At 13, Thiago Silva ran away from the only home he’d ever known, located just outside of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Behind, he left his mother, younger brother and abusive father. Leaving home at a young age might sound like a hard thing to do. But according to Silva, it wasn’t.

“When you’re in a situation where your father hits you and your mother knows but can’t do anything about it, there’s not really a decision to make,” Silva told ESPN.com. “I was going crazy. I wanted out of there. So I ran away.”

Today, Silva is known more for his willingness to take fights than run from them — but even at an early age, the UFC light heavyweight knew the one with his father couldn’t be won. After leaving his immediate family, Silva fled to the poverty-stricken favelas that litter Sao Paulo to live with his grandmother and he didn’t look back. He hasn’t spoken to his parents or brother in over a decade.

Silva doesn’t like to talk about his past. Doesn’t even like thinking about it, really. One might think he could use those memories to push him in his career, but the truth is he’d rather just leave them where they are.

“I live for the present, not the past,” he said.

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