Featherweight Westin Wilson was 17 when his dad moved the family to Brazil. It wasn’t your average relocation; his dad worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Wilson recalls having to keep quiet about the assignment in school, where he was forced to repeat his junior year. He also couldn’t wrestle. Before the family packed up and moved, he was putting in “high-level” work at Colonial Forge High School in Virginia and thought about a future on the mats.

But there he was, in a foreign country without a outlet for his passion. That’s where MMA came in.

As it turned out, his dad was his biggest supporter when it came to fighting. Wilson found a Brazilian Top Team affiliate in Sao Paulo, and so began his journey in MMA.

To this day, Wilson (4-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) gets advice from his dad about his career. For level-headed advice, it doesn’t get any better.

When Bellator called him offering a contract and a fight against Gaston Reyno (6-2 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) at Bellator 184, Wilson’s dad was blunt.

“‘You get your ass kicked, and you realize you’re not an elite fighter – or, you beat his ass, and you realize you are an elite fighter,'” Wilson told MMAjunkie of his dad’s words of wisdom. “‘It’s a win-win. Most people don’t think you’re going to win this fight anyway.’ I was like, ‘Good point, Dad.'”

Bellator 184 takes place Friday at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs live on Spike with prelims, including Wilson vs. Reyno, streaming on MMAjunkie.

Wilson – and his dad – might be selling himself a little short as far as his chances. He’s 4-2 in outside promotions while Reyno is 6-2 and a .500 fighter in the Bellator cage.

In April Wilson got back in the win column after a pair of defeats, submitting journeyman Edwin Williams in the first round. He’s nowhere close to anyone’s radar for a title shot. But as his dad hints, that’s not a bad place to start.

When he needs encouragement, he thinks about the tough situations that made his father such a tough character. At one point, chasing Juan “El Chapo” Guzman was one of them.

“He’s become a big inspiration for me,” Wilson said of his father.

For more on Bellator 184, check out the MMA Rumor section of the site.