Unbeaten Aaron “Tommy Gun” Canarte will step foot into the limelight on Friday, July 14. The Ecuadorian phenom will meet Akbar Abdullaev at ONE Fight Night 12 in Bangkok. But Canarte’s path to the big time was not without its struggles.
ONE Prospect Aaron Canarte Slated for Battle with Akbar Adullaev
Canarte did not begin training until he was 18. He first wandered into a Muay Thai gym and grew to love the sport before adding grappling to his training. Soon, mixed martial arts was calling his name.
“I started training jiu-jitsu and implementing all the different martial arts in one. I liked it so much and felt that [MMA] was for me. It was basically my sport. I used to go to school and work, which didn’t give me time to train. I pushed everything aside to dedicate myself 100 percent to the sport,” Canarte told ONE.
Although his mother was worried about him getting punched for his passion, Canarte has had nothing but support from his family. It was support that he needed as his young journey took him away from home. Knowing he needed to move to take the next step in his evolution, Canarte packed up and moved to Mexico.
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“I’ve sacrificed many years for this sport. I left my country, left my family, left my comfort zone, and have started from zero in a different country. I’ve worked to have enough money for food, looked for sponsors, and well, it has been a lot of sacrifices that I’ve made,” the Ecuadorian stated.
After a perfect start to his professional career, Canarte has his chance to make a statement in U.S. primetime on a big card — a card headlined by the likes of Superlek Kiatmoo9, Garry Tonon, and Amir Aliakbari. The featherweight talent believes he can jump right into the thick of things in a jam-packed division. With an opportunity so large at hand, “Tommy Gun” is not taking anything for granted.
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“I feel so happy that after all those years, I will be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor, and it’s an honor for me more than anything. I feel very happy being in ONE Championship, to be able to represent my country. And more than anything, to make everyone that has supported me from the beginning proud,” Canarte said.
His debut runs deeper than just his own pursuit of greatness. Canarte is Ecuador’s first athlete to grace ONE Championship’s global platform. With the weight of a nation on his shoulders, Canarte is ready to be the face of MMA in his homeland and position himself as a threat to every contender in the division.
“I’m going to give it my all. I’m going to represent the flag in the best way possible, and to all my friends and family, keep an eye out for the fight on July 14. You can’t miss it. We’re going to give a great show and represent the flag in the best way possible,” Canarte said.
ONE Fight Night 12 airs live on Prime Video at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The action emanates from Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The event will be free for all Amazon Prime members based in the U.S. and Canada.
