He was cold and hungry. In less than eight hours, he would step into the cage for the most important mixed martial arts fight of his career, but first the 10-year-old needed to cut weight to be eligible. He didn't eat for several hours, and when he stepped on the scale at the U.S. Fight League national championships later that morning, he was relieved to learn he was under 63 pounds, about four less than his normal weight and the necessary mark for his division.

"Cutting weight is the hardest," he said. After scarfing down a plate of eggs, bacon and hash browns, he finally could turn his attention to his first fight.

He walked by the two cages centered in the middle of a gym owned by a former UFC fighter and into a musty yoga room filled with children warming up. Wearing white spandex emblazoned with his nickname, "The Natural," he stared at his stalky 4-foot-3 body in a mirror, his light brown hair perfectly jelled, a scab on his left knee leftover from a recent staph infection.

"He's like a unicorn," his trainer, Douglas Vileforte, said as he began to wrap Isaiah's hands. "We just have to make sure we don't break him."

The trainer handed his young fighter a protective cup, a mouthpiece and headgear. An official finally shouted, "Isaiah Triana, it's about that time!"