RFA 20 CLOSE UP: ROBINSON vs SERRAO!
Nov 4, 2014 Comments
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Some people get into MMA to chase titles. Others
do it for the fame and fortune. Then there are fighters like
Alvin
Robinson that do it for a greater reason: to impact the
world.
Robinson knew he wanted to fight his whole life. He grew up in southern California and moved out to Colorado to wrestle in college at Colorado State University - Pueblo. Coincidentally, his college roommate was Leister Bowling, who is now one of the top MMA trainers in the sport.
Robinson's parents also moved out to Colorado to live closer to him
and were fully aware of their son's passion to one day be a
professional fighter. That is when his mother saw a gym called
'Mile High Gracie' and told her son he should check it out. The
Royce
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu gym was run by John Crouch. The same John
Crouch who now runs one of the most famous gyms in the world, The
MMA LAB in Glendale, Arizona. Robinson's voice perked up when
reflecting on those days.
"I walked in to John Crouch's school near my parent's house when I was 18-years-old," Robinson explained. "Back then, MMA and jiu-jitsu wasn't as popular and on most nights it was pretty much just me getting private lessons from John. He is such a great guy and I was his first student. Then Benson Henderson came in and started training and things took off."
At 32-years-old, Robinson has now been fighting professionally for nearly a decade and has accomplished many things in the sport that some fighters can only dream about. So what is motivating the Royce Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt to continue the grueling task of training daily at a high-level, only to get locked inside a steel cage with some of the best fighters in the world? He wants to leave a legacy for his three baby girls and inspire the kids he works with as a Youth Leader in Colorado.
Twelve months ago, Robinson and his wife were blessed with the birth of triplets and that made him analyze his MMA career from a different perspective. This would be a perspective shared by an iconic MMA figthter who he has always looked up to.
"B.J. Penn has always been one of my favorite fighters and he always will be," stated Robinson. "After my daughters were born, I started thinking the way he did after his fight with Nick Diaz when he said: 'I've got a daughter and another daughter on the way. I don't want to go home looking like this.' It's not about titles anymore. My daughters are all the motivation I need. I want my daughters to be able to grow up and look back and say: Win, lose, or draw, he laid it all on the line."
Robinson will make his RFA debut on the main card of RFA 20 - Sanders vs. Mercado. He will fight Fabio Serrão in a battle of jiu-jitsu black belts that has been scheduled to happen on several occasions, but kept falling through due to injuries. Now that Robinson and Serrão are healthy and ready to finally face each other under the bright lights with the world watching, the Infinite MMA Academy representative says to expect the unexpected.
"Fabio and I have been scheduled to fight each other a few times and now it will finally happen," Robinson explained. "It's being billed as a battle of jiu-jitsu black belts, but sometimes that turns into a stand-up battle. Fabio is a good wrestler, he has heavy hands, and likes to brawl, so I'll be ready for anything. If it goes to the ground, I feel my jiu-jitsu can match up with anyone in the world. He probably feels the same way, so this will be a fun fight for the fans.
The entire main card of RFA 20 - Mercado vs. Sanders will be televised live on AXS TV starting at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT on Friday, November 7th. RFA 20 will be the promotion's fourth event to take place in the state of Colorado and it will be the second time the RFA has visited the state in 2014. More fights on the stacked RFA 20 fight card will be announced soon.
About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents up to 10 fights annually around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 40 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.
Robinson knew he wanted to fight his whole life. He grew up in southern California and moved out to Colorado to wrestle in college at Colorado State University - Pueblo. Coincidentally, his college roommate was Leister Bowling, who is now one of the top MMA trainers in the sport.
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"I walked in to John Crouch's school near my parent's house when I was 18-years-old," Robinson explained. "Back then, MMA and jiu-jitsu wasn't as popular and on most nights it was pretty much just me getting private lessons from John. He is such a great guy and I was his first student. Then Benson Henderson came in and started training and things took off."
This was 14 years ago and we all know what happened next. Robinson
would go on to win the Ring of Fire lightweight title and competed
for the UFC four times. Henderson went on to win both the UFC and
WEC lightweight titles.
At 32-years-old, Robinson has now been fighting professionally for nearly a decade and has accomplished many things in the sport that some fighters can only dream about. So what is motivating the Royce Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt to continue the grueling task of training daily at a high-level, only to get locked inside a steel cage with some of the best fighters in the world? He wants to leave a legacy for his three baby girls and inspire the kids he works with as a Youth Leader in Colorado.
Twelve months ago, Robinson and his wife were blessed with the birth of triplets and that made him analyze his MMA career from a different perspective. This would be a perspective shared by an iconic MMA figthter who he has always looked up to.
"B.J. Penn has always been one of my favorite fighters and he always will be," stated Robinson. "After my daughters were born, I started thinking the way he did after his fight with Nick Diaz when he said: 'I've got a daughter and another daughter on the way. I don't want to go home looking like this.' It's not about titles anymore. My daughters are all the motivation I need. I want my daughters to be able to grow up and look back and say: Win, lose, or draw, he laid it all on the line."
Robinson will make his RFA debut on the main card of RFA 20 - Sanders vs. Mercado. He will fight Fabio Serrão in a battle of jiu-jitsu black belts that has been scheduled to happen on several occasions, but kept falling through due to injuries. Now that Robinson and Serrão are healthy and ready to finally face each other under the bright lights with the world watching, the Infinite MMA Academy representative says to expect the unexpected.
"Fabio and I have been scheduled to fight each other a few times and now it will finally happen," Robinson explained. "It's being billed as a battle of jiu-jitsu black belts, but sometimes that turns into a stand-up battle. Fabio is a good wrestler, he has heavy hands, and likes to brawl, so I'll be ready for anything. If it goes to the ground, I feel my jiu-jitsu can match up with anyone in the world. He probably feels the same way, so this will be a fun fight for the fans.
The entire main card of RFA 20 - Mercado vs. Sanders will be televised live on AXS TV starting at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT on Friday, November 7th. RFA 20 will be the promotion's fourth event to take place in the state of Colorado and it will be the second time the RFA has visited the state in 2014. More fights on the stacked RFA 20 fight card will be announced soon.
About RFA: RFA is a professional mixed martial arts promotion that gives rising stars and top contenders the opportunity to prove their talent to fans and leaders in the industry. The RFA presents up to 10 fights annually around the United States including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Milwaukee. RFA can be seen live in over 40 million homes nationally through its television deal with AXS TV. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, RFA is one of the most active and respected MMA organizations in the fastest growing sport in the world. (The Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC. All rights reserved).
About AXS TV Fights: AXS TV Fights is renowned for its universally recognized Friday Night Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing events. As Your Home For MMA, AXS TV utilizes an expansive network of promotions from the United States, Canada, and Europe. And Asia to broadcast more LIVE fights than any other television network. "The Voice" Michael Schiavello and five-time MMA world-champion Pat Miletich provide viewers expert play-by-play, in-depth fighter coverage, and extensive analysis to each fight card. AXS TV broadcasts world-class LIVE fight events from RFA, Lion Fight, Legacy FC, and MFC every Friday night at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.
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