Bangkok based welterweight Javier Trujillo has been fighting and training in Thailand for the past three years. All five of his professional fights have been in Bangkok but the 28 year old wants to take his career to the next stage in 2019.
These days a contract with ONE Championship or the UFC is what most fighters in the region aspire to. But back when Trujillo was starting out Japan was the centre of the MMA universe and he hopes to get the opportunity to fight there,
“As a fan my favorite promotion was Pride but now Rizin has taken over that position in Japan so if anyone from Rizin is reading this, get in contact and I’ll put on an exciting fight for you and the fans.”
Working holiday
All five of Trujillo’s bouts to date have taken place in the Full Metal Dojo cage. But his focus is not exclusively on MMA and the American spent the holiday season in a small tropical island working on his ground game,
“In December I was in Koh Tao training at the 10th Planet gym under my 10th planet black belt Marvin Castelle. For Christmas I joined one of his signature Dark Arts camps for three days. My festivities were upgrading my submission game preparing for fights and tournaments in 2019!”
It is an unconventional way to celebrate Christmas. But Trujillo, who currently holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, has big plans for 2019,
“Best case I win a couple of MMA titles this year, and three major Jiu Jitsu tournaments here in Asia. All the while I will continue to pursue getting my black belt in Gi Jiu Jitsu and a black belt in the 10th Planet System.”
Sharing knowledge
These days Trujillo is based at Elite Fight Club in Bangkok. When he’s not busy training for a fight the American can be found sharing his knowledge of BJJ,
“I have good people around me who are constantly pushing to make themselves better trainers and fighters we try to push a family atmosphere here. I have some great students and now they have been training with me for a year and many now are getting the itch to compete in BJJ. I’m excited about them and to see how they fare in competition.”
Several American fighters have made their name in Thailand with the likes of Will Chope, Emilio Urrutia, Joe Ray and Dylan Fussell all featuring for Full Metal Dojo over the years. The next port of call for fighters based in the Kingdom is frequently China but Trujillo has his sights firmly set on Japan.
