Young Bristol athlete set to compete in MMA world championships
A 13-year-old from Bristol has been chosen to represent England at the Junior MMA (mixed martial arts) World Championships in Abu Dhabi.Cairo Thomas, from Lyde Green, won gold in the Youth C category at the 2025 IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation) European Championships in Serbia in February.He started jiu-jitsu at the age of nine and was headhunted by a coach from Great Britain Jiu-Jitsu.The young athlete, who trains at Roger Gracie Bristol said he feels confident about representing his country.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, he said: "There's no pressure on my shoulders. I've trained for this, so what's the point for me to feel pressure for?"
Cairo has been competing in jiu-jitsu since 2022 and said he has hopes of turning professionally one day.He said he was spotted by one of the Great Britain coaches at a Junior MMA competition in November."It's always been a mind game for me," said Cairo."For most of these kids my age, they started from when they were around four or five years old."I thought I started way too late. But when I started to fight kids way more experienced than me, I started to realise that if I've got the right mindset and if I train hard enough, I can still beat these kids and compete with them."
Sports England, which provides funding for community sports clubs and organisations, does not recognise MMA as having a fully established governing body.This means that the funding channels for grassroots and elite sports do not yet include junior MMA teams.Cairo's mum, Leilani-Chyna Thomas, has set up a GoFundMe page to to try and get the £6,000 needed to take part in the competition.She said she was incredibly proud of her son, describing him a "talented, hardworking young athlete"."I know that Cairo will go to the top. One thing about him is that he sets goals and achieves goals."As a single mum, she said she felt jiu-jitsu would be a positive driving force in her son's life, allowing him to stay focused and giving him the skills to defend himself, if needed. "There's not a lot for kids to do nowadays," explained Ms Thomas, recalling how there were more youth clubs around when she was young."All that pent-up energy for kids, all they can do is muck around and get themselves into trouble."I'd rather him channel his energy into something that'll help him when he's older."
Clayton Chamberlain, co-founder of Roger Gracie Bristol, said Cairo is one of the most talented athletes he has met in his 40 years of MMA."Cairo has been with us for nearly a year now. From the moment I met him, I could tell he was a special kid."I've met thousands of people through martial arts but I could just tell he had something different about him."He's solely focused on one thing. I have every belief that he's going to be able to get it."
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