Every time 9-year-old Ava Cano takes the ring to compete in a Muay Thai fight, it’s because she wants to be there and she’s earned the right to be there.
“I want to become a champion someday. Just the thought of someday being a champion kind of motivates me," she said.
Having started in the sport at the age of four-and-a-half, her father, Mark Cano, got her into the Paragon Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Elite Muay Thai Academy at the San Luis Obispo location as a way for her to learn self-defense and it quickly became something more.
“She always loved the sound of the pads," Mark Cano said. “She just started going at it. She loved it. She absolutely enjoyed it.”
“I don't really accept students any younger than five-and-a-half, but she kept showing up, and I go, okay, I'll give you a little chance," owner and trainer of Elite Muay Thai Academy Albert Matalamban recalled.
Now as a 9-year-old, she’s won more than 10 competitions fighting all across the state and the country, most recently earning a spot on the U.S. Muay Thai National Team.
“After a couple of times, the fear went away and it just, I just enjoyed myself during the in the ring," Cano said of starting out in the sport.
For her biggest motivators, her parents, time and money have been the sacrifices needed to help her in her dream. For Ava, it’s the sweat and dedication to be the best all while trying to balance being a normal 9-year-old.
“Her mom and I, mostly her mom, makes sure that she gets that balance time with her friends and family,” Mark Cano said.
With plenty of time to accomplish her goals, she’s one step closer to becoming a world champion.
“it seems nice to go represent Team USA out of, like, the whole world," Cano said.
“She believes she can do anything and this sport allows that," her father stated.
Currently training in Walnut Creek, Cano will compete this week in the U.S. Nationals to try and secure a spot in the World Championships in Abu Dhabi.
