Wellington Nenem wins in the WGP. Photo: Ricardo Avila
Kickboxing is in the Lopes family's blood. Wallace “Negão” Lopes, the oldest of the clan, is a four-time Brazilian champion, South American and Pan-American champion, and has already won three WGP tournaments, among other achievements. His brother, Wellington “Neném” Lopes has been following in his footsteps in the sport and has already won the Strikers and Skaus Combat belts. Last weekend, Neném added another important triumph to his resume. The Rio Fighters athlete defeated Robson “Bull Terrier” Silva in a unanimous decision at WGP 53, which took place in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, and got closer to another belt.
“WGP is one of the biggest Kickboxing events in Latin America. I was tipped to compete in the GP in the under-60kg category, which leads to the title fight. But this time, there was no GP and two foreigners fought for the belt. But, with this victory, I am tipped to be the next challenger for the title. I hope my next fight will be for the WGP belt. I'm going to train hard and work hard to get there and win my third belt”, said Neném, who spoke about his brother's importance in his career.
See too
“My brother is my inspiration in my career. We no longer live together today, but we have an excellent relationship. And I just have to thank him, because he always helped me, encouraged me and took me to competitions. I am very grateful to him. Then I met Milton Vieira, another guy who I am very grateful for, he helped me and still helps me a lot today.”
At 24 years old, Neném has made significant progress in stand-up fighting. Last year he won two Kickboxing tournaments, at Skaus Combat and Strikers. And, at the end of the year, he earned the chance to compete for the title of both organizations. The two title fights take place in just one week.
“The year 2018 was very good for me. I had six fights and won them all. And now I start the year with this victory in the WGP. Every fight, every event I'm participating in, I realize that I'm more and more ready to get to the big events like Glory, which is the biggest Kickboxing event in the world, and Bellator Kickboxing. If I get the opportunity, I will grab it tooth and nail,” he declared.
A resident of Duque de Caxias, Neném started playing the sport at the age of 13, and at 16 he was already state champion in the sport. After working for a while as a painter's assistant, he decided to dedicate himself fully to Kickboxing and MMA, where he has already had five fights under his belt.
“I'm a little away from MMA, but I always train at Rio Fighters with Miltinho Vieira. I even prepare for kickboxing fights there. But I haven't given up on MMA, I'm going to fight again soon. I'm focusing a little more on Kickboxing for now, gaining more experience and evolving so that when I return to fighting MMA I can perform better. I have five MMA fights, with three wins and two losses. So, I need to come back well, to have a good record and look for opportunities in big events”, concluded the tough guy.
Comments