A 13-year-old MMA fighter has become new European champion

Bristol is celebrating a new European Champion after 13-year-old Cairo Thomas from Lyde Green claimed the title at his first international mixed martial arts (MMA) event. Representing England at the MMA Euros in Serbia, Cairo overcame an early setback to win his remaining matches and secure the championship in his age and weight class.

The victory was a shared success for Cairo, his coaches at Roger Gracey East Bristol gym in Speedwell, England coach Mike Peel, who mentored him through the tournament, and his proud mother, Lelaina-Chyna Thomas, who accompanied him to Belgrade. Bristol Live first spotlighted Cairo’s UFC ambitions in December, when his family raised £1,800 through a fundraiser to fund the trip. Cairo repaid that support by bringing home the gold.

Competing in the Youth C 62kg-and-under category, Cairo faced top young fighters from Ukraine, Armenia, and Bulgaria. In the round-robin stage, he lost his opening bout. “He’s used to three two-minute rounds, but this was one three-minute round,” Lelaina-Chyna explained. “He usually sizes up opponents early on, but there was no time, and he lost. What’s incredible is how he adapted after that.”

Nicknamed “King Cairo,” he bounced back, winning fight after fight to reach the final against an Israeli opponent. There, he clinched victory with his signature hold. “The final was intense—a real do-or-die moment,” Lelaina-Chyna said. “He was exhausted and hungry, but he knew he had to be the best, and he was.”

The tournament was a marathon, starting at 6 a.m. and ending with Cairo’s triumphant return to the hotel at 10 p.m. “He’s knackered but thrilled,” his mum noted. “The other kids had loads of international experience, but this was Cairo’s first go at something this big.”

Now a European Champion, Cairo has earned a spot at the World Championships in Abu Dhabi this summer. It’s another milestone for Lelaina-Chyna, who admitted she’s not a natural spectator. In December, she told Bristol Live she used to avoid watching Cairo fight, waiting in a café for text updates. Now, she’s embraced being ringside.

“I’m the loudest there, hands down,” she laughed. “I’m yelling over the commentators. Cairo always checks I’m there at the start, then locks in with his game face.”

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