A former Chelsea goalkeeper turned MMA fighter a few years ago and he’s been on the doorstep of the UFC.
He went from one cage to another. Former third goalkeeper for the London Blues behind Petr Cech and Henrique Hilario, Ricardo Prasel finally had to stop his career at 22 because of a hip that bothered him a lot. But no question of letting go of sport, the German-Brazilian, with an imposing physique (2.01m, 110 kg), turned to combat sports.
So apparently Ricardo Prasel, who’s competing right now at #DWCS, was a back up goalie for Chelsea. That’s wild. pic.twitter.com/V6uY0so99B
— Danny Segura (@dannyseguratv) July 17, 2019
Recruited in 2009 by Chelsea, the one who was considered very promising, rubbed shoulders with Didier Drogba or even Michael Ballack in England. The two stars also asked him very often for training.
“Drogba was amazing,” Prasel said. I didn’t play games with the professionals because I was the third goalkeeper but I played with them every day because after practice I practiced kicks. Thirty minutes every day, Drogba and Ballack were taking free kicks. My God, they didn’t miss one. It was incredible.”
After football, he therefore turned to jiu-jitsu. He first started in the leagues in Brazil before turning to MMA.
Aged 31, Ricardo Prasel now has 12 wins for 3 losses. While he almost entered the very prestigious UFC, the fighter finally made his debut in KSW, another major league where the French champion Salahdine Parnasse evolves.
HOW⁉️ What a comeback‼️
Ricardo Prasel with a HUGE comeback win over Michał Kita!! #KSW68 pic.twitter.com/LkhRlDtcXL
— KSW (@KSW_MMA) March 19, 2022
He also made a successful debut in March by winning against the Polish Michał Kita, who was much more experienced than him. Prasel got his victory by technical knockout in the second round.
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