A young Brazilian got more than he bargained for when he attended a mixed martial arts event in Juiz de Fora over the weekend as a fan - and left as the new welterweight champion.
22-year-old Luis Felipe Alvim and girlfriend Fabiana had to dip into their savings to buy tickets for the Juiz de Fora Fight 18 at the Gran Victory Hotel in the city in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, after their plan to sell brownies at the venue's entrance failed.
Once inside, Alvim - a keen MMA fan with a black belt in muay thai and blue belt in jiu-jitsu - greeted his coach Felipe Silva, who told him that the welterweight bout was in doubt after a late withdrawal.
Alvim offered to step in as a replacement for Claudinei Kall, who was due to fight Carlos Eduardo Rufino, but pulled out after Rufino failed to make weight in the 170-pound category.
According to mmafighting.com, the spot had already been promised to another fighter, but less than an hour before the main event, the replacement also had second thoughts.