By Hogan Webb
Executive Features Editor
The arena shakes as Costa senior Jean Paul Lebosnoyani picks up and body slams his opponent on the mat, wowing the crowd of spectators.
Link: Check out Lebosnoyani’s fighter profile
Lebosnoyani fought and won in his official mixed martial arts(MMA) fighting debut on March 11, 2017 at the Adrenaline Mixed Martial Arts Academy in San Bernardino, California.
“It felt really familiar when I walked into the ring,” Lebosnoyani said. “It was interesting because it was the first time I experienced what I am going to be doing for the rest of my life.”
Lebosnoyani fought against 29 year old mixed martial artist Andrew Morello, fighting out of Santa Barbara, California. Morello has been fighting MMA since 2013, and his overall record is 3-3. Morello has a strong background in fighting Karate, Lebosnoyani said.
Photos: View pictures of the fight!
“I knew he is predominantly a stand up fighter, and given his karate experience I expected him to throw lots of kicks and punches and try to keep it a standing fight,” Lebosnoyani said.
Lebosnoyani defeated Morello via submission in the first round of the fight. He subdued him using a peruvian neck tie, a variation of a guillotine choke that cuts off the blood circulation to the opponent’s brain.
“One of my favorite moments of the fight is when I was on top of the guy and I was throwing some blows to the face,” Lebosnoyani said. “Something about the connection of my hand and his face just gave me a natural high.”
Although Lebosnoyani trains in martial arts year round, he prepared for this fight with a one week long specialized training camp. In his training camp, his sparring partners worked to mimic the specific fighting style of his opponent to better prepare him for the task at hand, Lebosnoyani said.
“I only had a week to really train for this fight due to the wrestling state championship along with EBI, the professional jiu jitsu contest I was in last weekend, but I made it work with the time I had,” Lebosnoyani said.
Lebosnoyani trains several hours each night, usually with his father and head coach, NoNo Lebosnoyani, a jiu jitsu black belt and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) coach for UFC champion Royce Gracie.
Link: Check out a story on Lebosnoyani’s jiu jitsu career
“My dad is my creator, and has had the goal of me eventually making it to the UFC since I was three years old,” Lebosnoyani said. “He has been training me and preparing me for this time in my life for my entire life and he is my inspiration.”
He also trains with current UFC fighter Brian Ortega and amateur MMA champion Travis Williams, along with several local sparring partners.
“After I won the fight I took a second to congratulate my coaches, my sparring partners, and my family for the accomplishment that we all did together,” Lebosnoyani said. “Although it’s an individual sport, there is a whole village behind me that keep me in tip top shape and support me to the top.”
Lebosnoyani will be fighting in another amateur MMA fight on March 24th and will then be fighting one last amateur fight in May. Following his ametur career, he will be doing his professional fighting debut in Connecticut for Reality Fighting, and will then work towards scheduling a fight with the UFC.
“It’s been my dream since I was a little boy to get that UFC belt around my waist,” Lebosnoyani said. “I’m planning on being the youngest competitor in history to get that belt around my waist, and that’s the ultimate goal for me.”
Leave a Reply