Garza smiles before his debut UFC fight. Courtesy of AzTex MMA.

John Garza, 23, shadowboxes while he moves through the gym, joking with his friends. When he sits down on the bench, he is still for only a minute before he starts stretching and flexing. 

Cristina Allomov, the gym’s owner and head coach, smiles good-naturedly and explains that Garza never really stops moving. 

“He just really loves to fight,” she said.

Garza, who fights by the name Mowgli, traveled to Las Vegas on July 11 to compete in his debut UFC fight: UFC 329, the same card headlined by Conor McGregor and Max Holloway. In his fight, Garza took on Farid Basharat, who had a 15-0 record and was ranked in the top 10 internationally in his weight class. Garza, who had a 6-1 record, lost after all three rounds of fighting. 

Representing AzTex MMA, a mixed martial arts gym on Jefferson, he received the call to fight with only six days notice before his match. Garza was training at the time to compete for the Fury FC Bantamweight title in August, but dropped everything to make his UFC debut. Basharat’s original opponent, Ethyn Ewing, stepped out on short notice for an undisclosed injury.

“At first, I was obviously nervous,” Garza said of his feelings in the lead-up to the match. “This is the big moment. But that night I prayed about it, and I said to the Lord, ‘If it’s your will, let it be done.’ Having that faith in the path that God has set for me gives me so much courage to walk it.”

Garza preparing for his debut UFC fight. Courtesy of AzTex MMA.

Normally, competitors are given six to eight weeks of preparation in training camp, which involves analyzing an opponent’s style, rehab, conditioning and weight training. 

Allomov explained that most of the time, fighters are recovering from injury or illness during their camp. Garza himself had dealt with setbacks while preparing for his original August fight.

“This one’s always hurt,” she joked.

Basharat had an intimidating reputation, yet Garza said that actually made him less nervous. 

“When the stakes are higher, I do better,” he said.

Garza had been dreaming of this debut since he began his martial arts career at 15. 

One day, his dad asked him if he wanted to learn how to defend himself. Garza said yes and began learning Muay Thai under Rashaad Robinson.

“Ever since I was little, I always knew I wanted to do something big,” he said. “And I didn’t really know what that was until I started training.”

That’s when he got his nickname, Mowgli. A skinny, long-haired kid, his coach thought he looked like the Jungle Book character. 

Garza thought it was perfect for MMA, where the jungle analogy relates perfectly to fighting. He leans into it, posing as Mowgli does by lying on top of the fighting cage and doing jungle-themed photo shoots.

When he was younger, Garza trained with Allomov’s husband before the two got married. Eventually, Allomov said the couple felt like they’d outgrown their old gym, so they left. This decision inspired the Allomovs to build the gym they needed.

“We built what we expected, what a fighter’s gym should look like,” Allomov said of AzTex MMA, which opened in 2024. “That’s what we wanted to bring to Oak Cliff. You can find really good gyms that focus on one style of fighting, but to find one that is a complete MMA gym, that’s a little bit harder.”

Allomov grew up in a boxing family. Her father and cousin were boxers who introduced her to MMA and to Mexican-style boxing, which is her gym’s specialty. She always enjoyed watching the passion the athletes showed with their aggressive style. Many of them were underdogs, not having the most money but the most heart. 

“They have that desire to win. Even if you lose, it feels like a win,” she said. “I told (Garza), ‘Don’t worry about winning or losing; show who you are.’”

Allomov coaching Garza in their gym. Courtesy of AzTex MMA.

The gym’s other specialty is cultivating the authenticity of the athletes. Allomov mentioned that many fighters are expected to have a serious, tough personality. She encourages her fighters to be true to themselves and their personalities. 

Garza has been described as youthful and naive because he genuinely enjoys MMA, Allomov said. 

During training camp, the UFC interviews, and even the face-off with Basharat, he smiled.

“I want them to understand, this is John. You can be a tough guy in the cage, but you can still be a good person. You don’t have to be anybody else. Be happy, be in the moment,” Allomov said passionately. “I don’t want them to change who he is. He’s just enjoying it, and I feel like more people should do that. I hope more people can look up to him for that reason.”

The Oak Cliff community supports the AzTex team, who have been welcomed wholeheartedly, Allomov said. It’s important to her that the fighters are able to represent the neighborhood and its distinct culture.

“All my guys, whether they live here or not, they’re Oak Cliff,” she said. “It’s that fight environment where it can bring you down, or you can raise it up.”

All the local shop owners know them well, some even giving them nicknames. Garza, laughing, explained he’s known as Rocky. “I’m always shadowboxing in the store.”

“I’ve really grown to love the community. They all know what it means to struggle,” Garza said. “It’s just a blessing, you know?”