Red Deer’s Leo Bonin hopes latest victory opens doors to bigger fights

“He was a very dangerous opponent, so there was a lot leading up to this fight. It was the next step, so after this, a lot of fights are going to be leading to either going after a title shot, trying to get on the contender series, or any of the bigger organizations.”

The win represented his first by knockout in either the amateur or professional levels. He said it felt great to add another accomplishment to his fighting resume.

“It was a big rush,” he said.

Bonin represents Black Dragon Combative Systems, a mixed martial arts organization based out of Red Deer.

He’s fought in 11 matches within Unified MMA, both at the professional and amateur levels. Unified is one of Canada’s MMA leagues.

With six amateur fights under his belt, the Red Deerian made the move to the professional level in June 2024, and since then has a 3-2 record. He primarily wins by submission, but also has won matches by decision and, most recently, by knockout.

Bonin is still signed on for one more fight with Unified MMA that will take place in Edmonton in March. However, an opponent has not been determined just yet.

He’s hoping his latest victory will lead to opportunities in some of the sport’s bigger leagues, including One Championship, the Professional Fighters League, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

“A title shot would also help lead into the next phase of my career in the bigger leagues,” he said, adding he plans to take a month off after doing four fights in one year. Typically, most fighters will do two fights a year because of safety concerns.

Bonin has been in the fight scene since he was four-years-old. He began his journey practicing karate at Cheney’s Zen Karate & Kickboxing before moving over to Arash Do Martial Arts when he was 10-years-old.

At 16, he took a break before returning to the sport when he was 18-years-old, joining Black Dragon Combative Systems. He also trains at Arash Do in Sylvan Lake and goes to Calgary to train in wrestling and MMA.

Bonin knew it was a sport he wanted to pursue professionally after he was inspired by UFC fighter Dustin Poirier, who knocked out Conor McGregor in 2021.

“I had one amateur fight and then the pandemic happened, so I couldn’t do anything for a year or two. Then that fight happened, and I was like, ‘let’s go, I’m ready to fight,'” he said.

He had his first amateur bout at 18-years-old, and now, at 27, he just completed his fifth professional match in the cage. He explained it’s been a long road.

“There have been highs and lows. The MMA has the highest of highs and the lowest of lows because losses suck, but the wins are amazing,” he explained.

In his first professional fight, he defeated Mitchell Carlson at Unified MMA 54 with a rear-naked choke submission in round one and also had a unanimous decision victory over Justin Knoepfli at Unified MMA 61.

Bonin said the ground game in MMA is definitely his specialty.

“I’m a ground guy. I’m a wrestler and a jujitsu artist,” he said. “I’ve extensively worked on my ground game. It’s the least amount of damage and the path of least resistance.”

The Red Deerian admitted there’s an element of fear that creeps in when he gets into the cage, but when that does happen, he likes to remind himself of a piece of advice his father told him, “if you don’t have fear, there’s something off in your brain. And that you can overcome fear.”

A big part of his preparation begins six to eight weeks before a fight, with the first three dedicated to cardio and weight loss. The last few weeks of training are all about specializing and going over fight techniques.

What motivates him to keep going is the pursuit of becoming the best version of himself and a stronger person, both mentally and physically.

“I find that martial arts and MMA bring out the best in me. It brings out confidence, excitement, and fear. The fear aspect makes it feel as real as it possibly can. Fighting is one of the most raw things you can do,” he said.

“I’d say I’m a little kooky and crazy to get in the cage because I do enjoy it. Any fighter that gets in there and is successful is a little crazy.”

by Ian Gustafson

Red Deer’s Leo Bonin hopes latest victory opens doors to bigger fights

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