What to know about New Mexico fighter Robert Trujillo: He can give, take a slap in the face
Published
Modified
Dana White, president of the UFC and the No. 1 guy in the world of people hitting people, has a two-word phrase he likes to use when he sees something that really impresses him.
The first word is a synonym for 鈥渟acred,鈥� the second a synonym for 鈥渆xcrement.鈥�
And when White watched Raton鈥檚 Robert Trujillo lay out Jewel Scott with one powerful blow to the face during a slap-fighting competition on April 28, he likely uttered that two-word phrase.
Trujillo, a rising star in Power Slap, White鈥檚 slap-fighting promotional venture, will be back in action Wednesday 鈥� facing South Carolinian Paul Teague at Power Slap 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For Trujillo, 31, the father of son Carter, 9, and daughter Liliana, almost 2, slap-fighting remains a means to an end. An unbeaten MMA fighter, he took to slapping people in hopes of getting White鈥檚 attention and earning a UFC contract.
Clearly, he has White鈥檚 attention; the two have talked. A torn wrist ligament suffered as the result of that brutal knockout of Scott might have cost Trujillo a spot on Tuesday鈥檚 edition of Dana White鈥檚 Contender Series.
In any case, Trujillo believes he鈥檚 getting close.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a few of the insiders here (in Las Vegas) ask me if I鈥檝e gotten signed yet,鈥� he said on Tuesday in a phone interview, 鈥渟o I know there鈥檚 talk about it.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know anything for sure; nothing鈥檚 set in stone. But they do know that鈥檚 my ultimate goal.鈥�
Trujillo is 5-0 as a professional MMA fighter after compiling an 11-2 amateur record. Last year, he auditioned for and became part of a slap-fighting facsimile of the UFC鈥檚 popular The Ultimate Fighter series, in which fighters live together sequestered while competing.
No one, probably not even Trujillo, knew how good he would be at slapping people.
Trujillo lost his first slap fight, but by disqualification when he lifted his foot 鈥� a foul 鈥� while pivoting to throw a blow.
鈥淚 actually knocked the guy out, but I got DQ鈥檇,鈥� he said.
In his second fight, Trujillo scored a one-slap knockout of Anthony Green. Then came the fight against New Orleans鈥� Scott, a matchup in which Trujillo was a 2-to-1 underdog. Everything, it seemed, was against him.
The fight was made at 155 pounds. Trujillo competes in MMA at 135 pounds; Scott, the bigger man of the two, had competed in Power Slap before at 170.
Then, that night, Scott won the coin toss 鈥� meaning he鈥檇 get the often decisive first slap.
But, no.
Trujillo weathered Scott鈥檚 first blow, then delivered one of his own that landed too high on Scott鈥檚 head; little harm done.
Scott鈥檚 second slap barely registered on Trujillo. Then, Trujillo鈥檚 second attempt landed squarely and loudly on Scott鈥檚 jaw. Down and out he went. Match over. For Trujillo, the Journal had two questions. Where does the power come from, and where does the chin come from?
Second question first: It鈥檚 not the chin so much as the neck.
鈥淵our neck is your shock absorber,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do a lot of neck drills, and it helps me take the hit better. Some of the guys with weaker necks, they get hit and their whole head turns around. That鈥檚 kind of what knocks them out.鈥�
Trujillo鈥檚 relatively slender build gives little indication of the power he can muster. He鈥檚 done nothing beyond his MMA training, he said, to acquire it. It鈥檚 just there.
鈥淚 throw the strikes the same way I would (in MMA),鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut without pivoting my foot.鈥�
Slap-fighting, and White鈥檚 Power Slap in particular, continue to have vociferous critics 鈥� both outside and inside of the combat-sports community.
Trujillo believes it鈥檚 here to stay.
鈥淚 feel like we鈥檙e picking up a huge amount of fans,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�� Even people who don鈥檛 like it can鈥檛 stop watching, because it鈥檚 kind of an addicting thing to watch.鈥�
Until he gets that UFC contract, and even after he does, Trujillo is willing to stay slap happy.
鈥淚 told Dana I鈥檇 love to be a two-sport athlete for him,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�� I definitely would love to do both.鈥�
