Pedro Dantas has waited his entire life for this moment. Now he’s ready to make the most of it.

The undefeated Brazilian prospect makes his ONE Championship debut against #4-ranked featherweight MMA contender Ilya Freymanov at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For the 22-year-old, the opportunity represents validation of everything he’s worked toward.

Dantas brings a perfect 6-0 record with a 100 percent finishing rate into his promotional debut. No opponent has lasted beyond the second round against the Brazilian powerhouse.

His path to ONE Championship began in the tough streets of Fortaleza, Brazil, where he learned early lessons about resilience and determination. Growing up as the eldest of four siblings after his parents separated presented challenges that shaped his character.

But Dantas had guidance that kept him on the right track. His father Paulo “Guerreiro” Dantas was an MMA pioneer who compiled 25 professional victories and trained several successful fighters.

“I had a difficult childhood. My parents separated a few years after I was born, and I stayed with my mother and grandmother. My mother traveled a lot and my grandmother was quite liberal, so I spent all day on the streets with my friends and cousins,” he said.

“Many of my friends chose the wrong path, but my father and mother always corrected me at the right time so that I would not follow the same path.”