ONE Fight Night 17: Felipe Lobo Recalls Adjustments To Life In Thailand

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To be the best, great sacrifice is required, which includes pushing yourself way past the boundaries of your comfort zone. That's a hardened lesson that #2-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Felipe Lobo discovered while chasing his combat sports dreams.

"Demolition Man" rematches Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 17: Kryklia vs. Roberts on Saturday, 9 December, in a pivotal fight with World Title ramifications looming large inside Bangkok, Thailand's prestigious Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

The gritty Brazilian Muay Thai Champion carved out his path to ONE after making the trip to Thailand 10 years ago. It was a quest that scared the youngster then, proving to be the hardest time in his life. But he's still on course to make good on his plan.

"The biggest obstacle I faced in my life was living abroad. I had never been away from my family, and at the age of 20, I came to live in Thailand," Lobo said.

"It was very difficult to adapt and be away from my family. For four, five months, I was very sad and cried a lot. It was the most difficult moment of my life."

The Brazilian almost captured gold in ONE before, losing against then-reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama in the third round at ONE X. The setback didn't extinguish his fire, though.

While Thailand's weather may be similar to Brazil's, the culture shock shook up Lobo. But while struggling to settle in, he kept family at the forefront of his mind. In fact, they served as a constant reminder as to why he was in Thailand after all.

"My biggest inspiration is my family. They give me the strength I need to continue. I always think about them. We went through a lot of difficulties, so I always think about what we went through, and I think all the time about helping them," Lobo said. "This is what gives me the strength to continue doing what I love."