“I’m Doing It on Behalf of Belize”: How a Teenager MMA Fighter Brought Home Gold

Nothing about Dominic Beaino’s path to the cage in Colombia suggested an easy night. In fact, he was not even supposed to be fighting in that division. But when the opportunity came, the 18-year-old Belizean did not hesitate one bit and simply took it, and left Colombia with gold.

Beaino claimed the title at the Gamma Pan American Championships in Chía, Colombia, in the 175-pound men’s division. 

It was not the division he had planned to enter.

Beaino had originally been registered for the 165-pound division but missed the weight by 0.8 pounds. He had already pushed his weight down as far as he safely could, but could not compete in that division. 

His coach bumped him up to the 172-pound under-21 division instead, “but the day of the competition there was nobody in that bracket. So I would have gotten a gold medal without competing,” he said. 

Most 18-year-olds would have taken the medal and gone home satisfied, but not this one. Beaino asked his coach to move him up again.

“He asked if I’m sure,” Beaino said. “I said yes. Move me up, please.”

That decision put Beaino in the open men’s 175-pound division, where he barely met the weight requirement and was up against fighters in their 20s and 30s. He had a weight of barely 166 pounds.

“I was nine pounds underweight and I’m 18,” Beaino said. “Then I was talking to the guys in my bracket and they’re all in their 20s and 30s. So, I was the youngest and the smallest “

With odds against him, what could have driven this teenager so far he would find himself with a gold medal around his neck by the end of this fight? He says it’s his competitive drive. 

“I’m a competitive person and I like to prove a point. So I wanted to prove to all the people who doubted me that I was good at this sport and I can achieve something that I’ve wanted,” Beaino said. 

This achievement would not have been if not for the support of his coaches, colleagues, friends and especially parents. “My parents helped me financially and I told them that you won’t regret it because I’ll bring you back gold,” he said. 

But the significance of the victory went beyond the medal. The second his hand was raised to declare him the champion, this is what he did: 

“I lifted up the Belize flag because I wanted to know that I’m not doing this for me and I’m doing it on behalf of Belize. So in the final video, I have the Belize flag and I’m raising it in the sky.” 

And there was perhaps no better time for Beaino to bring that gold home than September, Belize’s Independence Month. The most patriotic month of the year for Belizeans. 

Beaino plans to continue building his fighting career professionally. He’s set to compete in Belize City in November, with a shot at a championship belt as early as January.

His advice to anyone watching from the outside, still in school, still figuring out where they fit, is: “Don’t take no for an answer because if you really want it you can achieve it and Not to be lazy because being lazy is the downfall of most athletes,” Beaino said. “And so if you really want to work for it, you can get it. That’s the mentality that I’m going for right now.” 

“I’d just like to say thank you to all the people that supported me,” Beaino added. “I might not show it, but deep down I really do appreciate all the support that everyone has given me.”