In 1999, the first rule of Fight Club was, “Don’t talk about Fight Club.” Now 14 years later, that rule has been all but thrown out of the window.
With the UFC building its reputation over the past decade, many now consider mixed-martial arts competitions the professional sport that boxing was in its glory days. Now, with the next generation of youth coming of age, many are turning to MMA as their sport of choice, and as one parent said, “It’s their football, their baseball.” The way generations from yesteryear could spout off the stats from the back of their favorite player’s bubblegum baseball card, our current youth know all the crazy details about the UFC.
For many parents of older generations, they shudder at the thought of sending their child into the ring, but for today’s parents, there is no longer that fear of the unknown, as the MMA community is exploding across the country and grabbing the attention of adolescents nationwide.
When it comes to today’s youth MMA community, California, specifically San Bernardino and Riverside county, has laid claim to what many call the epicenter for the future of MMA.
Just 50 miles down the road is where we would find Laguna Hills High School, the host site of a premiere event in the young MMA community. The event is the U.S. Open Youth National Pankration Championships, a competition pitting boys and girls as young as 5-years-old against each other in full-contact MMA.
The scene at the 2012 tournament painted a clear picture of the stark difference between today’s grade-school generation and past generations. There are two competitors in particular who paint the clearest picture of today’s youth passionate about MMA. First we have the distinct mohawk of an 11-year-old with his blue “Crazy Rayfield” T-shirt and cheering section.
For Derek Rayfield, this is life. Now homeschooled so he can focus on his five-hour daily training sessions, Rayfield travels all over to compete in competitions. Equivalent to a little leaguer’s participation on a travel team with the hopes of one day becoming a pro, Rayfield’s dedication to the MMA community is one that is heavily supported by the parents of the young man who won his first jujitsu “world title” last year.
The second competitor is 7-year-old Regina Awana. Known only by her nickname, “The Black Widow,” once she hits the mat, Awana and all of her 50 pounds has been known to take opponents to the ground and then swiftly submit them in less than a minute. What does she do quickly after disposing of her competitor? What else but walk quietly back to her father just off the mat and grab her Princess Ariel doll that she holds between matches.
But what makes a young, baby-faced, princess-enthused girl compete in full-contact MMA? For Awana, it started after she was bullied at a birthday party, but now it’s simply about striving to fulfill her two goals in life, to be a princess and an MMA fighter.
