By Kat Gorospe

It’s June 22, 2012. 15-year-old Derick Gellangarin is in the corner of the ring. He hears the crowd cheering, and his family is there too. The lights are bright and alongside him are his cornermen. “Control the ring,” they tell him. He feels nervous and anxious. He didn’t feel ready at all. Ding ding.The bell rings. All emotions are gone and it’s time for him to start his first fight.

“My focus wasn’t to win. I was there to fight,” says Gellangarin. Him and his family went home the next day to watch the video they took. “When I have family over to watch fights we watch Manny Pacquiao. Now they are watching me, and I feel like the star.”

He started karate in third grade, but his interests faded after two years. In seventh grade he started kickboxing. He trains five times a week for about two hours at Z’s Martial Arts Academy.

His best moves are his spinning back fist and his front leg roundhouse kick. When he trains, nothing else is on his mind. It’s his escape; it’s where he can take his anger out and clear his head.

Although his parents worry about his safety, they let him do his own thing and always support him. His family also practice martial arts, including his Uncle Jake and cousins: Jestoni Losbanes, Jacey, and Vince. They’re involved in Muay Thai, Taekwondo, boxing and karate.

His ultimate goal is to fight in UFC. He finds himself doing this forever, whether he’s a professional fighter or not. His advice for people who want to fight? “Obviously stay away from drugs/alcohol. You need to train as much as you can.”

Gellangarin has two fights coming up on Oct. 13 and on Nov. 2. He’s been training for four months, and this time he’s ready.