CASPER — In a new gym on the north side of the city, a teen with a dream and coach with a mission are learning together how to become champions.
So far, that’s led the teen to win bronze at a mixed martial arts competition in Ohio this spring. Not bad for 17-year-old Louie Wilkinson’s first MMA competition.
It also qualified the Natrona County High School sophomore for his next MMA adventure in June at a world competition in Sao Palo, Brazil.
It’s under the umbrella of the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA), an organization promoting safe MMA competition for amateurs and advocating for future Olympic recognition.
For Outlaw MMA and Fitness gym owner Billy Walters, Wilkinson’s success represents a glimpse of what he wants to create for youth in Casper — a “safe haven” and place to channel aggressions without weapons or violence.
“For me, it’s about helping kids find a way to deal with life, because that is what this has done for me,” Walters said. “So, to watch a young man who has been through a lot in his life … to watch what he’s done with it to make it a positive thing is amazing.”
Walters said he started the gym a year ago after running something similar in Glenrock.
Youth Violence
He set up shop in Casper because of the youth violence that erupted last spring with the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old at a Casper mall followed by a fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl by her then 15-year-old boyfriend, and other violent crimes involving young people.
“A lot of these kids don’t have anybody at home, they don’t have anybody to look after them,” he said. “This could be their safe place, that is what I was hoping when I built this place.
“But it’s been tough to get people to come here because there is a lot of video games and a lot of other influences around Casper that seem to draw their attention a little more.”
Wilkinson, a soft-spoken teen, said he thinks he has recruited a couple of more teens to check out the facility because of his recent success.
“When all this news came out, these kids came and asked where do you train at,” he said. “I got two guys coming.”
‘Boxing Pretty Much Saved My Life’
Both Walters and Wilkinson grew up on reservations. Walters in South Dakota and Wilkinson in North Dakota.
As an 8-year-old, Walters said he tried to kill himself. Then he started fighting competitively.
“Boxing pretty much saved my life,” he said.
Walters went on to become an international MMA competitor, training and fighting all over the world with “some of the best guys in the UFC.”
Wilkinson said he arrived at the gym last August. His family moved from North Dakota to Casper in 2020, and then back to the reservation for a time before returning.
His dad works in the oil field. He calls Casper “peaceful” compared to the reservation.
At 13, Wilkinson said he started taking jiujitsu and judo classes, and after watching UFC fights on TV, he thought learning how to fight MMA style would be fun.
It would also help him defend himself and stay “calm” if he was “crowded up.”
“I could figure out how to get out of it,” he said. “I have five older brothers. I was always getting bullied by those guys and I ain’t going down without a fight. I was always a scrappy little guy.”
After training at the Outlaw gym for several months, he approached the national competition in Ohio determined to come back with a medal. He fought two fights each in the 135-pound and 145-pound weight classes for 16- to 17-year-olds.
Under GAMMA rules, fighters cannot strike the head. They can use boxing, kick boxing, wrestling, judo and jiujitsu to bring opponents to submission.
“I was really nervous at first,” Wilkinson said. “Since my first match came, I was sleepy, and in the second round I was awake and I just realized how fun it is. I got the kid in the second round, and I just started loving it.”
National Tourney
Walters said Wilkinson’s first opponent had experience in world competition, so his win turned heads at the Ohio event.
Wilkinson faced a seasoned older opponent in the second match and lost. He faced two opponents in the 135-pound class and two at 145-pounds and won a match in both weight classes that gave him the bronze.
Wilkinson plans on fighting in Brazil in the 135-pound class and is focusing on his cardio and endurance as well as wrestling, jiujitsu and other tactics. He said he usually starts out with a couple of kicks and knows he has to be more timely with takedowns.
“We are working on his wrestling defense, takedown defense, things like that and how to set up submissions from the front side because that is usually where he ends up a lot,” Walters said. “We do luta livre, or submission wrestling.”
Walters said when Wilkinson first arrived at the gym, he picked up the training quickly. He now spends time at the gym nearly every day — sometimes visiting another school for jiujitsu.
“He’s a natural, he puts it all together real good and he’s a hard worker,” Walters said.
Sparring sessions are typically never at “100%.” Grappling is at about 60% of intensity and striking or boxing into the body is about 50% to 60% of capability. Any techniques at striking the head are just tap or light.
“We are not here to hurt anybody, we are just here to help each other become great martial artists,” Walters said.
Controlling emotions is also part of the training. And Walters said when his students learn to do that in a controlled environment while sparring, they will be prepared to handle real life situations that may arise.
June Trip
Looking forward to June, Wilkinson said he already has his passport for Brazil and was expecting a visa to arrive any day. The trip will be his first out of the country.
As an international fighter, Walters said he has spent time training in Brazil over the years and knows several people there. In addition to the competition, there will likely be some time to check out some of the nation’s culture during their visit.
And Walters said the Brazil competition may not be the last world trip this year. Wilkinson also is eligible to attend a GAMMA competition in Greece in October or November.
One thing Walters hopes to do in the future is to bring some tournaments to Casper to further stir up interest for the various martial arts disciplines that are involved in MMA.
Under the GAMMA program, there are opportunities for kids from 6 to 17 years old and they also have an adult program as well.
As he continues to learn and obtain more skill, Wilkinson said he hopes to possibly fight in the UFC someday.
“I will keep going to where the road takes me. What God has in plan for me,” he said. “Just give it to God. You can’t accomplish anything without God.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
