Shido Esperança: The Rise of an African Welterweight Contender
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Shido Esperança is widely recognized as one of the best welterweights in Africa. From becoming the AFL Champion—the largest Spanish MMA organization—to preparing for his next big challenge as a headliner in the PFL Africa tournament in 2025, Shido has forged a remarkable path in MMA.
We revisit his inspiring career, from his beginnings in Angola and Spain to his ambitions in MMA, and his insights on the sport in Africa and Europe:
The Early Days & Building A Legacy
Can you introduce yourself for people who don’t know you?
Shido Esperança: “My name is Shido. I’m 29 years old. I was born in Angola, but I grew up in Spain, and now I live in Portugal. I started training when I was 13 years old and did sports all my life. But, I started fighting when I was 13 years old. Nowadays, I’m a black belt in kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. My base is in grappling. I’m a grappler. I consider myself a good grappler.
One of my goals has already been fulfilled, which is to enter a great league. Now, my next goal is to be talked about all over the world, to be among the best, to be the champion of every organization I enter, and to build a legacy. I want to build a legacy for the rest of my career. I want to do my best for myself, for those who come after me, and for the people who follow me.”
Transitioning From Grappling To MMA
As a grappling specialist, Shido faced initial challenges adapting to MMA. Reflecting on these difficulties, he highlighted the importance of mastering striking distance.
As a grappler, did you have any difficulties adapting to MMA?
Shido Esperança: “The biggest difficulty as a grappler is always in the striking. And my biggest difficulty was in the distance, in perceiving the secrets of the distance in the strike, which is practically everything. And I would say that it was a difficulty that I am surpassing every day. Every day I am better in controlling the distance.
In the world of MMA, you have to be connected to everything. And I would say that the biggest difficulty I had was in controlling the distance. But nowadays, it is no longer one of my biggest problems.”
Shido also emphasizes the importance of being a well-rounded fighter in modern MMA.
Do you have to be a complete fighter in modern MMA?
Shido Esperança: “I think nowadays it’s very important to be complete in everything. To be good at everything. Nowadays the new generation does everything and everyone has striking. Everyone has wrestling too, and a ground game.
The big difference is that we have a lot of fighters who know everything. But they are not masters of anything. Nowadays, we find athletes with very strong bases in certain areas that make the difference. We can talk about Alex Pereira, we can talk about Khabib. And we also have the opposite. We have people who were so complete that they could adapt to any type of game like Georges St-Pierre.
So for me, nowadays, it’s very important to control all sectors. But you always have to realize that every fighter has a tendency. So make an effort to improve your tendency. Your tendency can be standing or on the ground. So if you identify one of the two, what you have to do is specialize.”
Professional Growth: From Africa To The Global Stage
Shido’s professional career began in Africa, where he participated in welterweight tournaments like WSC’s. He vividly recalls his preparation for the grueling tournament, where he fought four matches in just three days.
How did you prepare for this kind of tournament?
Shido Esperança: “I knew it was going to be tough. I had tough opponents. Africans have a strong natural race. So I had to train hard. I would wake up very early to go to university. I would wake up, leave the university, go out to do my first workout. Then I would rest and do another workout at night. I did this every day. I would reconcile my studies with my workouts.
My preparation was very demanding and very tough. I knew I had an advantage over the others. I have very strong wrestling and knew I had to beat the majority of them. But I met very strong people there. They gave me a lot of difficulties. I had to adapt to each fight. I had to think about each challenge. Victory after victory until I reached the final.”
Winning this tournament cemented his reputation as a top African fighter and eventually opened doors for him internationally.
You won this tournament and became the champion of one of the biggest African organizations. Was this a goal you had for your career?
Shido Esperança: “Let’s say it was a victory, a very good victory. It brought me recognition in Africa, it was very good. But I would say that my goal is to be in the video games. I want to appear in the video games and to be recognized as the champion of the major organizations. I want to be recognized as one of the best fighters in the world.
So let’s say it was a small, long-term goal for something bigger. I’m in the process of getting something bigger.”
Lessons from Defeat & The Road To AFL
Every fighter encounters setbacks, and for Shido, his first defeat in UAE Warriors was a turning point.
How did you feel coming back to UAE Warriors and experiencing your first defeat?
Shido Esperança: “It was good, it was good because it helped me to put my feet on the ground. It helped me to be more professional and to stop overestimating my abilities, to find my special. So it put my feet on the ground and made me a better athlete, a better person, and much wiser. It was a necessary defeat for me.”
This humbling experience pushed Shido to reevaluate his approach and make critical changes in his preparation.
Can you explain what you changed to become more professional?
Shido Esperança: “Diet. Diet. I hired a nutritionist. I hired a physiotherapist. A physiotherapist to take care of my injuries. And I started to have a more regulated life. The big problem is that I’m not sad. I’m not sad because I lost. Because I don’t think that my opponent is someone who surpasses my abilities. I don’t think he’s a better fighter than me. In fact, I was dominating him.
But I made a terrible cut. A cut that no fighter should ever make. I cut 11 kilos in three days. And I was really impacted. It affected my performance. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry. My opponent has all the credit in the world. But I know that I lost to myself that day.”
After rebounding from this loss, Shido claimed the AFL Championship with an impressive first-round submission, cementing his status as one of Europe’s top fighters.
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