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Silva is from São Paulo, Brazil and had a difficult upbringing. He grew up in a very poor area and witnessed murders at a young age. To help support himself, he got his first job when he was only nine years old cleaning automobile parts. Silva was athletic, playing soccer and basketball, and attended school, but ran away from home at age 13 due to his allegedly abusive father, never to see his mother or younger brother again. He then lived on his own in the favelas or slums of São Paulo, moving into his friends' homes who would allow him to stay. While working during the day, he would attend school at night, and would eventually graduate high school. The Brazilian favelas are notorious for being drug trafficking hot spots, and many of the neighborhoods are ruled by drug lords, some of whom would seek out Silva to help them and their children train. At age 18, Silva began to train in mixed martial arts and due to his poverty often had to choose between eating and training although his coach let him train for free in exchange for cleaning the facility.

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