Davi Cabral is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. Photo: personal archive.
Davi Cabral’s first steps in Jiu-Jitsu already began in a very inspiring environment for a boy who in the future would dedicate his life to the sport. Davi Cabral, from Rio de Janeiro, started at the beginning of 2010 at Team Nogueira, in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes neighborhood, and became part of the same team as the Nogueira brothers, Rogério and Rodrigo, and Anderson Silva, MMA legends. Pursuing a career in this modality would be a reality in Cabral’s adult phase, but before that, it was Jiu-Jitsu that pushed him into his life as an athlete.
“They were the inspirations for me to awaken this dream of fighting within me and having access to the same training place as these guys was already, for me, a huge achievement.”, Cabral said, now a Jiu-Jitsu black-belt.
Davi Cabral always liked the competitive atmosphere and, when he reached the highest level of graduation, he didn’t settle down. On the contrary, competing a lot as a black-belt, in the elite of the sport, requires willpower and dedication. In the colored belts, Davi Cabral was a No Gi Brazilian Nationals, as a blue-belt, and two years later, with the purple-belt around his waist, he won the IBJJF Pans, also No Gi. The Euros title came in March, 2020. As a black-belt, Davi Cabral’s main triumphs were in grappling, winning gold at the South American and No Gi Pans. In the latter, he beat Haisam Rida in the final, an athlete with good grappling credentials. A title that he carries throughout his career as one of his most memorable.
“It’s very difficult to choose just one, but this one was special. Many people expected to see me fight against a renowned athlete who was at the top, Haisam Rida, and I managed to win the final by putting on a very dominant fight, imposing my game from the bottom and on top. Beating someone of that level, in his prime, was very good and important for opening many doors as well. I always believed in myself, but I had come from a long journey without competing at the highest level of No Gi and there was a lot of hype surrounding this fight because Haisam Rida had just beaten great Jiu-Jitsu exponents, with a brilliant campaign at the ADCC”, Davi recalled.
Davi continues to shine in international MMA
For someone who defines himself as passionate about the pre-competition sensations, “this adrenaline and a rush of learning”, Davi is now experiencing the experience of being an MMA fighter, a natural course for many fighters who shine in Jiu-Jitsu competitions. In his last commitment, the athlete, who now lives in Texas, USA, fought in the Peak Fighting Championship and his opponent was Roderick Stewart, defeated by submission.
“I followed the strategy to the letter and knew how to read the blows. My intention was to achieve a conventional takedown and following the fighting strategy of striking, opening the way for the takedown. During the fight, I realized that my kicks would not only be important to freeze the opponent, but I was also able to use them. When we get to the ground like this, it gives us relief, a feeling that we are now dictating the pace.”, the champion analyzed.
Competing in MMA, and motivated by the dream of one day signing a contract with the UFC, a desire that he has maintained since his first training sessions, Davi Cabral does not intend to abandon Jiu-Jitsu. In both grappling and Gi Jiu-Jitsu, he plans to take superfights. If he were to mention a goal, he is aiming for gold at the IBJJF No Gi Worlds, an achievement that has not yet been achieved.
“Right now I aim to one day be able to fight in Las Vegas for the UFC and make a boyhood dream come true. I believe that everything we do with love, discipline and focus, we end up getting a return on. I’m in no rush, I’m young, I just turned 25 and today I see that people’s peak is around 30 years old, so I still have a long way to go, a lot to improve and learn on this journey. My rise in MMA is largely due to everything I’ve built in Jiu-Jitsu, not only in technical terms, but all the experience and wisdom I’ve acquired fighting at the highest level of the sport for so many years.”, Davi says, ready for even bigger challenges.
