Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, he said: “There’s no pressure on my shoulders. I’ve trained for this, so what’s the point for me to feel pressure for?”
Cairo Thomas, from Lyde Green, won gold in the Youth C category at the 2025 IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts Federation) European Championships in Serbia in February.
He started jiu-jitsu at the age of nine and was headhunted by a coach from Great Britain Jiu-Jitsu.
The young athlete, who trains at Roger Gracie Bristol said he feels confident about representing his country.
Cairo has been competing in jiu-jitsu since 2022 and said he has hopes of turning professionally one day.
He said he was spotted by one of the Great Britain coaches at a Junior MMA competition in November.
“It’s always been a mind game for me,” said Cairo.
“For most of these kids my age, they started from when they were around four or five years old.
“I thought I started way too late. But when I started to fight kids way more experienced than me, I started to realise that if I’ve got the right mindset and if I train hard enough, I can still beat these kids and compete with them.”
Sports England, which provides funding for community sports clubs and organisations, does not recognise MMA as having a fully established governing body.
This means that the funding channels for grassroots and elite sports do not yet include junior MMA teams.
Cairo’s mum, Leilani-Chyna Thomas, has set up a GoFundMe page to to try and get the £6,000 needed to take part in the competition.
She said she was incredibly proud of her son, describing him a “talented, hardworking young athlete”.
“I know that Cairo will go to the top. One thing about him is that he sets goals and achieves goals.”
As a single mum, she said she felt jiu-jitsu would be a positive driving force in her son’s life, allowing him to stay focused and giving him the skills to defend himself, if needed.
“There’s not a lot for kids to do nowadays,” explained Ms Thomas, recalling how there were more youth clubs around when she was young.
“All that pent-up energy for kids, all they can do is muck around and get themselves into trouble.
“I’d rather him channel his energy into something that’ll help him when he’s older.”
