Brazilian representative in the 2025 season of the Contender Series, Guilherme Uriel, also known as 'Urso', is preparing for the most important fight of his career so far. Directly from Mairiporã (SP), the 28-year-old heavyweight (up to 120,2kg) seeks to find his eighth victory against Dana White and his allies. Scheduled for an event that takes place this Tuesday (19), the fighter will have the opportunity to face Josh Hokit , an American who deliberately insulted Brazil and its customs.
Newly arrived in the sport, Guilherme, whose main focus is jiu-jitsu, spoke exclusively to SUPER LUTAS about his journey to achieving his dream opportunity to fight in the Contender Series.
See too
“I always did Jiu-Jitsu, with my masters Robert and Danny Abu, from Abu Brothers. Charles do Bronx trained with them back in the Macaco Gold Team days, and my desire was always to fight MMA. My mother became very close friends with the masters at the time, and you know how mothers are: 'I didn't want my son to do that, he's too aggressive,' and they always steered me towards Jiu-Jitsu.”
“I have eight world championships with the CBJJE, an Abu Dhabi Grand Slam that took place in Curitiba, South American, Brazilian, Pan American, but I always wanted to go into MMA”
Guilherme Urso at 22 years old in a jiu-jitsu competition. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ursouriel_mma
Arrival in MMA
Having made his professional debut in 2022, the Brazilian highlighted setbacks that ultimately led him to the new sport. Aggressive in his fights, Uriel acknowledged he was on the right track by claiming two victims in one night.
"The Abu brothers' team ended up moving. I'm from Mairiporã, which was already far away, and when they moved, it became even farther away. I ended up looking for another team and joined Master Barbosa's. That's where I had the opportunity to fight at Fight Club. It was an amateur fighting GP, and we won the first fight well. I ended up getting an armbar and broke the guy's arm. We qualified, and the final fight was going to be broadcast live on Band. The other athletes didn't want to fight; the organizer said to choose the last winner against the champion."
"We went from amateur to semi-pro, live on Band, all in the same day. The teacher asked what I was going to do, and I replied, 'You're in hell, hug the devil, let's go.' Two minutes in, a kick to the thigh, a hand sequence, and I won by TKO. Then the will was awakened, and here we are."
Guilherme Urso wins MMA. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @urielurso_mma
Complete fighter
Despite having taken his first steps based on jiu-jitsu, Guilherme assured that he also has great ability to perform in stand-up combat, using his boxing skills.
"Whenever the band plays, we're dancing. I really enjoy my grappling and jiu-jitsu; I'll always put jiu-jitsu first. But for the past few years, I've been really improving my handball. I fought in the National Boxing Council against the number two ranked fighter, and I won by unanimous decision. I was supposed to fight for the CNB belt, but I got the invite (to the Contender Series), so we ended up putting it aside."
Contender Series Opponent
Facing Josh Hokit , 'Urso' expects nothing more than the opportunity to teach his rival some manners. Annoyed by his opponent's gratuitous attack, who used social media to provoke him, the Brazilian promised an aggressive performance in the Apex octagon.
"To be where we're going, no one is foolish. He deserves his due. I respect him, something he hasn't been showing us. His Instagram performance wasn't great. But to get there, he did the job well, with his five wins, but now the big guy is coming, nothing like the opponents he's faced before. He's got to wait because he's going to put on a heavyweight show, and it will be different."
“He said that every Brazilian who likes football is gay, called me a nigger , said a lot of things. Brazilians saw it, started messaging him, bombarding him. We have to go there and show a top-notch performance to our boss, not just talk, anyone can talk. Now I want to see what happens inside. I just responded in kind, saying that the bear is coming, that the bear doesn't talk, he acts.”
Josh Hokit (left) face off against Guilherme Uriel (right) at the Contender Series. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Tough walk to the top
Finally, Guilherme recalled his journey to the present moment and assured that he is willing to do everything necessary to achieve greater heights in his career as a professional fighter.
“My father didn’t like what I did (fighting), so he said that if I wanted to do this, I had to figure it out myself, work hard, do the right things, nothing wrong. I’ve worked as a caretaker, a gardener, everything in my life. Thank God there’s no such thing as bad weather; whatever job comes along, we take it on. Anyone who says getting here was easy, that’s not true. There are always challenges, injuries. I fought with three torn ligaments; I could have said no, but what other chance would I have to fight after that? My parents said they didn’t support me. And we went, we won, and after we won, my master showed Rafael Feijão the paperwork , proving that we’re here, committed, and here we are,” he concluded.
Exclusive: Michael PQD talks about his brutal UFC debut victory.
Read More about: Contender Series, exclusive access, Guilherme Uriel, Josh Hokit, MMA, UFC, Ultimate
You need to log in to comment.