Almost all countries have an athlete that stands out in some sport. In Uruguay’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), that athlete is Gastón Reyno (8-2- (2)).

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, Gastón is one of the pioneers of MMA in the South American country, traveling to compete in several continents and promotions, including Combate Americas currently. But the process of reaching the top of the sport and competing in the most important Hispanic franchise in the world has not been easy.

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Suffering a serious intestinal problem, Gastón “Tonga” Reyno spent his early childhood going from doctor to doctor until he was seven. Gastón wanted to learn to fight like his idol, actor and Karate master, Jean-Claude Van Damme; but his parents were worried that an injury would worsen his condition and kept him away from combat sports.

At eight years old,  Reyno’s mother allowed him to begin practicing Taekwondo. Despite being a shy and weak-looking child, Gastón kept training and then began to experiment with other combat sports. At sixteen, he started training Kickboxing, and a year later, he began training in Muay Thai.

His father and his grandfather worked as truck drivers, but Gastón gradually formed his own path, one that took him away from the family business. He began his MMA career as an amateur where he had five fights with excellent performances and became pro in 2013.

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His start as a professional MMA fighter was rocky, beginning with two “No-Contest” fights due to unfortunate situations. However, just as he overcame obstacles in the past, he did the same with MMA. Reyno began to win fights gradually and dramatically, getting a five-fight winning streak in the first round, three of them submissions.

“Tonga” came to Combate Americas in September of last year with a 7-2 record to face Carlos Ernesto Ochoa in the Combate Americas: Road to Copa Combate event. Gastón started the fight very active, getting takedowns from the clinch and trying to finish, but Ochoa responded by re-establishing himself and managing to connect the Uruguayan with combinations and sending him to the floor. In the middle of the first round, Gastón managed to get out of trouble and took the back of his opponent, ending the fight with a rear naked choke.

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Reyno, who is a champion in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu, is the co-owner of Glory MMA & Fitness in Missouri, eastern Kansas, where he used to live. Glory MMA & Fitness is home to fighters such as Tim Elliot, Megan Anderson, and James Krause (who is the other owner) . Three years ago, he moved to San Diego to train at Alliance MMA, one of the most recognized camps in the world of MMA, training alongside Dominick Cruz, Alexander Gustafsson, Jeremy Stephens, Brandon Vera.

Right now, Gastón Reyno lives his dream. He’s one of the best featherweight fighters today and carries his country’s flag around the world.  He is living proof of what effort, dedication, and talent combined can do.