Isaac Gil had a choice to make after graduating from Washougal Excessive College in 2024 — proceed wrestling on the faculty stage or launch a combined martial arts combating profession.
He selected the latter, drawn to the game’s intense coaching and excessive stakes.
“There’s no sport like it,” Gil stated. “I’ve always been a huge fan of mixed martial arts and the UFC, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and all of that. I kind of knew that, if I were to chase this full-on, I could have a chance to do something great with it because I’m super tenacious and bold.”
Gil gained his first match in early March and obtained an invite to compete with and in opposition to a number of the greatest fighters on the planet at a world occasion later this yr.
“I love the people that I’m meeting, for sure. I love the connections,” Gil stated. “Another thing (I love) is the growth that I’ve seen in myself. There’s nothing like it. Seeing yourself be better than you were yesterday is something that I think every man needs to feel. It’s all a beautiful journey.”
In 2023, Gil began his combined martial arts coaching with lead teacher Don Stoner at Washougal’s Lone Wolf Jiu Jitsu Academy as a option to hold his post-graduation choices open.
“When he came into the academy a couple years ago, he already had a wrestling background, and that really helped him learn jiu jitsu and the other arts because he was already disciplined,” Stoner stated of Gil. “Now, it’s about showing him the different jiu jitsu controls … and just making him a well-rounded fighter.”
Gil began wrestling when he was 6 years outdated, tagging alongside together with his older brother to the Peninsula Wrestling Membership, led by Wrestling Corridor of Fame coach Roy Pittman. By the point he graduated from Washougal Excessive College, Gil had developed into an award-winning grappler. He introduced dwelling a fifth-place trophy from Mat Basic XXXIV in 2023 and eighth-place {hardware} from Mat Basic XXXV in 2024.
Gil has continued to construct on his wrestling background as a combined martial arts fighter.
“My ultimate goal in fighting is probably to finish on the ground,” Gil stated. “I’ve been wrestling since I was a little kid, so that’s just something I had in my pocket when I went into this. I want to take things to the ground and end things on the ground.”
Competing within the 170-pound weight class, Gil gained his first struggle on the NorthWest Championship 23 occasion in Vancouver on March 1.
“It was definitely a great experience,” he stated. “I learned a lot about myself because I had never really been in a street fight or anything like that, so I didn’t really know how I would do.”
Now Gil is making ready for his subsequent struggle in opposition to Keaton Albert on Could 10 on the World Combating Championships 175 in Tacoma.
“I’m definitely going into this one with a good game plan,” Gil stated. “My team broke down what I need to work on and what my advantages are. Right now, I have tunnel vision for this fight, and I’m just doing my best to stick to the plan. If I don’t veer off the track, I think I’ll be good.”
Gil has been invited to hitch a nationwide crew that can compete within the Worldwide Combined Martial Arts Federation World Championships later this yr. He stated he was chosen based mostly on his highschool accomplishments and his connection to Stoner, a former skilled fighter.
“He could be going against the best kids from every country,” Stoner stated of Gil. “This would be a big opportunity for Isaac if we can figure out how to do it.”
He stated the competitors has been in Uzbekistan in earlier years.
“Sponsorship is the thing that holds back a lot of the opportunities for the fighters,” Stoner stated.
Stoner stated his MMA developmental program has sponsors for coaching bills, gear and event charges, however Gil is on the lookout for extra sponsors to underwrite the journey.
