How a Brazilian UFC fighter opened a jiu-jitsu school near Moscow (PHOTOS)
Francimar Barroso already considers himself to be half Russian, loves borsch and even asked the president to grant him Russian citizenship.
For over 30 years, Brazilian Francimar Barroso, a.k.a. ‘Bodão’, has been practicing jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and mixed martial arts. He has successfully competed in the world's top leagues, such as ‘UFC’ and ‘PFL’ and has won more than half of his fights.
But, in 2021, his life changed dramatically: he married a Russian athlete and moved to Mytishchi, a Moscow suburb, where he opened his own martial arts school called ‘Bodao Fight Team’. Now, he and his wife work as Brazilian jiu-jitsu coaches, training both adults and children. Even their two-year-old son Gabriel is already practicing martial arts.
Meeting his Russian wife
Francimar's wife, Anastasia Motyashova, is a Russian ‘Master of Sports’ in kickboxing and a professional MMA fighter. Ironically, the couple met online during the pandemic.
At that time, Francimar was living in Las Vegas and was busy fighting every month. But, due to the lockdown, his contract was suspended. The same thing happened to Anastasia, as she was preparing for a fight and planning her professional boxing debut in Moscow, but it fell through.
“Everyone was on social media back then. I commented on something one day and Francimar saw it. He wrote to me, and we started chatting. We texted every day for a month and, in the second month, we started doing video calls,” Anastasia recalls.
The athletes found they had a lot in common and, one day, Francimar said he wanted to visit Russia. The borders were closed, but lawyers found a way and the Brazilian traveled to Minsk, the capital of neighboring Belarus. And that's where they met for the first time.
“People often ask me why we decided to live together in Russia,” Francimar says. “I've lived in many places: Brazil, the U.S., Europe. And Russia attracted me with its safety – in every sense. My wife and I want our child to grow up away from banned substances, away from street shootings and with traditional values. You can't find a place like that abroad anymore.”
A love for Russian food
Anastasia couldn’t imagine that her husband would like Russian cuisine, as it's very different from his native food. But now, the Brazilian's favorite dishes are borsch soup and blini (pancakes) with smoked salmon.
Francimar recalls a funny incident when he first visited Anastasia's mother. She cooked all day and put many different dishes on the table.
“Among them was one that really surprised me. It was a beef dish, but it was cold, ice-cold!” The Brazilian asked if he could heat it up, but the mother flatly refused, as it should be eaten cold!
Francimar found this strange, but, out of politeness, he decided to try it. “It was ‘kholodets’ [meat jelly]. Over time, I acquired a taste for it and, now, I eat it with pleasure!”
The half-Russian Brazilian
“I've changed a lot since 2021. I think I'm already half-Russian or maybe even fully Russian. I want to continue living here, raise my son and promote Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a healthy lifestyle, in general.”
Although he still has difficulties with the Russian language and speaks it hesitantly. He finds the hardest part to be the hard sounds, like ‘r’ and ‘z’.
“In English and my native Portuguese, the sounds are mostly soft and nasal. Speaking Portuguese is like singing a song.”
The Brazilian really likes Moscow and admires the city's technological advancement, beauty and safety.
“I've gotten to know and love Russia during this time. The world portrays it as something completely different; they think it's a wild country with harsh people who don't even blink. But, after living here, I've realized that Russians are very warm-hearted people. In fact, the Russian and Brazilian mentalities are similar: we are open and sincere!”
In July 2025, the athlete publicly asked President Vladimir Putin, via journalists, to grant him Russian citizenship.
The full version of the interview (in Russian) can be found on the ‘Nation’ magazine’s website.
