Sophomore DJ Herrera steps into the ring. The bell sounds, signaling the fight to begin. His opponent throws a straight punch. Weaving it Herrera comes back with a left hook and catching his chin, knocking his opponent out.

Herrera has practiced Muay Thai since eighth grade. In athletics the boys would wrestle on the mats for fun. One day, one of the coaches saw Herrera was putting the guys in submissions which he had learned on TV. He was then invited to go to their gym. At the gym, the coaches saw how fast he was picking up. The instructors bumped Herrera up to the advanced classes.

“I was excited but nervous because I didn’t know what to expect,” Herrera said. “It was a great achievement to kick off the beginning of my career.”

According to Herrera, he has a support team behind him. They like the fast-paced manner of fighting.

“I think it’s cool and fun to watch,” DJ’s sister, Amanda Herrera said. “I think he takes pride in fighting.”

Fight day for Herrera consists of a series of things he must go through. First, he starts with running and lifting weights. After that, he goes over technique with his coaches. Then repetition of a variety of combinations carries on. Even on fight day, Herrera may run a few miles before the fight. He and his teammates also spar a lot, which embodies real fighting, but focuses on a smaller part of your ability.

“I just focus on what I really want to do and make it happen,” Herrera said.

According to Herrera, there are downsides and upsides of Muay Thai fighting. The upsides include the respect and discipline he gets from others, are getting in good shape and to traveling a lot. Some of the downsides include stitches, broken bones, dieting, losing, and not having much of a life.

“It makes you more disciplined not just in physical stuff, but school work too,” Herrera said

Herrera trains everyday from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Except for on Sundays, in which case he goes to church.

“I’m always very tired from training so late and so often,” Herrera said. “I also can’t hang out with my friends that much on the weekends.”