by Joseph Zavala (Head Muay Thai Coach) –
Finding Mixed Martial Arts
I grew up always interested in sports — soccer, basketball, football — but I was never really good at them.
Especially in soccer, I had dreams and aspirations to become a pro, but I was absolutely terrible at it. I could never really get my footing in the sport. Around my teen years, I was a bit lost and didn’t really have a purpose or reason to push myself throughout the day, until I was given inspiration by my high school teacher who had an MMA career with an incredible record of 11–1.
My teacher really sparked my interest in the sport I was very vague about and only knew
names like Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal. Moving forward, he told me which gym to go to, and from there I was determined to learn mixed martial arts.
Entering this new life was like a breath of fresh air — an itch I’d been trying to scratch my
whole life. I started learning Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu right away, and I was hooked. I was introduced to incredible coaches and instructors who, to this day, help me become better and better — not only as a martial artist, but as a human being. I’ve met amazing people who I now call dear friends, even family — brothers.
For some reason, with all the sports I’ve done in my life, this one just clicked instantly for
me.
Now don’t get me wrong — I wasn’t any star talent right away. I had a lot of trial and error learning Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And I mean a lot of humbling nights that made me want to quit. But somehow I still found myself excited, packing my bag and checking what time the bus came so I could make it to class 40 minutes early.
I was training at least 4–5 times a week, sometimes twice a day when I could. With time, I started getting better at escaping tough submissions, learning how to check a kick, and even finding my own style of fighting that works best for me.
The Impact of Mixed Martial Arts
In this sport of mixed martial arts, we’ve heard many great names — Daniel Cormier, Royce Gracie, Charles Oliveira. We’ve also heard great pairs of names like the Diaz brothers, the Nogueira brothers, and the Rutolo brothers.
When I fell in love with mixed martial arts, I noticed that my younger brother was a bit lost
too — getting into fights at school and feeling confused as a young teen. So I told him to
come train with me and try it out.
At first, he thought I was punishing him for all the trouble he’d been getting into. But over time, he started to enjoy the sport and became eager to train the next day.
We both decided that if we pushed each other every day, we could probably make it
someday. Hopefully create a career out of it. Become someone in the world.
From then on, we were inseparable. We became each other’s built-in training partner.
Because of that, we started advancing quicker than others — especially because of our
work ethic and drive for competition. We were always trying to one-up each other, which only made us better.
What started as a light 2-mile jog turned into a 4-mile sprint to see who could get home the
fastest.
My brother means everything to me. He’s the reason why I’m a better man, brother, human,
son, and martial artist. I work really hard to set the right example for him, and honestly, he’s surpassed my expectations. I have no doubt in my body that me and him will become world champions in this sport.
Mixed martial arts has strengthened our relationship so much — not just between me and him, but with our family and friends too. We now understand what hard work, failure, and discipline really mean. And the way we are on the mats or in the ring, we’re exactly the same off of it — always looking for the next challenge, always seeking adversity.
Finding IJC
I couldn’t write this without thanking our other Muay Thai coach, Jeff. He brought me into
IJC, and that’s a debt I can never repay.
When joining IJC, I didn’t just find an incredible gym — I found an incredible family. Since I only trained Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu before, I never really knew much about Judo. But Judo is such a beautiful art — and a very difficult one to master.
In my head, I thought, okay, throwing somebody and getting their back on the mat will be easy… I was completely wrong.
My first hard round was with Aren, and it felt like I was flying on American Airlines.
Since joining IJC, I am now the head coach for the Muay Thai program, and it’s truly an honor. Becoming a coach wasn’t easy, but I had incredible coaches and professors who helped me understand what to do, what not to do, and how to handle different situations.
Seeing the Muay Thai program grow and watching the community and family we’ve built has been very heartwarming. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the IJC family.
To Saro and David — thank you for welcoming me with open arms and constantly wanting the best for me, in and out of the dojo. I couldn’t ask for a better team.
What’s Next
I’m continuing to learn and focus on being a great coach for IJC Muay Thai, while also
pursuing my dream of becoming the best martial artist I can be — in and out of the gym.
I’m still training hard every day, pursuing the impossible and chasing this inevitable dream I have.
To anyone reading this — nothing is impossible. I strongly believe in believing in your dreams. But you have to work hard every single day.
“I’ve lost my mind doing this game. Like Vincent Van Gogh. He dedicated his life to his art and lost his mind in the process. That’s happened to me. But when that gold belt is around my waist, when my mother has a big mansion, when my girlfriend has a different car for every day of the week, when my kids’ kids have anything they ever wanted — then it will pay
off. Then I’m happy I lost my mind.”
— Conor McGregor
