By Danny Jones, @Tidy_MMA
In his 2008 book Outliers: The Story of Success, Canadian author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell wrote “Outliers are those who have been given opportunities – and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them”.
In the realm of mixed martial arts, perhaps none typify Malcom Gladwell’s definition more than Igor Siqueira.
Holding a 10-2 professional record, the Brazilian flyweight has emerged as a household name on the regional scene. Indeed, since 2021 all but one of the Interim LFA Flyweight Champion’s professional bouts have been championship contests.
While such accolades are astounding by their own merit, Igor’s rise is truly exceptional when factoring the relative obscurity of his birthplace.
Tucked into the Amazon rainforest on the banks of the Moju River, Igor’s hometown of Moju eludes wider attention outside of Brazil. Despite holding a population of 84,094 residents – a population comparable to that of Franklin, Tennessee – information pertaining to the Paraense municipality located in the north of the country is scarce for those of limited Portuguese proficiency. As a riverfront city, many of the local population are fishers, using their catch for trade or consumption. Indeed, the principal meal consumed by the locals is a combination of fish and açaí – a berry collected from the local palm trees.
It was from Moju that Igor launched his professional MMA career in 2017. In just under two years, the Brazilian amassed a flawless 6-0 record, earning victories across the state of Pará before respective wins in the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, and Colombian capital city Medellín. Only upon his first professional loss – a defeat to LFA alumnus Mark Climaco in Tijuana, Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic – did Igor contemplate a move away from his beloved hometown in pursuit of a new gym.
“I stayed as much as I could in Moju” Igor admits. “I tried to honour my coaches, my team, and my masters as much as I could, but it just got to a point where I knew I had to look for bigger and better things. I was only going to evolve as a fighter if I was fighting and training with the best”.
Igor moved to Natal in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte to join Pitbull Brothers – the gym of renowned MMA siblings Patrício and Patricky “Pitbull” Freire. It was a move that swiftly paid dividends. Igor captured the Flyweight Championship of a regional promotion in Mexico and defended it successfully, before making a second victorious trip to Medellín, Colombia. Subsequently, Igor signed with LFA, debuting at LFA 161 in Commerce, California against Cody Davis for the LFA Flyweight Championship; while Igor lost the bout, he showcased a spirited performance.
It was in Spring of 2024, however, when all truly fell into place for Igor, albeit under chaotic circumstances.
Originally, Igor was scheduled to compete against Kevin Fernandez at LFA 180 in Louisville, Kentucky on March 29th, 2024. However, the bout was cancelled after Fernandez was struck by a car while jogging during fight week.
Separately, LFA Flyweight Champion Eduardo Chapolin was scheduled to defend the LFA Flyweight Championship against Eimar Hernandez one week later at LFA 181 in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Chapolin was forced to withdraw from that bout, however, due to injury. With the champion out, Eimar Hernandez would instead compete for the Interim LFA Flyweight Championship, against a new opponent – Jordan Harris. However, Harris would himself withdraw from the bout due to an injury of his own. Thus, Eimar Hernandez was again given a new opponent for the Interim LFA Flyweight Championship – Igor.
“I trained hard for one opponent, I get there, [and] the fight doesn’t happen” Igor laments. “Then, all of a sudden, I’m in the US for another week to fight someone else. There was a lot of adjusting to do. Just staying on championship weight for two weeks – more than you’re planning on staying – is also something that ends up weighing a lot”.
On the night of his Interim LFA Flyweight Championship bout at LFA 181, just as he stood behind the curtain ready to make his walkout, Igor was informed of an immediate interval in the broadcast. Unbeknownst to Igor, the ringside physician was accompanying an injured athlete to the hospital – as athletes are unable to compete in the absence of a ringside physician, the bout was delayed until the physician returned.
“While I was waiting, I was warming up, slipping my head and throwing that power hand” Igor says. “That’s all I was doing in warm up. I did that for about fifteen minutes. I walked into the cage. First kick I threw, I threw that kick without any combinations, and I saw that my opponent countered me right away. So, I thought ‘Wow, [Eimar Hernandez] really studied me; he’s countering me right as I kick’. So, I took a knockdown there. Got back up, continued fighting. Seconds later, I threw another kick – my opponent counters me again the same way. I’m like ‘Okay, he studied me, he’s studied me a lot, so the next time I kick, I’m gonna move my head’. So, I threw the third kick. When I threw the third kick, I moved my head. I saw [Eimar Hernandez’s] hand going by, and I automatically threw that right hand that I was training behind the curtains – before I walked in”.
It would take Igor just 67-seconds to defeat Eimar Hernandez via knockout to become the new Interim LFA Flyweight Champion. When referee Rob Madrigal moved Igor away from his downed opponent, Igor immediately lapped the octagon, unleashing a guttural roar before scaling the fence. It was a reaction that extended beyond pure jubilation – it was an outpouring of raw emotion.
“When it hit, it was just a mixture of relief for everything that I had gone through the past 10-14 days, to finally being able to get crowned” Igor admits. “All my hard work being crowned right there, and it was just pure emotion, right then and there. Everything just cascaded into my mind, and it was the weight of me relieving and putting out all that energy”.
In the wake of LFA 181, Igor made a return visit to his hometown, Moju. While there, he took the opportunity to visit several local schools – Escola Oton Gomes de Lima, Escola Pedro Nery, Escola Santa Rosa, Escola Seu Jó do Jupuúba, Escola Betânia, and Escola Dona Zila.
Such is his humility, Igor worried about visiting the schools, as he feared nobody would know who he was. The reception he received, however, exceeded his wildest imaginations.
“Everybody knew me” Igor says. “There were kids crying to see me, [holding] signs and pictures. I felt really motivated because sometimes you work so hard… your body is aching, you’re tired, and you’re just at home and sometimes not really motivated because you haven’t had the opportunity you had yet. [Then] I remember these kids and the respect they have for me, and the way they look up to me. Now, by being the interim champ, my big dream is to not only become the reigning champ at the end of this month, but also be able to one day make it to the UFC – be able to be the first UFC fighter from Moju and inspire more and more kids. It’s a responsibility, but at the same time, it’s a great motivation”.
On August 23rd 2024, Igor features in a third LFA main-event, as his LFA journey comes full circle. Returning to The Commerce Casino & Hotel in Commerce, California – the venue in which he lost his LFA debut – Igor will compete in a Flyweight Championship unification bout against current LFA Flyweight Champion Eduardo Chapolin at LFA 190, in the first all-Brazilian LFA Flyweight Championship contest.
“God gave me the pen and the paper, and it’s time for me to rewrite my story in the same arena” Igor says. “It’s happened to me before. My first fight in Mexico, I lost. When I went back to Brazil, I wanted to go back to Mexico to redeem myself. I ended up going back to Mexico for a title fight, won the title in Mexico, and ended up defending my title successfully shortly after that in Mexico as well”.
“Look, it’s all up to me” Igor continues. “I’m not in unknown territory, I’ve been in this situation before. Unfortunately, the first fight in Commerce Casino didn’t go my way. I believe it was potentially fight of the night. I won a couple of rounds but didn’t do enough to beat [Cody Davis]. I had my opportunity to go back to the US for the LFA once again, and through adversity I was able to become the new interim champ. I believe that these are just signs that God is giving me – making me stronger and making me more motivated to go back and go full circle. Like I said, he gave me the pen and the paper, now it’s up to me to put in that hard work and rewrite that story with blood, sweat and tears”.
The author extends his utmost gratitude to Igor Siqueira, Max Soares, and Jamie McClintock for making this article possible.
Interview translation courtesy of Max Soares.
Image sourced from Igor Siqueira on X (@igorsiqueiramma).
