Thursdays on Tribu al Extremo: Emily Barrera on MMA, Fundraising, and Athlete Support

Original language: Spanish (radio segment on Tribu al Extremo, 106.1 FM).

By Juan Zurita Victoria, MBA
Oax Sport. Athlete Support and Programs.

Report also available in Spanish and French.

This blog series

Every Thursday, I host “Jueves de Oax Sport” on Tribu al Extremo. Here, I turn each episode into text so you can read fast, save the key facts, and understand how athlete support works in Oaxaca. In every post you will find: episode details, the week’s support, and the interview organized by theme.

Previous posts in this series:
Episode 0: Segment launch
Episode 1: Jasmín Carolina Cruz

Episode details

• Host and text: Juan Zurita Victoria
• Guest athlete: Emily Sofía Barrera
• Additional guest: Carlos Manuel Santiago Villar, known in sport as Randy Ortega
• Show: Tribu al Extremo (Grupo FM Radios). 106.1 FM
• Segment: Jueves de Oax Sport
• Air date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
• Focus: athlete fundraising, MMA, donor support, training, school, and sport psychology
• Listen live: every Thursday, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Oaxaca time

Support focus of the week

This episode focused on athlete fundraising campaigns. Emily joined us because she went through the process with Oax Sport and helped us explain what makes a campaign work.

Her campaign supported a national competition in Mexico City. The process started with a request, a meeting, a review of her goals, and a clear plan for how people could donate and follow her preparation.

Program: Athlete fundraising campaign
What we supported: competition-related costs for a national martial arts event in Mexico City
What Emily covers independently: gym fees, sport psychology, physiotherapy
Active fundraisers: https://oaxsport.org/support-us/fundraisers/

Result

• Event: national martial arts competition in Mexico City
• Result shared by Emily: she won and said she became champion
• What it meant to her: she said the result made her feel grateful to her family, teammates, Oax Sport, and the donors who supported her

30-second recap

• Emily trains martial arts, CrossFit, and running while also studying.
• She used an Oax Sport campaign to help cover costs for a national competition in Mexico City.
• She said donor support helped her focus more on training and less on expenses.
• We explained why athletes need to share updates, photos, videos, and their own effort during a campaign.
• We talked about running tours with visitors and how those tours create real connections between athletes and supporters.
• Emily discussed sport psychology, fear before competition, and the work behind MMA preparation.
• Randy joined the final part of the episode and shared his experience in martial arts and Muay Thai.

Interview (text)

Theme 1. Training and school

Q (Juan): Emily, tell us a little about yourself. What do you practice, and how do you train?

A (Emily): I practice martial arts. I train during the week, Monday through Friday, in my main discipline. I also train CrossFit, usually during the week and on Saturdays. On Sundays, I try to run. If my schedule allows it, I also run during the week.

Q (Juan): What does a normal training week look like when you also have school?

A (Emily): I have to combine training with school. During vacations, I try to train from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., or from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. In the mornings, I go to CrossFit. If I can, I also run earlier.

A (Emily): During school periods, it gets harder because I study in the afternoons. I try to train in the mornings or at night when my schedule allows it.

Q (Juan): How does that feel day to day?

A (Emily): When I train in the morning and go to school in the afternoon, I feel tired. But when I train after school, I feel motivated during class because I want to finish and go train with my friends.

Theme 2. How the campaign worked

At Oax Sport, we receive requests from athletes who need help with a competition or training equipment. We review the request, ask for details, and decide if we can support the case. In Emily’s case, she wanted to attend a national competition in Mexico City.

Q (Juan): How did the campaign process start for you?

A (Emily): From the first meeting, I explained my goals, the competition I wanted to enter, and what I needed. After that, we looked for ways to raise support. We shared training videos, and I also shared videos. People could donate voluntarily.

A (Emily): I also joined some running tours with visitors. I liked that part because it helped me meet more people and let more people know what I do.

Q (Juan): How did you decide to contact Oax Sport?

A (Emily): I wanted to enter the tournament, so I posted that I was looking for sponsors. A friend told the director of Oax Sport that I needed support. At first, I felt shy. Then I saw that it could help me share my work and also help Oax Sport share its work.

A (Emily): I already posted many videos and training updates, so I saw it as a good collaboration. We met, had the interview, and I think both sides liked the idea of working together.

I explained on the show that a formal campaign helps because people can read the athlete’s story, understand the need, and donate through a clear platform. That creates more trust than asking for money without context.

Theme 3. Why athlete participation matters

One thing helped Emily’s campaign more than anything else. She took part. She shared the campaign, posted training updates, joined outreach, and helped donors see the athlete behind the request.

Q (Juan): What did you feel when donations started to arrive?

A (Emily): Seeing donations arrive motivated me a lot. I felt that people believed in me and trusted that I could do more. That made me want to train harder because it was no longer only about me. Other people were supporting me too.

Q (Juan): Did the support help you focus more on competition?

A (Emily): Yes. It helped me a lot. I stopped worrying so much about expenses that were hard for me to cover. The donations, Oax Sport’s support, and the outreach helped me focus more on training and on doing my part.

Theme 4. Competition day and what it meant

Q (Juan): Tell us about your participation in the event in Mexico City.

A (Emily): We arrived in Mexico City, and the next day we had weigh-in. The tournament had several disciplines, including jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA.

A (Emily): I was very nervous, but I had spoken with my sports psychologist. I tried to keep everything inside and use it during the fight.

A (Emily): It was one of the best experiences of my life because I faced a fear I had carried for years. When I first arrived at Gallery MMA, where I train, I only wanted to learn self-defense. I did not plan to compete.

A (Emily): Things changed over time. I became champion, and I felt very happy. I felt that all the training mattered. I also felt happy because I did not let down the people who supported me, including my family, my teammates, Oax Sport, and the donors.

At Oax Sport, we do not only look at results. We look at effort, commitment, and the athlete’s history. Bad days happen. Bad competitions happen. One result does not define an athlete.

Theme 5. Sport psychology and fear

Q (Juan): You mentioned your sports psychologist. Many people still do not understand how important that support can be. How has it helped you?

A (Emily): I study psychology, so I do not see it as something unnecessary. I see how important it can be in sport.

A (Emily): During competition, your mind can distract you. If that happens, all your previous training may not show. I had two or three sessions with a psychologist, and I realized that I already used some techniques that help in competition.

A (Emily): Sometimes we have bad days, but we still give what we have. That also matters. I think more athletes should consider sport psychology.

Q (Juan): What do you feel when you are about to fight?

A (Emily): I do feel fear sometimes, but I try to keep it inside and use it once the fight starts. Once you feel the first hit, the fear starts to go away, and you focus on giving your best.

Theme 6. From self-defense to competition

Q (Audience question): When did you start contact sports?

A (Emily): I started very young, around 6 or 7, with taekwondo. I trained for about three years. At first, I wanted to learn how to defend myself.

A (Emily): Later, I left taekwondo and started boxing. I have trained boxing for about 10 years. Then I wanted to learn more, so I went to ask about classes at Gallery. I took a trial class, liked it, and stayed.

Q (Audience question): What did you feel in your first boxing fight and your first MMA fight?

A (Emily): My first boxing fight was many years ago. I thought a fight would feel like sparring. I was nervous, but I told myself I could do it.

A (Emily): In the second round, I felt very tired. That is when I understood that a fight is not the same as sparring or training.

A (Emily): In my first MMA fight, I already had more experience, so it did not scare me the same way. But I did feel some fear. I worried about injury, losing, and disappointing the people who had supported me.

Q (Juan): What would you tell women who want to try this sport, whether for health, self-defense, or competition?

A (Emily): I would tell them to try it, especially for self-defense. That was my first reason. Later, they may start to enjoy the sport more and more.

A (Emily): Do not be afraid. Do not feel judged. At Gallery, we support each other like a family. If something does not work for you, you can ask. Everyone can explain things in a different way, but the goal is the same: to learn and support each other.

Theme 7. Running tours and supporter connections

Oax Sport started mainly around running and track. Over time, we opened the door to athletes from other sports. The running tours with visitors became one of the strongest ways to support athletes because they create a real connection.

You can see our program structure here: https://oaxsport.org/programs-directory/

Q (Juan): How did you feel during the running tours with visitors?

A (Emily): I liked the tours a lot. I am shy, so it can be hard for me to speak with people I do not know. But the visitors were kind. They asked questions and talked with me. I felt comfortable.

A (Emily): I also liked running in the morning, seeing the sunrise, and going through beautiful places in Oaxaca. It was nice to see visitors enjoy Oaxaca too.

Those moments matter. Visitors meet the athlete, hear the story, and understand the goal. Many donations come from people who first meet athletes through these runs.

Theme 8. Emily’s 2026 goals and preparation

Q (Juan): What are your goals for 2026?

A (Emily): I have a competition in Juchitán on February 28. I am not fully sure if it will be MMA or kickboxing, but I will represent Oaxaca, Oax Sport, my sponsors, my physiotherapists, my sports psychologist, and Gallery, where I train.

A (Emily): On March 1, I also plan to attend a kickboxing competition here in Oaxaca. Later in March, I plan to attend a jiu-jitsu competition in Guadalajara.

Q (Juan): How do you prepare when a competition gets close?

A (Emily): I train while imagining that I am already in competition. If I know I have a fight coming, I do sparring, shadow work, and training while thinking that I am already in the fight. That helps me prepare my body to give its best.

A (Emily): When a competition is close, I try to train four to six hours maximum. I prefer to get tired in training rather than get tired in the fight.

A (Emily): I also train with teammates who push me. Mentally, I visualize myself winning and doing my best. I focus on what I do well because I do not want to try new things during competition and have them fail.

Theme 9. Randy’s perspective on martial arts

Q (Juan): Randy, introduce yourself. What do you practice, and where do you train?

A (Randy): My name is Carlos Manuel Santiago Villar. People call me Randy, or Randy Ortega in sport. I practice mixed martial arts, and I specialize more in striking, especially Muay Thai. I train at Galería MMA, which is part of Brazilian Warriors, and I also train Muay Thai at Siam Número 1 in Xalatlaco.

Q (Juan): You recently competed. Tell us about that fight.

A (Randy): It was a hard competition. I did not have much time to prepare because they told me about the fight about a month before. It was for a championship, and I also had some injuries. I did not feel fully ready for a fight of that size, but dreams and desire push you.

Q (Juan): What advice would you give to people who are starting in MMA?

A (Randy): Focus a lot on the basics of training, like grappling and boxing.

What is next

At the time of this episode, Emily had three upcoming competitions on her calendar: February 28 in Juchitán, March 1 in Oaxaca, and around March 28 in Guadalajara.

After we confirm final details, we will publish a more detailed campaign recap with the costs, support delivered, and athlete updates. That follow-up helps donors see what changed because they gave.

Quick Q&A for athletes and donors

Can any athlete request support?

Athletes do not need to be established competitors, but they do need a clear goal and real commitment. Oax Sport reviews each request case by case.

How far in advance should an athlete contact Oax Sport?

Two to three months gives us a better chance to review the request, prepare the campaign, and raise support. One week before travel is usually too late.

What does Oax Sport ask from athletes during a campaign?

We ask athletes to stay engaged. Photos, training videos, updates, and a short recap help donors see the person and the work behind the request.

Does Oax Sport keep part of what a campaign raises?

For fundraising campaigns, all money raised goes to the athlete’s approved costs. For running tours with visitors, the model discussed on air splits the income. Part goes to the athlete, and part goes to an Oax Sport reserve for future athlete needs.

How you can support today

You can support current athlete campaigns through our active fundraisers page:

Active fundraisers: https://oaxsport.org/support-us/fundraisers/

You can also read the active campaigns page in Spanish or French:

• Spanish: https://oaxsport.org/es/apoyenos/campanas/
• French: https://oaxsport.org/fr/soutenir-oax-sport-inc/soutenir-oax-sport-inc/

Donate: https://oaxsport.org/support-us/donate/
Contact: https://oaxsport.org/contact/

Transparency

Oax Sport Inc. is a US nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status. EIN: 86-3407818.
Oax Sport A.C. is a registered civil association in Oaxaca. RFC: OSP230216SG0.
Donations support athletes from underserved communities in Oaxaca, Mexico.
If you need a receipt or tax documentation, contact us and tell us whether you donated to Oax Sport Inc. (USA) or Oax Sport A.C. (Mexico).

Listen every Thursday

Join us every Thursday for “Jueves de Oax Sport” inside Tribu al Extremo (106.1 FM) at 7:00 p.m. Oaxaca time. You can also watch live on Facebook (Tribu al Extremo / Tribalex).

Which part of Emily’s story stood out to you most?

Last updated: May 2, 2026