Ground and Pound: Former Ranger Wrestler Damian Viveros Wins First MMA Match

On Saturday, April 4th, Damian Viveros, ‘25, at age 19, defeated San Francisco fighter Chris Nguyen by decision in a three-round contest. Viveros, his mother, his current coach, and past coaches give their insights on this achievement, and everything leading up to it.

By: Fabian Anguiano

Damian Viveros, ‘25, would join MMA last april, and he has stayed consistent since. Viveros loved it on his first day, and his coach believed he was ready.

In his fight camp, Viveros prepared himself physically by eating healhty. “I stuck to a strict diet, I really didn’t cheat or anything, just worked hard, a couple workouts a day. I made sure to have a rest day too,” said Viveros.

Viveros prepared himself mentally in camp by trusting in his training and trusting that whoever he gets put up against, he is better than.

Viveros’ main focus during camp was simply staying sharp, getting better, and working on the little things he needed before his fight.

Without Viveros past coaches, he would not be where he is right now.

Without the lessons Viveros’ past coaches taught him, he wouldn’t be “training and still having that same winning mindset and getting better.”

Walking out to his first cage match, with the bright lights and the fans roaring, Viveros was really nervous, when Viveros got into the cage though, it just felt like another wrestling duel.

Viveros felt like he did pretty well, though he believes that he could have done better at the same time. As he was a little scared to try things since it was his first fight.

The specific thing Viveros could have worked on is, “Twice more wrestling, I was just striking all the time. I could have wrestled more, done more kicks, and used more of everything I had,” said Viveros.

Seeing his past coaches in the crowd, though it made him nervous, felt good for Viveros. It was just different getting “coached by somebody else, because I was so used to getting coached by Michael Wright, Jacob Wright, and Coach Watts.”

Moving forward, Viveros looks to keep getting better, sharpening up, and staying healthy.

Viveros had one more thing to say, “Just freaking work hard, and grind.”

Viveros current MMA Coach, Darren Crisp Jr, owner of Crisp MMA shares his first impression of Viveros. He remembers thinking to himself, “Who’s this smiling dude? Right away, his positive energy stood out to me,” said Coach Crisp.

To Coach Crisp, as a student, Viveros learns quickly and works hard, which has helped him improve in a short amount of time.

Coach Crisp believes Damian earned this opportunity through his hard training and keeping up with the team.

Coach Crisp helped Viveros prepare in camp by, “Guiding his training, focusing on sharpening his strengths, and making sure he was prepared mentally and physically,.”

In camp, Viveros stayed consistent, pushing through hard days, and showing a lot of growth.

Coach Crisp believes that Viveros performed well in his first fight and that Viveros represented himself and the team well.

What Coach Crisp thinks Viveros did best was that “he stayed composed and showed heart, which is huge, especially in this position. He listened well.”

Like any fighter, Viveros can improve on his conditioning and his experience in the ring. The more Viveros is on the mat, the better he can get.

For Viveros next fight, nothing is set yet, though they are looking to August for the next one. If something comes up before, they will take it.

Coach Crisp had more to say, “I’m proud of him for stepping up and putting himself out there. That takes a lot, and it’s just the beginning for him. Especially, only training a year shows a lot of who he is as an athlete and as a fighter.”

Redwood Assistant Wrestling Coach Michael Wright II, says watching Viveros win his first cage match felt good, though it was, “Probably the most nervous I’ve ever been for one of my wrestlers, or former wrestlers,” says Wright.

Coach Wright believes Viveros’ hard work contributed to this because, “I think Donut (Damian) has always been a hard worker. He’s always been a really tough guy, so being able to get in a cage and fight really wasn’t that crazy for him, but I think it’s something he’ll be able to continue to have success on, I hope.”

Coach Wright believes Viveros did a good job on putting pressure on his opponent, though he did get “a little bit excited at times, I think the crowd kind of fueled him a little bit too much, but I know him; we are going to get together and work on some of that stuff, because he’s just a little bit anxious. You get excited when you stun a guy, and that’s the first time he’s ever done that in a live fight. That’s new, but he’ll get better at it,” said Coach Wright.

For what Coach Wright wishes for Viveros to accomplish next is whatever Viveros wants. Coach Wright and the rest of the coaches are always there to support their wrestlers. Throughout life, supporting their dreams and their goals, and it is the same thing for Viveros.

Wright had one more thing to say, “ I’m really proud of him.”

Boys wrestling head coach, David Watts, was not able to attend Viveros’ fight as he was on a short vacation in Lake Tahoe, though he still had people providing him with updates throughout each round.

Coach Watts was not exactly nervous during the bout, as he has a great deal of confidence in Viveros. Watts believes he is an exceptional wrestler and a highly athletic competitor.

Seeing one of his former wrestlers reach this level is something Watts takes a lot of, “Pride in, seeing Damian continue to pursue what he enjoys and succeeds at a high level is incredibly rewarding. This is just the beginning of what I believe will be a long and successful journey for him,” said Coach Watts.

Coach Watts believes that Viveros did a good job of utilizing his wrestling background as he secured multiple take downs and maintained control of his opponent throughout the bout.

Coach Watts believes that Viveros can continue to develop his, “Striking and submission skills. Wrestling is a strong foundation, but success in MMA requires a well-rounded skill set.”

In the future, Coach Watts hopes that Viveros will continue to improve his technique and conditioning. 

Coach Watts has always reached out to Viveros to express how proud he is, and the message is simple, “Keep working hard, stay disciplined, and continue striving to improve.”

Coach Watts had more to say, “I wish Damian the best moving forward. He has the work ethic and mindset to keep improving, and I’m confident he will continue to grow as a fighter.”

Viveros’ mother, Cynthia Viveros, said that her reaction to her son saying that he was going to join MMA was, “Scared, nervous, and sad all at once. I’ve never been a fan of MMA fights.”

Ms. Viveros’ nerves started days before the bout began, “I was very nervous days prior, before and during the fight, especially because it was his first fight. My nerves were at an all-time high watching him fight in such a high-intensity fight,” said Ms. Viveros.

When Viveros won, Ms. Viveros was happy and proud of Damiam, and all she did was yell his name out loud afterwards.

Ms. Viveros believes her son got to this point by his determination.

“He was determined while training to get ready for this fight. He did not deviate from his plan; he remained focused until the day of his fight. He was focused, with lots of determination and ambition to learn and master a new sport,” says Ms. Viveros.

What Ms. Viveros believes Damian did best was simply staying calm and focused.

Though Ms. Viveros is not familiar with MMA, she believes that everything Damian did was good, as he won the fight, which was the main goal.

Watching her son go from being a little kid to winning his first cage match made Ms. Viveros sad, as it reminded her that he isn’t so little anymore.

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