Paki Ormsby has just returned from winning gold in his age group at the Pan Pacific ju-jitsu championships in Melbourne, but less than three years ago he had hardly heard of the sport.
In the end, his father established Tauranga MMA to give his boy a place to train.
"We were looking for a gym for Paki to train at and there wasn't really one at the time, so we found the premises and opened up," said Paki's father Jamahl Ormsby.
"He hadn't had any involvement before then - he was just playing rugby and pig hunting.
"He's been doing it since then and has been in the top two for his age in New Zealand since. He's trained hard and the New Zealand competition is strong as far as ju-jitsu goes."