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Mountain Home alumni set to compete in national event
A former Mountain Home High School wrestling all-star is set to earn a spot in the national spotlight when he competes on Saturday.
Johnny Nunez, who finished his senior year of high school with a flawless 48-0 record and a state title, is setting his sights on extending his professional career as a mixed martial artist.
The World Series of Fighting event is scheduled to begin Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The first bout on the event's main card, it will air on the NBC Sports network.
Standing five-feet, nine inches, Nunez recalled the journey that led him to the world of professional sports.
It began after Nunez and his family moved to Mountain Home when he was a sixth grader. During the year, he joined his friends at West Elementary School to compete on a youth football team.
In time, his friends convinced him to get involved in the local Mountain Home wrestling club. It was R.J. Scott, the club's coach, that convinced him to remain active in wrestling.
"He saw something in me and pushed me not to quit," Nunez said.
And when he had second thoughts about competing in scheduled tournaments, his coach would personally stop by his house and ensure he went.
His love of competing continued into high school where he joined the wrestling team during his freshman year. Topping the scales at just 103 pounds, he endured a tough season.
Despite the losses, his credits his coaches -- Scott Mederios, Lynn Knudson and Kevin Bish -- for pushing him to succeed. While he didn't earn a seat himself, they invited him to go with the high school team to the state wrestling tournament where he watched the state's top athletes compete.
That experience proved to be a turning point in his high school wrestling career.
"I said to myself that it would be really nice to be on that center stage," he said as he recalled watching the winners accept their medals.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Nunez spent the summer training for the next wrestling season. That hard work paid off after he earned a spot in the state finals.
He would return to the state finals again during his junior year. He was pushed out of medal contention after he lost in a triple final match.
But he remained more determined than ever to be a state champion. During his senior year of high school, he went on to post a flawless 48-0 season record and went on to earn the state championship he sought just three years prior.
Nunez finished his high school wrestling career with 143 wins, including 100 by pins. That record would stand at Mountain Home High School until 2009 when it was finally surpassed.
But high school was just a start. His wrestling ambition took him to college where he competed in the PAC-10 as a student at Boise State University. It was here that he began training in the martial arts, learning the finer points of jujitsu.
Three days after he graduated from BSU with a degree in mass communications, Nunez packed his bags and joined his wrestling coach to continue his training. They spent time in England before moving to Los Angles.
In addition to training to fight, Nunez got a break as an actor. He appeared in several television commercials before landing a role in a reality television show known as "The Cougar."
Looking back, Nunez admits that acting just wasn't a good fit since it didn't give him a change to showcase his skills as a wrestler.
But his life would change once again after he flew back to Mountain Home in 2010 to be with his mother, who was going through surgery. It was during this visit that he met once again with his college wrestling coach, who convinced him to start a career as a mixed martial artist.
Moving to Las Vegas, Nunez extended his training regimen once again to include kick boxing. At the same time, he formed his own wrestling club known as Johnny Boy Wrestling, which allows him to introduce others to the sport.
Being the best involves a lot more than training.
"You have to have heart. You have to be a warrior," he said.
To make it into the professional ranks, Nunez had to cut his teeth in the amateur circuit, which included six fights. He still remembers his first bout -- a quick fight where he simply wore down his opponent.
"There's no other adrenaline rush like it," he said. "The cage door closes, and you know only one of us will come out a winner."
He moved into the professional ranks after he fought Lee Henry Lilly on Feb. 4, 2012. He extended his professional record to 4-0-0 after he beat Joel Dona Orsoto during his most recent fight on Dec. 14, 2013.
On Saturday, Nunez will face Ozzy Dugulubgov, whose professional career includes fives wins and one loss. Going into the ring as the underdog Nunez described his opponent as a "tough, heavy hitter."
"I'm going to have to 'grind' him out," said Nunez, making a reference to tiring out his opponent versus using brute force.
"I will go the distance... if I tire him out, I'll hopefully put him away," he said.