Rafael Nunes’ ONE return was 3 years in the making

It’s been a long time coming, but Rafael “Indio” Nunes’ second bout in the ONE Championship cage has finally arrived.

The 30-year-old Brazilian (10-1) will make his long-awaited return to action at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERSTARS in Manila on Friday, 26 January, having overcome arguably his biggest battles outside the cage.

Nunes’ first appearance in the ONE Championship cage came back in July 2014, when he was handed his first career loss at the hands of former ONE Lightweight Title challenger Koji “The Commander” Ando.

Suffering a first defeat is always a tough blow to deal with, but Nunes’ loss inside the cage was dwarfed by the pain he had to endure outside it in the months and years that followed.

“My biggest hurdle was my loss, and right after that, my team split up and my grandfather passed away,” the Sao Paulo native explained.

Nunes’ bond with his family was a major reason for his success in martial arts. Growing up in Campinas, Sao Paulo, his passion for martial arts was first sparked by watching legendary Brazilian grappler Royce Gracie in action. It inspired a young Nunes to take up Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and eventually saw him transition his skills to the cage.

“I always liked to compete,” he said.

“Training in jiu-jitsu and martial arts made me feel more complete as an athlete.”

Supported every step of the way by his mother and grandfather, who attended all his competitions and bouts, Nunes started to climb the ranks, amassing an impressive 10-0 pro record that included nine straight finishes.

However, Nunes’ loss to Ando in 2014 began a chain of events that saw him lose his grandfather, and he also became plagued by injury.

In 2015, Nunes suffered a broken clavicle that slowed down his training, and then a bout of dengue fever left him unable to train at all.

Gradually, the pain of losing his grandfather started to pass, and his injuries eventually cleared up. He returned to training and teaching on the mats, sharpening his skills ahead of his eventual return to the cage.

“I entered a lot of jiu-jitsu competitions, I became a Brazilian Champion in Muay Thai, and have been competing a lot in amateur boxing,” he explained.

“I am very close to my family, and it was them who supported me to compete inside the cage again.

“If it was not for them, I would have already quit.”

Now, after three and a half years away, “Indio” will finally make his return to the ONE Championship cage when he takes on Filipino Eric “The Natural” Kelly at ONE: GLOBAL SUPERHEROES at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines.

“The opportunity came up and I was in a good shape,” he said.

“I have not competed in a long time, and I think Eric Kelly is a good match to come back to.”

His three years away have allowed Nunes the chance to round out his skillset, and he has been working hard on his Muay Thai and boxing in preparation to face the stand-up skills of Kelly. But the Brazilian says he’d be more than happy to entertain his opponent on the ground, should the bout find its way down to the mat.

“I see me keeping the match standing, and I will be using my distance to box with him and use some kicks,” he said.

“If he wants to go to the ground. I will be trying to finish him.”