Alvin Aguilars' sons begin path to combat sports greatness

MANILA, Philippines – The sons of Philippine mixed martial arts pioneer Alvin Aguilar have started charting their respective paths in their chosen combat sports.

Brothers Alonzo and Andreas Lucho Aguilar hope to one day bring glory to the Philippines as wrestlers and jiu-jitsu athletes.

Already a football player from De La Salle Zobel, Alonzo Lucas or “Lukie” is also training in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, while younger brother Andreas Lucho has already decided to focus on jiu-jitsu.

“I am in love with jiu-jitsu, wrestling and football, but I haven’t decided yet what would I wanted to be in the future,” said the 17-year-old Lukie, a Grade 12 student.

A jiu-jitsu blue belter, Lukie said he is also working on his striking skills.

“I am training jiu-jitsu and wrestling every day. I’d also like football to be a part of me, maybe I could become a member of the Philippine football team someday,” the elder Aguilar added. “But combat sports is a part of me that I just can’t let go.”

Speaking of combat sports, Lukie has already captured two silvers in the last U-17 -63kg class of the United World Wrestling (UWW) Asian Grappling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, together with two Filipino gold winners Fierre Afan and Maria Aisa Ratcliff.

He was also a bronze medalist in a world jiu-jitsu championship tournament in both no-gi and gi in Ufa, Russia in 2019.

For his part, Lucho, 15, is also seeking become a jiu-jitsu athlete who can excel in international competitions such as the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, World Games and World Championships.

“My goal is to become the best jiu-jitsu black belt athlete and I want to bring home glory to our country by means of jiu-jitsu — the [combat] sport which my family loves most,” Lucho said. “But I have to improve my wrestling and grappling skills.”

Just like his brother, Lucho also earned a medal in the last UWW Asian Grappling Championships where he got a silver and bronze medals in the U-15 -58 kg classes. 

“Jiu-jitsu is my life. I do not know what to do if there’s no jiu-jitsu. I dedicated my life, my friends are there,” Lucho, who is holding a green belt in jiujitsu, said. “My biggest goal is to become a world champion in jiu-jitsu. I want to be the best in the world.”

The brothers maintain that their biggest influence in embracing martial arts is their father Alvin, founder the longest-running Philippine MMA promotions firm Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) and DEFTAC Philippines.

The 49-year-old Aguilar patriarch is renowned for having an extensive martial arts background, including having trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Shotokan karate, Yaw-Yan, Pekiti-Tirsia kali and arnis.