Claudio Silva is riding one of the longest winning streaks in the UFC welterweight division after dispatching the five men he’s faced in the octagon. More than two decades ago, however, bad decisions almost drove “Hannibal” away from the sport for good.
Silva, whose father was in the military in Brazil, was raised with a rod of iron. At age 7, he joined karate classes in Uberlandia. He then moved to other arts of combat like capoeira and jiu-jitsu. Silva wasn’t “forced” by this father to train combat sports, but was “encouraged.” At age 10, his father decided it was time to teach his son how to shoot guns.