Victor Bonato
Victor Bonato was born in San Francisco, to a Brazilian family that is constantly on the move. From the time of his birth in 2002, he has moved three times by the time he celebrated his 15th birthday. As a child, Victor did not attach to any of the traditional sports. His father thought it would be best to put him in jiu- jitsu at age 6 with the legendary Ricardo Calvancati in Las Vegas. From that moment on, he found his calling. He spent most of his day on the mat, helping to teach the kids class. During summer time, he practically lived at the academy. There are times that he did not have a ride. Ricardo himself, would picked him up.
After watching his son training for two months, his dad, Fernando also joined the tribe. On his first tournament, he lost to a girl. That experience motivated him to train even harder. On these days, Victor usually spends 2 - 5 hours a day, 5 - 7 days a week on the mat. In 2011, he competed in Pan-Am kids and won his first gold. For the next 6 years, he won it 6 times consecutively. After living in Hawaii for 3 years, the family is moving to Portugal, in hopes that Victor can spend more time training and competing.
LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT VICTOR
Any nickname?
Manchild
What is your current state of mind?
Excited
What are some of your addictions?
Training and surfing
What is your biggest accomplishment in life?
Winning kids pans 7 times in a row
Words that most describe you?
Eager, outgoing and ambitious
If you could have a super power, what would that be?
I would like to teleport to be able to travel anywhere in the blink of an eye
What is it that you want to do when you grow up?
I would like to be a professional jiu jitsu fighter
Tell us one thing we don’t know about you but we should?
In my usual week of training I train at least 3 hours a day
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why?
If I could change one thing about the world I would stop all violence. There is
too much violence and hate in the world and I think everyone should just get along
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
My idea of perfect happiness is to be able to make a living doing what you love
What is your greatest fear?
Dying without having something to be remembered by
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Carlson grace
Which living person do you most admire?
I admire my dad because he works hard to get what he wants
What do you like most about yourself?
How hard I train
What is the trait you most DISLIKE in yourself?
If there is something I don’t want to do I tend to not do it as well as if it was something I wanted to do
What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying surfboards
What is your greatest regret?
Not have started surfing when I was younger
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would make myself like school
If you were to die and come back as another person or thing, what do you
think it would be?
A competitive surfer because I can only see myself doing 2 things jiu jits and surfing
What is your most treasured possessions?
My jiu jitsu belts because it shows different stages in my jiu jitsu journey
Where would you like to live if you could live anywhere in the world?
Europe so I could travel a lot
What is your ideal occupation?
Professional jiu jitsu fighter
Who are your heroes in real life?
My parents because they are always willing to take a risk to try and make things better then what already are
What is your life motto?
You only live once so make it count
List 3 things you cannot live without?
Food, jiu jitsu, travel
What is your legacy?
To be one of the toughest jiu jitsu fighter to compete
What’s the greatest piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t expect anyone to give you anything
What do you consider your greatest personal failure?
Not doing the best at school
Many thanks to :
My parents for always supporting me in what I want to do
and to anyone who has coached or trained with me and helped me get
better