Starting his career in Brazil`s vibrant funk music scene in 2008, MC Livinho always felt a connection to combat sports. With the global rise of influencer boxing, he found the perfect opportunity to embrace his passion and showcase his skills in the ring.
Holding an impressive 2-0 professional boxing record with two consecutive knockout victories over Brazilian personalities Dynho Alves and Felipe Alves, MC Livinho is set to compete again this Saturday. He will face comedian-turned-boxer Lucas Veloso at Fight Music Show 6 in Sao Paulo on May 17, an event hosted by Brazil`s leading influencer promotion.
“I had a very troubled and aggressive childhood,” MC Livinho, whose real name is Oliver Decesary Santos, shared during a training session at the Fighting Nerds gym in Sao Paulo. “God blessed me both spiritually and financially, and I was very successful when I started my career in funk. I had to work hard for many years, and doors were open for me.”
Though MC Livinho also pursued his love for football (soccer), boxing ultimately became his primary athletic pursuit. As a child, his talent even earned him a scholarship for kickboxing classes, though he only stayed for two months. Years later, having achieved fame as a funk artist with over 13 million Instagram followers, MC Livinho decided to return to combat sports.
“I first got into boxing in 2019, and from that moment, I realized I could unleash all my anger and trauma, everything I was carrying over my shoulders every day,” MC Livinho explained. “Boxing saved me. It disciplined me, it put me in a right place, and from that moment I was challenged. I was one of the first [funk artists] to train boxing, and I was challenged by Dynho Alves at FMS. That`s when I started preparing to compete against influencers, and thank God I’m going for my third match now after two knockout wins.”
“I was doing it as a hobby because I like boxing,” he added, “but when I was challenged, from that moment on, I had no fear. I’ve faced so many adversities in my life, in many street fights, there’s no such thing as fear. But it was all very new to me. And when I got that invitation, I just kept going.”
MC Livinho demonstrated his power by knocking down Dynho Alves for the finish in 2023 and impressively knocking Felipe Alves completely out of the ring.
Training under coach Erick Terere at Fighting Nerds, MC Livinho intends to continue his boxing journey as long as he enjoys it. Being surrounded by UFC athletes like Caio Borralho, Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, and Carlos Prates at the gym further fuels his excitement for the sport.
“I got here when Caio was about to go to the UFC, and I saw Ruffy, Jean, Prates,” MC Livinho recalled. “I saw their beginning, them becoming stars. And now they’re on the rise, and there are so much more to come yet, like Jair Farias, Romulo Oliveira, Icaro Brito, Felipe Douglas, so many other monsters ready to fight here. They won’t disappoint when they get the call.”
While MC Livinho isn`t considering a move from the boxing ring to the MMA cage, he has a specific opponent in mind for a dream boxing match: fellow Brazilian celebrity Whindersson Nunes.
A widely popular Brazilian comedian, Nunes has a mixed record in exhibition bouts, including an amateur win in 2019, a loss to former world champion Acelino Freitas in 2022, and a 1-3 record in exhibitions since. Most recently, Nunes lost a decision to Neeraj Goyat on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson in November.
“I would really like to fight Whindersson Nunes, but he’s not that interested,” MC Livinho admitted. “I think he has other plans now, but it would be a fight that would add a lot to the influencer boxing movement. He’s already shown for a long time he loves boxing, just like me.”
