Baboo Da Silva

Biography and career

Mauricio "Baboo" Da Silva was born on November 28, 1967, in Ivaipora, Parana, Brazil. He began training in Kyokushin karate at age 17 under Shihan Seiji Isobe in São Paulo, alongside future world champion Francisco Filho. As an uchi-deshi, he lived in Isobe's dojo; Isobe is credited with bringing Kyokushin to Brazil. Da Silva holds a 1st Dan black belt in Kyokushin and served as a sparring partner for the Brazilian Kyokushin World Cup team, working with Filho and Glaube Feitosa. After Filho won the Kyokushin world championship in 1999, Da Silva became his sparring partner and kickboxing trainer. During this period, he also trained in Muay Thai, kickboxing, submission wrestling, and other mixed martial arts, earning a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In 2000, he helped Filho win the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Yokohama by defeating Cyril Abidi. The following year, Filho claimed the Repechage A Tournament title at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Fukuoka, beating Sergei Ivanovich and Lloyd van Dams, then finished as runner-up at the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix Final after victories over Peter Aerts and Alexey Ignashov before losing to Mark Hunt. In 2004, Da Silva and Filho trained together at Vos Gym in Amsterdam to prepare for Filho's win over Remy Bonjasky. After Filho retired later that year, Da Silva shifted focus to working with Glaube Feitosa. The two moved to Tokyo, Japan, joining Team Ichigeki at the Ichigeki Plaza in Ebisu. The training team there consisted of three trainers: Da Silva, the only one with a Kyokushin background, focused on kickboxing and MMA; the others were Muay Thai world champion Jayson Vemoa and professional boxer Fai Falamoe, a Muhammad Ali Cup champion. Da Silva also served as a sparring partner for the Brazilian Kyokushin World Cup team in 2003 and 2005. In 2003, Feitosa placed fourth at the 8th Kyokushin World Open Tournament, and in 2005, he was named MVP at the Kyokushin Karate World Cup in Paris. From 2005, Da Silva helped train Ray Sefo at the Ichigeki Plaza. In 2007, Sefo fought Semmy Schilt for the new Super Heavyweight title at K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Yokohama; Sefo knocked Schilt down in round 1, becoming one of only three fighters in K-1 history to do so, but lost by KO in round 2. After Ewerton Teixeira became the 9th Kyokushin World Champion in 2007, he entered K-1 in 2008 and joined Team Ichigeki, where Da Silva trained him. In his first year, Teixeira won the Japan K-1 WGP Tournament Championship by defeating Keijiro Maeda at K-1 World GP 2008 in Fukuoka. Da Silva also trained visiting fighters at Ichigeki Plaza, including Jan Nortje for MMA and kickboxing fights against Peter Aerts, Gary Goodridge, Tom Erikson, and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou; Doug Viney for fights against Badr Hari and Zabit Samedov; Mighty Mo, who beat Kim Min-Soo at Hero's 8; and Akebono Taro for his K-1 PREMIUM 2005 Dynamite!! MMA fight against Bobby Ologun. Da Silva himself fought Sylvester Terkay at K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!! under K-1 MMA rules and lost by TKO. He also fought Nobuaki Kakuda in the K-1 Andy Memorial 2001 Japan GP Final. In Ichigeki events, he won by 1R KO in January 2002 at "1.11 Ichigeki", won by 1R KO against Tiger at "8.10 Ichigeki" in August 2002, and lost by 2R KO against Nishda at "2.22 Ichigeki" in February 2003.