Wilson Sojo is still in high school, but there’s a reason you’ll see him compete so far up on the card tonight at Fight 2 Win 157.
Sojo, a 16-year-old blue belt, is a must-watch up-and-comer in the jiu-jitsu world, having already dedicated a ton of time and effort to the sport. He started training martial arts when he was just three years old, then began training jiu-jitsu at six. It wasn’t long before he was competing at local tournaments, then moved up to more prestigious competitions. His efforts were fruitful, and he ended up collecting gold medals from Kids No-Gi Worlds, Kids Pans, and Kids SJJIF Worlds. Along the way, he also defeated some significant opponents, including purple belt No-Gi Worlds bronze medalist Grayson Henley.
As Sojo has faced the challenges of growing up on the mats, he says that his greatest challenge to overcome has been believing him himself. “I’ve always had such a problem with worrying about how I would compare to other people,” he told the Jiu-Jitsu Times. “The key to overcome that is to just relax and know what you can do. You have to let go and just believe in the skills you have. It’s about what you put on the mat and not what someone else can put on you.”
Tonight, Sojo will be competing just before the black belts take the stage at F2W 157, taking on Michael Gillin for the teen no-gi belt. The placement on the card is significant and will certainly put a lot of eyes on the two teens, but the added strain of the spotlight isn’t getting to Sojo.
“I’m very excited and happy for my match to be placed so high on the F2W card. I actually get the chance to show my skills to a lot more people,” he says. “I really don’t feel the pressure anymore — after competing so many times, you end up learning to love the experience. It turns into a way of life instead of a chore. I’ve learned it doesn’t matter where a jiu-jitsu match takes place, it’s still a jiu-jitsu match. It doesn’t matter who is watching. All that matters is you try as hard as you can and leave everything on the mat.”
Given the level of dedication and discipline that jiu-jitsu requires, it’s no wonder that many teens aren’t willing to spend so much time on the mats in some of the most formative years of their lives. Still, Sojo has some advice for juvenile competitors who have their eyes set on the prize in BJJ.
“You can’t expect to be successful if you are not putting in the work. You have to thrive in the hardest days. You have to pick yourself up when you want to quit. You have to want it with everything in your heart. You can’t stop when you fail. Take that fail and turn it into success.”
Sojo has a bright future ahead of him, and he fully intends on first winning ADCC Trials, then aiming even higher. “Once that is done, I want to win the whole thing. I want to take gold so that way I earned a level of respect from people so I can start spreading my knowledge to other people,” he says. “Off the mats right now I’m focusing on finishing my high school years, and after that, I’m putting all my time into training and improving myself as a whole.”
Fight 2 Win 157 takes place tonight and can be streamed live on FloGrappling.
