The Catalan, anti-fascist and martial arts fighter who breaks all stereotypes
At 42, the MMA fighter continues to prove that age is just a number when it comes to stepping into the octagon
BarcelonaIn a small premises on Rambla de Prim, in the Verneda district of Barcelona, Abner Lloveras (Barcelona, 1982) opens the doors of his gym. "I opened it a few months ago," says the Catalan martial artist while sweeping the tatami. When he was a teenager he started practicing kickboxing, and now, at 42 years old, and with extensive experience in mixed martial arts (MMA) fights, boxing and jujitsu, he has decided to take a step forward and create his own combat club.
He recently took part in the Dogfight Wild Tournament, a martial arts exhibition tournament held at the Olympic Pavilion in Badalona. More than 10,000 people attended the event. Skullman –the nickname by which he is known in the MMA world– was the protagonist of the most spectacular fight of the night. In an extreme fight of fifteen uninterrupted minutes without gloves against the Brazilian Felipe Maia, the Catalan fighter only needed nine to win the fight by submission. "My physique allows me to do long fights better, since I have very good endurance. Felipe was very strong and weighed 4 kilos more than me, but after seven or eight minutes of fighting he could not go on," he explained to ARA.
Once the fight was over, Lloveras took the microphone and addressed the Olympic audience in Catalan, his native language: "Badalona, long live Catalonia! Thank you to all of you who have come here, I love you all." Although it was an evening held on Catalan soil, the language used by the presenters was Spanish. Social media was quickly filled with Catalanophobic comments directed at Lloveras, who has always been a staunch defender of Catalonia.
"It's also true that many people have recognised the fact that I dare to show my face and represent Catalonia, but there's always the typical feeling that Catalonia feels and puts the cross on you," he laments. "Years ago I read the negative comments on social media and they made me angry, but now I don't care anymore," but now I don't care.
This is not the first time that the fighter, a declared anti-fascist and pro-independence fighter, has taken a stand in favour of Catalonia: "My father was very Catalan and he always put the flag on the balcony for the Diada; that's why since I was little I have felt more represented by Catalonia." In his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – the most important professional MMA circuit in the world – Lloveras already wanted to make it clear which nation he represented: "I asked to carry the flag, but they didn't take it to me; so I had to take the Spanish flag. Nothing against Spain, because there are also wonderful people, but I feel Catalan."
Before making his debut in the UFC, Lloveras also coincided with the Irishman Conor McGregor – one of the most popular fighters in the competition – in The Ultimate Fighter, "a kind of reality show similar to that of Big Brother, but with fighters." Years later, Lloveras still remembers a conversation he had with the Irishman: "McGregor came to me once with a picture of some bullfighters and started telling me "Spain, Spain». When I told him that I didn't like bullfighting or Spain, he didn't know what to say and left."
Abner Lloveras, 'King of the streets'
"Doing MMA doesn't motivate me anymore," admits Lloveras. That's why he's been looking for new challenges in recent years. In December 2022, he decided to take a step further in his career and opted to participate in King Of The Streets (KOTS), an underground fighting competition with no rules or regulations. "It's dangerous and you can get really hurt; the ground, for example, is made of cement. Actually, participating is scary." He has already participated three times and isn't closing in on a fourth fight, although he hasn't been contacted by the organization again so far. "I enjoy fighting in KOTS more than when I debuted in the UFC, since KOTS doesn't put any pressure on me. The first time I was very calm because I didn't have to make any weight and I didn't have the need to win like when I debuted in the UFC."
"I feel good at 42, that's why I keep participating in fights, even though I know I don't have much more left," admits Lloveras, who combines martial arts and the gym with the great responsibility of being a father. "I don't think my daughter likes me fighting very much, but I know I serve as an example for her in life because she has seen me lose and then win three fights in a row," he emphasizes. "Although last year she saw an MMA fight of mine that I lost and had a really bad time, and she doesn't watch them anymore." She is waiting to know the result.