Following in on the footsteps of TUF Brazil 1 champion, Cezar Ferreira, UFC featherweight Sheymon Moraes has also been spending his time driving around the streets as an Uber driver, in order to expand his income.

As Sheymon explained to Combate, he doesn’t think he did too badly against Zabit Magomedsharipov, considering he was coming off a 18-month layoff.

“It was so frustrating, because I was really prepared,” Moraes said. “I think it was the best training camp of my life. I knew I had a tough guy in front of me, but I was very confident. Unfortunately, my body just shut down during the fight. I’ve been out for almost 18 months. I think that’s what the problem was. I had no timing, no rhythm, as if I had 50 rubber bands holding me back. Still I didn’t do so bad for a guy who was almost out for two years.

“I faced a guy who’ll soon be in the top-5, and he was active, fighting all the time. I don’t think he was able to do anything against me. He didn’t hurt me. Even though I couldn’t fight, I never felt his strength. Every time a round ended all I could think was ‘sh-t, I can’t fight.’ That was the worst part, because I couldn’t show how much I evolved. It broke my heart, you haven’t seen the true Sheymon yet.”

Now, Sheymon wishes to put his Uber days behind him, so he can invest all of his time into his MMA career.

“I need to remove some stress from my life, things that have been getting in the way, so I can show them the true Sheymon,” said Moraes. “One of those things is having to drive to pay my bills. Lack of money sucks. Having to juggle training and driving sucks. I even hurt my back due to driving for 12 hours straight, sleeping only five hours a night and going to the gym right after.

“Those things stress me a little, and they take away my focus. They pressure me into wanting to earn more money. All I had in my mind was that I needed the bonus. Even between rounds, I’d have my coaches talking to me, but in my mind all I could think was ‘You need that bonus.’ Now I’m going back to my family, and I’ll just spend some time training, with no pressure. I want to come back as soon as possible and erase that loss. I want to fight at UFC Belem. I was never one to pick opponents and I won’t, I just want to get in there, have fun and erase that loss.”

Sheymon Moraes (9-2) debuted at UFC Fight Night 122 in Macau, China, on November 25. He was finished by Zabit Magomedsharipov in the third-round.