Among New Mexico's many state champions, Kolby Gonzales of Las Cruces is singularly unique

Kolby Gonzales is crystal clear as he lays out his life ambitions.

“I always strive for greatness,” said Gonzales, 16, a sophomore wrestler at Las Cruces High School. “I want to be the best of all time in everything I do.”

Starting Friday, Gonzales will be chasing a second consecutive individual state title as the two-day, Class 5A state wrestling tournament gets going at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

He is the top seed at 157 pounds. The only New Mexican to have beaten Gonzales (twice) this season is Valentin Popadiuc, a 4A wrestler from St. Pius who is headed to Iowa State. His third loss came at Tulsa (Oklahoma) Nationals last month.

“I’ve really switched the mentality. My freshman year, I felt I was chasing the top,” Gonzales said. “Now I feel like I’m at the top and people are chasing me.”

Wrestling is only half of what defines Gonzales, who has aspirations to one day become a star in MMA.

Gonzales is  world-ranked in jiu-jitsu, and is one of the most accomplished and highest-ranked juniors in the world in his 15-17 age group. He’s also ranked in the top 15 for adults. It’s been a passion since he was a small boy, and this, in unison with his wrestling acumen, should, he believes, prepare him to jump into MMA either after high school or perhaps after several years wrestling in college.

He has won 300 medals, roughly 280 of them golds in jiu-jitsu, he said. An entire wall in his Doña Ana County home is decorated with belts, medals and ribbons, a tribute to his many successes.

Jiu-jitsu is everything for Gonzales, he said.

“It’s hard sometimes, because I’m just so focused,” he said. “I want to train all the time. There are times when I just want to train all day. It’s something I feel is necessary to keep me at the highest level.”

The path began for him as a 4-year-old boy, who found a soulmate in jiu-jitsu.

“It’s actually a funny story,” he said. “I did play youth soccer when I was little, and I was playing (when) this kid was being really aggressive towards me, elbowing me and stuff, so I pushed him to the ground,” Gonzales said. “I got kicked out of soccer.”

He had a similar experience in basketball, and ended up having a tussle with that same kid. And with that, so long, basketball. His disdain for formatted team sports was obvious.

His father, Mike, enraged at his young son’s behavior, entered Kolby in a free, week-long jiu-jitsu trial at a local gym.

“I just wanted him to get his butt kicked a little bit,” Mike Gonzales said with a slight laugh.

What happened next surprised everyone.

“So I went, did this trial week, and I was going to go back to regular sports. But as soon as I got done with my first day, I told my dad that this is what I want to do with the rest of my life,” Kolby said.

At the end of the week, Mike Gonzales said, he opened his wallet.

“We bought all his gear and he never wanted to go back to soccer and basketball,” he said.

What held his attention then, and now? The individual responsibility of it all is what swayed him and anchors him, Gonzales said.

“It’s always on me,” he said. “I take all the glory or all the shame.”

He has been collecting medals for well over a decade. He won a giant Brazilian nationals event in South America three years ago. He's captured half a dozen American national titles, a handful of kids world championships, plus a huge ADCC – Abu Dhabi Combat Club, the premier international “no-gi” submission grappling form of jiu-jitsu, which closely mirrors wrestling – title, the one he considers most prestigious, in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena in August 2024.

“It was a surreal experience, for sure,” he said. “It was crazy. Lights, walk-out music … ”

As soon as the state tournament ends this weekend, Gonzales is going back into heavy jiu-jitsu training for world trials, which are coming up in Los Angeles in April. 

If you think the wall in his home happened by accident, consider this story from his father.

“You know, one time, he had won like 68 tournaments in a row,” Mike Gonzales said. “We were in California, LA I believe, he had a match … he ended up getting third at this tournament. … I’ve never seen him so upset in my life.”

His son was only 7 or 8 years old. This, his father said, illustrates the relentless drive Kolby has always had.

“I hate losing,” Kolby Gonzales said. “Like, with a passion.”

He said he wakes up “every morning thinking about wrestling and jiu-jitsu.”

Not surprisingly, he has a small army of coaches who are shaping his progress, ranging from jiu-jitsu coaches in El Paso to striking coaches at the Jackson-Wink Academy in Albuquerque.

“I’ve been in MMA for 35 years, and … he’s definitely a standout,” said Jackson-Wink head coach Joey Villaseñor. “There’s nothing better than training someone who is humble, respectful, who wants to win and who has a work ethic. He doesn’t have to flaunt it. He lets the work speak for itself and that’s the best.”

Gonzales, Villaseñor added, “is like a snake in the grass. I’ve seen him submit pros in grappling at our gym, and these are professional MMA fighters. He’s so talented.”

Indeed, there is little bravado to Gonzales’ words or tone, but the origin of his confidence is simple. He says it’s genetics, as his family is filled with tough-minded ranchers.

“My dad, he told me his mental strength (was such) that he thought he could go against an 8-foot, 300-pound guy and beat him up,” Kolby said.

Gonzales has something approximating that same belief. Hence, a wall covered with proof of his many triumphs.

“Getting your hand raised and standing on that podium is the most euphoric feeling,” Gonzales said, describing his emotional attachment to the sport. “And it’s something I’ve chased my whole life.”

STATE SCHEDULE: There are two sessions Friday, at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (quarterfinals).

Action resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday with the semifinals, and the finals for Class 5A boys, 1A-4A boys and overall girls are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the RREC.

Volcano Vista is going after a fourth straight 5A boys championship. Aztec is the defending 1A-4A winner. Cleveland’s girls won state in 2024 and 2025 and are looking for a three-peat.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.