If David fought Goliath today, David would’ve used judo instead of a slingshot; it’s a form of fighting that doesn’t put importance on size between opponents. That’s why it attracted Edgar Espinosa.
At the time of his first fight, he was 5-foot-4, weighing 120 pounds when he squared off against a 6-foot opponent weighing more than 200 pounds. Still, Espinosa walked out as the victor, and he’s been hooked ever since.
“It was a taste of what judo can do,” he said.
Espinosa, 20, has been involved with judo for almost five years, and he sees no end in sight.
He’s also been raking in the awards. On Dec. 15, he went to the Winter Nationals, where he took home gold for his dojo, Common Era Ministry (CEM). He also placed second at El Cerrito and third at Claremont.
Espinosa’s sensei, Bob Rush, remembers a story of his pupil that sets him apart from his peers: “There was a team from Sweden, and Edgar was the only one that beat them,” Rush said.
Espinosa was one of 300 competing in the tournament.
Due to Espinosa’s placement at Winter Nationals, he was promoted to a brown belt, which means he’ll be able to compete against black belts.
However, Rush thinks Espinosa will receive his black belt within the year—a noteworthy event, because out of the 20 years Rush has been teaching, he’s never awarded a black belt.
Starting at the end of January, Espinosa will begin to compete at tournaments to rack up points for the Olympics.
As for future plans, Espinosa wants to go into the mixed martial arts—hinting toward the UFC. And, now that the Iceman hath gone, the Central Coast needs another ultimate fighting champion.
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2011.