Santa Rosa MMA fighter Robbinson Galvez wants you to know his name

Robbinson Galvez was a month away from turning 21 years old.

He headed into the Phas3 Muay Thai gym in Santa Rosa, looking for owner and head trainer Ben Brown.

“He walked up to my desk and he said, ‘Hey, coach, I want to take a fight, I’ve got videos of all my old fights, let me take a fight,” Brown recalled. “What I saw was an incredibly sloppy, cocky young fighter who’s just ready to get at it. He already in his mind was ready to fight for me.”

“That was literally our first conversation,” Galvez said. “He was like, ‘Hold up, I don’t even know you!’”

Little did either of them know that the conversation would jump-start Galvez’s combat sports career.

Now 26, the 5-foot-7 dynamo and Muay Thai specialist is one of the top young fighters in the world ― and hungry for more. He is currently ranked No. 1 in the world by the International Kickboxing Federation in the welterweight division and No. 1 in the world by Freedom Fighters Promotions.

Galvez is also a four-time Muay Thai champion, having won the IKF’s Northern California light middleweight and welterweight titles.

“What’s done it is from Day 1, Robbinson knew where he was going — he’s going to climb to the top of that mountain and scream his name,” Brown said. “He is on the cusp of the world figuring out who the next great guy is.”

What makes his story even more interesting is the fact that this is his second run at mixed martial arts.

Growing up north of Sonoma County in Fort Bragg, Galvez had a brief training stint when he was 15. There wasn’t much local MMA competition then, so Galvez started competing in “smokers” — unsanctioned fights that take place at locations like reservation land. They were most famous before the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion came into being.

“My first fight was at 16, fighting a 26-year-old after maybe a couple of months of training,” Galvez recalled. “He already had a couple of fights and was knocking people out. This guy has “Brown pride” tattooed across his stomach, was jacked, and it was scary. I had several fights like that; I even fought that guy twice.”

Galvez’s training regimen was irregular, to say the least. They would train once a week — sometimes twice — but for the most part, said Galvez, he was on his own. Nowhere to grow, nowhere to train, as he put it.

Galvez was supposed to compete in a tournament but then suffered an injury. That setback, along with the lack of consistent training, made him quit the sport at 17.

His journey took him to automotive trade school, where the frustration and sense of desperation grew even stronger. When he did decide to take up fighting again, it brought him to Brown’s Phas3. He still has all his trade school certifications, however, and still performs odd jobs here and there.

“I was just trying to figure things out,” Galvez said. “I was trying to figure out what it was that had meaning to me, but at the end of the day I think I always wanted to be in the ring at the highest levels.”

Galvez will be headed to Thailand next month to train with Fairtex, one of the world leaders in MMA equipment and training centers. He was supposed to have a ‘homecoming fight” in Santa Rosa this December but had to pull out due to foot injuries.

Despite that, Galvez is still training. He normally starts with jump rope, but during a recent session preferred shadowboxing with two-pound weights in his hand to warm up.

It was a more subdued session compared to what Galvez experiences in a six-week fight camp. That includes hill sprints, which he does on his own.

With “Can’t Stop” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers blaring on the loudspeakers, Brown and Galvez transitioned into the ring.

Armored with pads and shields, the trainer gave the go-ahead for Galvez to take his best shot. They worked on multiple combo moves and the art of clinching — grabbing your opponent at close range.

“Thank you, buddy, I love you,” Brown said as Galvez nailed him with a jab-kick hook-knee combo.

To end the session, it’s kicks to the body. Brown broke it up into three cycles of 20 kicks: the first 20 focused on timing, the second on speed and the third on power. And even though he’s got the shield protecting him, Brown said he still feels it.

“Robbinson days are my Advil days,” Brown admitted.

Galvez’s meteoric rise through the IKF and Muay Thai ranks has people on red alert. There was even a documentary — found on YouTube — about him and his work with Brown at Phas3

He has become a household name of sorts in the MMA world; he shows up to a fight, and everyone wants a picture with him. That plays well into his happy, always-positive persona.

But behind that persona is a mean mentality that wants to be the best.

“I’m doing everything and more; I’m trying to lap everybody,” Galvez said. “I know I’m not better than you, but I want to be better than you and know what it takes to be better than you. I know I’m going to have to take that extra mile, those extra two to three rounds. I know I’m going to have to practice after hours and get here two hours early.

“I’m willing to do it because I know that if I do that, I can beat you, and I will.”

You can reach Staff Writer Kienan O’Doherty at 415-887-8650 or kienan.odoherty@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kodoherty22.