Fight Path: Idaho flyweight Czar Sklavos plans to capitalize on CFA 11 buzz

Czar Sklavos didn’t have to go far to find his first exposure to martial arts and combat sports.

Just to the living room, pretty much.

His father, Carl, was a world-champion kickboxer. Even though he didn’t have hopes of his son competing in the sport in his future, Sklavos was fascinated because it was something his father did.

“He was my hero,” Sklavos told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “People asked him if he wanted me to be a fighter, and he said he didn’t want me to go down that path.”

That changed, and Sklavos (7-2) has. And a promising one at that. The 31-year-old flyweight from Twin Falls, Idaho, heads into what he considers his most significant fight yet next weekend when he faces Olympic medalist and Bellator vet Alexis Vila (11-3) at Championship Fighting Alliance 11, which airs on AXS TV from BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Sklavos enters the May 24 fight at 7-2, with a six-fight winning streak earlier in his career.

He has won a fight despite a broken jaw suffered in the process. He has built custom cabinets for a living. He has even set up mats in his garage so he and his father, also his coach, can do some working out short notice.

But, despite his life experiences, he hasn’t yet experienced a stage like the one on which he’ll appear at the CFA show. In part because the card includes transgender fighter Fallon Fox taking on Allanna Jones in the co-main event, which should bring extra attention to a show featuring heavyweights Travis Wiuff and Mike Kyle in the headliner.

That means Sklavos has the opportunity to make a statement for MMA in Idaho, which he said is smaller but strong and growing. After starting later than some others in his career, he could also make a bigger mark for himself.

“I think people underestimate me, and they don’t know who I am,” he said. “I’m from some small town in Idaho, so they think I’ll lay down. But I won’t.”

A life around fighting

Carl Sklavos is originally from California, but he later moved to Twin Falls, where he met Sklavos’ mother. From that smaller town, Carl became an internationally successful kickboxer as his son watched and admired.

Even though Carl didn’t envision fighting as a career for Czar, he did teach him and his friends about kickboxing.

“I remember going to the gym and just watching him spar,” he said. “It was a big influence on me.”

Growing up, Sklavos was more interested in being outside. He was small compared with his peers, so he didn’t get very involved in athletics, especially those that involved contact.

He stayed interested in what his father was doing. Later on, that involved jiu-jitsu. Carl would often encourage his son to take part in the jiu-jitsu training with him because he considered it an important part of the future of fighting.

At first, Sklavos found excuses to avoid the training. Then, more and more, he and his father would go through workouts.

Once he got into his 20s, Sklavos moved to Boise to take work making custom cabinets. He had a daughter, which led to his move back to Twin Falls to be closer to his family. That would later be important in his fighting career.

“If I didn’t have him, I wouldn’t be fighting,” he said of his father. “It’s both the physical training and the mental aspect. You have to condition your mind. You have to weed out the doubt and the questions and the part of you that wants to stop when you get hit in the face.”

Becoming a fighter

About four years ago, a fighter from Nevada called Carl and asked him to help with his training. The older Sklavos agreed, and while sparring with the visiting fighter, the younger Sklavos got a taste of what competition would be like.

“I felt like I had all the tools, so to not use that potential, it just kind of seemed like a waste,” Sklavos said. “I thought it was time for me to try it.”

He had taken two amateur fights a few years before, and his father said if he wanted to try fighting, he had to commit to being a professional. His March 2010 pro debut ended in a unanimous-decision defeat at a King of the Cage show.

The fight was at 135 pounds, which Sklavos now knows was too big for him.

“I never considered stopping,” he said. “I knew it would help me with my weaknesses.”

It worked. He won his next six fights. That included a decision victory against Jon Maryanski at CageSport 114 during which he had his jaw broken badly enough that it was in pieces. That came in the third round, and Sklavos battled to finish the fight and win, which boosted his confidence.

In the meantime, he has connected with other members of the Idaho MMA community, including the other members of the Team Sklavos – like 9-1 bantamweight Brandon Hempleman – as well as non-team members like UFC fighter Scott Jorgensen.

The most important person in his training remains his father, as the two continue a special relationship that includes living just a mile or so apart and seeing each other daily, usually for several hours.

Next weekend, Sklavos will have a chance to show what their work has produced.

“It’s my chance to display what I can do on a bigger scale,” he said. “This is the biggest fight for me yet.”

For the latest on Championship Fighting Alliance 11, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Award-winning newspaper reporter Kyle Nagel pens “Fight Path” each week. The column focuses on the circumstances that led fighters to a profession in MMA. Know a fighter with an interesting story? Email us at news [at] mmajunkie.com.