THE TACTITAL TARZAN TAHT CONQUES MMA OCTAGONS

The tactital TARZAN taht conques MMA octagons

I`ve always wanted to be the best in the world”. The Ambition and Desire for victory led the Costa Rican Ariel Sexton to compete in one of the most prestigious companies in the World of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), as ONE Championship is.

Sexton, of Canadian Father and Costa Rican Mother, started his journey in Karate when he was just 5 years old. First with the idea of burning energy and then with the illusion of someday hanging on his waist a world title.

“My mother is from Nicoya; Guanacaste and she met my dad while they were traveling in India. I grew up in Canada, but we use to come to Costa Rica every summer to visit my family”

It was in Canada when he trained for the first time, but it was until he came to Costa Rica that he realized that Mixed Martial arts would become his lifestyle.

“I didn`t plan on being an athlete competing in MMA, but doors were opening and I was not going to let that opportunity be lost”

The blood from Nicoya that he’s got from his mother,a true blood of a warrior is what makes him feel fearless when he steps into the octagon before the bell rings and the match starts.


Passion for the time

Time is irreplaceable, same as the opportunities that presented to Sexton to climb to the octagon and prove that he is the best in the world.

One of his greatest passions are watches and he even compares himself to them by the precision with which he hits his rivals.

His whole body has to be in perfect harmony when the lights go out and a white light is the one that marks his way to the steel cage that has become his strength.

He respects the rival in front of him, but he is the one he needs to defeat to quench his thirst of victory that has been leading him to the top within ONE Championship.

15 years ago in a shopping center, he bought his first Swiss watch, something that became an obsession for him.

“I saw a black automatic bubble watch that just then came out, I loved it and made everything possible to collect the money and buy it.”.

Unknowingly, his battle to get that first jewel led him to build a relationship with Michael and Hossli Jewelry, which has remained on its way to the glory of MMA.

Since then,precision of a Swiss watch has become his trusty friend. “A watch is a precious piece of art of very high quality. Time is the most important thing, since childhood I grew a fascination for watches and it was thanks to Michael that I was able to enter in the world of fine watches “.

The legend of the “Tarzan Tico” began while giving an interview in Canada.Thanks to the power he gave to his punches, that gave the reputation of him being a warrior.

Ariel was askedwhat was the nickname that he used at the time of going to the octagon, which is a common practice within the most famous fighters in the world.

Sexton didn’t know what to respond, nevertheless, his mom was right next to him, and started describing his behavior and they’ve found out that Tarzan was a good fit for him.

It was from that day on that he adopted a new war cry, which he uses when he finishes an opponent and has given him fame in the octagons.


First fight

There are few memories that Ariel has of his first fight; the little time he had to prepare made him forget many details of a day that would go down in history.

Aware of the conditions he had, he did not hesitate to accept the challenge, gritted his teeth, stepped hard and entered the octagon.

“I practically did not have time to stress, I just went in and won,” he said.That first victory started opening doors and it was in 2006 when he reached his first championship title.

After long days of training and taking his body to the limit, he managed to defeat any opponent that was in front of him and became the first undisputed Costa Ricanchampion.

However, Ariel was not satisfied with that, he knew that outside the country, there were bigger challenges, titles and fighters that would help him quench his thirst for victory.

“I’ve always wanted to be the best in the world; I did not want to be just the Costa Rican champion as that was not enough. My dreams were bigger, I needed to grow and set my mind to think that I was the best in the universe, no matter how many barriers I had to shoot down”, Sexton said. In his journey of conquering his international dreams, Hossli Jewelry became a fundamental pillar and ended up becoming his “Ambassador of Time”.

Ariel, knowing his potential, he went down to reach his goal. With a watch on his wrist and a suitcase full of dreams, he took a plane to Canada where he had his first fight as a professional.

The fear of being hit in the face and suffering an injury, were the first barriers he managed to destroyas he knew that being a professional fighter those situations would become part of his daily life.

Since then “Tarzan” has fought20 professional fights with a record of 16 wins, 4 losses and 1 “no contest”.

In his history within the octagon, he has faced rivals from 12 different countries, among which stand out fighters from Russia, the United States, China and Malaysia.

Life lesson

Career ending injuries that would end with many athletes have turned into challenges of which Sexton has always left with the arm raised.

On one occasion to defeat a rival, he broke a bone in the middle of the octagon, showing that his determination has no limits.

From Tarzan’s perspective, the key to success lies in discipline and perseverance, since a talented person who does not have these qualities is doomed to failure.

Ariel, who has had to travel long bike paths in order to train and complete long training days, even when he is not feeling motivated.

In his first months in the United States he had to travel by bicycle up to 8 kilometers on a hill to go to the gym where he trained, no matter if it rained, it snowed or the sun hit him hard on his face.

“Discipline is what differentiates a successful person from a person that is not. You must train every day to improve, and not letting money become the main reason of you doing this”.


Inspiration for young people

One of Ariel’s short-term goals is to motivate more young people to practice the sport that captures the attention of millions of people around the world.

“I want to be an inspiration for other national and international athletes. Let them see that when you work and fight, dreams can be fulfilled. “

Sexton does not understand when they say that MMA is a violent sport, without first seeing training or the respect that exists among fighters.

“Many people only see the summaries and stop when they see blood, but they do not understand the sacrifices you make to become a champion.”


ONE Championship

Ariel competes in one of the most prestigious companies MMA’s world, as ONE Championship is, where the best fighters from Asia and different parts of the world arrive.

“It’s one of the biggest and most prestigious leagues in the world, it’s amazing to fight there, it’s not easy to be among the favorites and fight for titles.”

In the world, there are thousands of fighters who aspire to enter an octagon of this MMA’s giant and wait behind a curtain to be given the chance to go down a ramp and fight in front of the world’s eyes.

Sexton is one of the few privileged people and therefore every time they give him an opportunity he makes the most of it.

He recently signed a contract for 5 years with this company, thanks to what is considered one of the best lightweights in the world.

Even for a fight he had last July against a rival from Japan, heis nominated for the best of the year of ONE Championship, an award that would give more prestige to the Central American warrior.

Currently “Tarzan” is getting ready for one of the most difficult challenges he has faced throughout his career as a fighter.

Ariel was selected for an event that will take place beginning of 2019 where the octagon will have the eight strongest men of today.

He must fight on three occasions the same night, a test of endurance for a man who does not fear.

“It’s one of the biggest and most prestigious leagues in the world, it’s amazing to fight there, it’s not easy to be among the favorites and fight for titles.”

Sexton, while waiting for the bell to ring and giving him the chance to throw the first blow, he trains as if there was no tomorrow because he knows it is his time to touch the glory.

As you can enjoy a great clock, you have to do it with Ariel, an experienced fighter who demonstrates his energy and precision every day, in his road to become a world champion.