BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — One local pro fighter began his career to help support his family. Now he's using his skills to teach Bakersfield kids self-defense and self-confidence. From the training mat to the boxing ring, students at JC Llamas Competition Gym have been preparing for their fights on Saturday against some of the best gyms in the state.
And they have their coach, pro fighter JC Llamas, to guide them along the way. Llamas began training to fight just to make ends meet in Bakersfield after his grandmother got sick in 2011. Five short months later, he booked his first professional fight at the Eagle Mountain Casino.
With just three days' notice for that fight, he cut 27 pounds to prepare for a match against an opponent who had been undefeated.
"I was like, 'Oh, my God, this guy's gonna knock me out, too,' but I was looking for any excuse just to quit. But in the back of my head, man, I was like 'This is my grandma. She raised me, so I have to do it.' I jumped in and I just did everything I could, and I ended up winning," said Llamas.
Llamas says he typically fights in the welterweight class, racking up a total of about 800 fights in mixed martial arts, boxing, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He says out of all his fights, he's never lost by knockout or submission.
He wanted to use his skills to give back to the community.
"For me, fighting gave me a lot of opportunities to help my family and to make a career, and I feel that I can use that to help my community. I sponsor a bunch of kids that were on the streets and doing bad things, so I was like, 'If this think kept me off the streets and helped me do something, I think I can do that for them as well,'" said Llamas.
One of those young fighters, Daisy Wadsworth, says Llamas' classes helped her. Wadsworth took the class because she wanted to learn self-defense and protect herself from bullies.
"Usually, when I walk home, they'll end up trying to hit me 'cause they kind of live close to me, kinda like down the street. Sometimes, I come home with a bloody nose, and I only came home once with a black eye," says Wadsworth.
Wadsworth has been boxing with Llamas for 2 months, and she's already decide that she wants to follow in her coach's footsteps.
"I could be a professional fighter like my coach. I want to try and be, like, a 3 time world champion. At the same time, I want to be in the Army, but I want to try to be like JC, like, making my own MMA, jiu-jitsu, and boxing and MMA spot over here so I can teach kids self-defense," said Wadsworth.
Sabino Rivera, another of Llamas' students, says JC motivated him to continue his weight loss journey.
"I was going through a lot, a lot of depression, and I was letting a lot get to me, and what pushed me forward was I wanted to be the best version of myself. My dad's put a lot of work in his life to provide me with the things that I have and I just feel like I owe him a lot, and I know he would be proud if I can become the best kid that I can," said Rivera.
After 2 years of consistently trying to lose weight, Rivera says he's lost almost 120 pounds. He says seeing his coach succeed as an 8 time world jiu-jitsu champion shows him that he can succeed, too.
"Just knowing that my coach is a world champion, and he tells me that anybody can do it, and I know as long as I try and put in the effort, I can become champion as well one day," said Rivera.
In the same way that his coach inspires him, Rivera hopes to inspire the people in his life that look up to him.
"I want to leave a good image. I wanna become champion one day. I want to lose more weight, give myself a good image, and inspire everybody else that suffers, that went through the same things that I went through struggling to lose weight. Just tell them that it's not easy, and everything is possible with effort and consistency," said Rivera.
The kids Llamas is coaching will be competing against 10 of the best gyms across the state on Saturday morning at 10:00. Llamas says they will use large boxing gloves to keep the kids from hurting each other, bring coaches to match up fair fights, and professional refs to control the fights.
JC Llamas Competition Gym will host a total of 40 boxing, jiu-jitsu, and mixed martial arts fights between all the kids.
"Something I didn't have was that experience to train, and I think the biggest fear is being embarrassed on national television in front of thousands and thousands of people, so whenever you step in the right and you have that doubt in your head, I will say the nerves don't make you fight the way that you're supposed to fight," said Llamas. "So whenever we have events like this, my students get used to people watching them fight and having fun and enjoying the fight instead of fighting with your demons."
Llamas says these local competitions will help his young fighters prepare to fight in amateur and professional competitions once they become more experienced.
Llamas himself has a fight booked for his next professional bout in Mexico on February 25. If you'd like to see the champ in action, the fight will be available to rent on Pay-Per-View.
