't have the money for recovery, the ability to pay my bills, or provide for my family. I was probably at 50% of my potential. I'm not trying to take anything away from John "Macapa" - it was a good fight. Still, I believe I won. Jimmy Smith, the TV commentator, said I won it too.

I was much better in the second fight, and I should have won that as well. Once again Jimmy Smith and the US media scored the fight for me. Some people called it the “Robbery Of The Year”. I was cut from Bellator, and I thought about ending my fight career - I was so depressed. But Patricio rescued me and reignited my fire for the fight, for the victory, and for the dream of being a world champion.

I have to thank God for everything that happens in my life. Things happened they way they did in Bellator because he had a plan for me. It has enabled me to participate in ROAD FC's $1 million tournament.

Preparation

At Pitbull Brothers, I've been mostly working with Patricky and we're in the same weight class. It's been great because he's high level, has a style like mine, and is pretty aggressive. I've been learning a lot and we can contribute to each other's development and share knowledge all the time. Although I have very good Jiu Jitsu fundamentals, I have been especially improving my wrestling with Eric Albarracin.

The $1 Million Tournament Field

I believe I'm the athlete who has the most weapons in this tournament, in this weight class. There are fighters with big names who are very tough, I know it'll be a hard battle to get to the finals and win, but I'm very well prepared. I've been fighting my entire life, I have a career of 11 years, and I'm sure I have the most techniques. I've been evolving a lot with a great team, and I'm certain that I'll be back on my best style. I'm Toninho Furia, I'm aggressive and tactical, and I'm sure this will make the difference in the tournament.

I don't have a lot to say about my opponent. Every time we step in the ring there's a 50% chance of winning or losing. But I'm very well prepared, I'm ready to get a knock out. I believe it won't go past the first round. He's a guy that looks for action from the start, and so am I, but I believe in my qualities and my that my team has worked on my game so I can catch him at the right time. I'm ready for whatever comes. He can come at me hot because I'm boiling!

Nickname

I got this nickname because of my fighting style. A former trainer of mine, Eli Wanderlei, was with me and he heard people in the crowd talk about how I was "full of rage" in my entrance and during the fight. "Furia" is Portuguese for "Rage". So it ended up sticking. Toninho is short for Gleristone. I am Toninho Furia!

Motivation

My biggest motivation is my son, Nicolas Davi, who's 3 years old. I feel like when he was born I gained new ammunition, a new motivation to continue in this really hard fight game. I've gone through a lot of difficulties, but today I have a great fight team, and all my 11 years of hard work is going to pay off.

And my gratification, my prize, will be the 1 million dollars that I'm fighting for. I'm sure the maturity that I've acquired in my career of 39 fights will be the key point in winning this title.

With 1 million dollars, the first thing I intend to do is to buy a house for my family. I will start a business so that my mother can have an income. And although I can't reveal details yet, I am making a promise to help a charity organization. I'm still deciding which one with my wife. I want to give back this faith and this willpower that God has given me every day. This is what I'm ready for.

Korea and ROAD FC

I have to tell to you that I really like competing in Korea, I was very well received in my first fight. It's a very beautiful country, with welcoming people. I hope I have the Korean fans cheering for me every time I step in the cage to fight. I count on you guys rooting for me! I'll represent you in the cage, with a lot of emotion and technique, so that you all leave the show satisfied with ROAD FC. This is, without a doubt, the biggest event in Asia!

Xiaomi ROAD FC 040 takes place on Saturday, July 15, 2017 at the Jangchung Arena in Seoul, South Korea.