Steven Goncalves kicks during the EFC 73 Fight Night at Sun City. Anton Geyser Steven Goncalves kicks during the EFC 73 Fight Night at Sun City. Anton Geyser
CAPE TOWN - In these trying times mixed martial artist Steven “Guts” Goncalves is living by Albert Einstein’s words: “in the midst of every crisis, lies a great opportunity.”
“The lockdown basically slowed down full contact training (jiu jitsu, wrestling and MMA), but that didn’t stop me,” says the Brave Combat Federation MMA athlete.
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the world in a devastating fashion and the lockdown implemented across the globe has seen various combat sport gyms close down as some patrons were unable to attend and/or pay their fees.
“From running, shadow boxing, weights and not to mention movement, animal walks, meditation and breathing techniques all played an integral part in keeping my mind focused and level-headed during these testing times, ” says Goncalves (6-3).
“It has been heavy on one hand, my wife is a beautician and she hasn’t been able to work, yet it works as a blessing as she is pregnant and we will very shortly be welcoming our little girl into this realm. So ‘in every crisis there is an opportunity’ as Albert Einstein said,” says the father-to-be.
Goncalves made his transition over from the Extreme Fighting Championship to Brave CF and following a strong run in the EFC (4-1), he’s yet to get his hand raised in the tough featherweight division of the Bahrain-based organisation following two losses.
According to Tapology.com he was set to fight Nikolay Grozdev on April 4, an event which obviously fell through due to Covid-19 forcing all events to be cancelled or postponed.
Now with things slowly starting up once more, Steven is keen on getting back into the cage again.
“With my wife being due soon, I will have to wait a while before I fight as I want to support her and my child through this process as best I can. I will speak to my manager and work something out regarding a fight in Brave in September. I really am itching to train properly and get a good camp in and go represent," he says.
"I am really focused on the mixed martial arts aspect of my life now and it is the time to go all-in because I have the belief that with the people in my corner, and the skills I am putting together and learning, I can achieve greatness."
Goncalves – who has been in the stunt game and movie world for a while, says that the new Fight to Fame reality show hitting South Africa soon is ‘interesting’.
“I haven’t heard of the Fight to Fame concept yet. It sounds interesting. I would need more info before I would consider entering.
“It is a great avenue to earn an income being a stuntman but there is a different skill set that is involved in combat sports as opposed to film-fighting and skills such as free-running, gymnastics and acrobatics can come in very useful to perform certain stunts. A certain level of acting and performance ability is required, too,” he adds.
According to an interview with The BigAl Podcast, Goncalves has worked on shows such as Black Sails, Troy and Grimsby thus far.
“I am doing some stunts jobs if they come to Jozi (Johannesburg). Stunt work is an amazing field to be in, it is home to some of the best people and most talented athletes and performers I have ever had the privilege of meeting,” he added.
* For more details on Fight to Fame visit the website www.fight2fame.com or checkout the Facebook page.