Fired up: Rio Rancho fighter eager for Muay Thai debut

RIO RANCHO — Jalin Fuller, at 32 years of age, is a husband, a father of four and a Rio Rancho firefighter. That’s quite a full life, is it not?

But there’s more. He’s also a professional MMA fighter with a 7-4 record.

But, no, there’s more.

On Jan. 25, Fuller is scheduled to face Zach Bunnell of Reno, Nev., in the main event of a professional Muay Thai card at the Manuel Lujan Exhibition Hall at Expo New Mexico.

And there could still be more — will be, if Fuller has his way.

In an interview on Wednesday at Albuquerque’s Kingdom Muay Thai, Fuller said his combat-sports goal is to win a world title in any or all of three disciplines: MMA, kickboxing and Muay Thai.

(Wait. Isn’t Muay Thai kickboxing? Yes. But while kickboxing permits just four points of contact — two hands, two feet — Muay Thai permits eight: two hands, two feet, two elbows, two knees.)

Fuller, a 2010 Rio Rancho High School graduate, didn’t participate in sports at RRHS.

“I actually started off with musical theater and concert choir,” Fuller said. “I did not do athletics coming up.”

What he did do, though, was talk a good game.

Some people noticed, and some of them talked back. That’s what motivated a giant leap from concert choir to MMA.

“I just randomly walked into a gym,” he said, “because I kind of talked slick sometimes and I live in New Mexico and I needed to back that up.

“That’s literally how I got started, way back.”

The leap into Muay Thai might be more daunting still, since he’ll be making his pro debut against an opponent who’s ranked the No. 1 contender for the WBC U.S. Muay Thai super middleweight (165 pounds) title.

Bunnell’s Muay Thai record was unavailable, since there’s no Tapology or Sherdog to track such things as there is in MMA. But it seems instructive to note that Bunnell runs a Muay Thai/kickboxing gym in his hometown of Reno.

Fuller looks at the matchup and sees not the risk but the potential reward.

“This man (Bunnell) is highly ranked with the WBC,” Fuller said. “So if I’m able to take him out, then I’ll be able to go ahead and leapfrog not only him, but many of the other contenders.

“I might even be able to go ahead and start challenging for national titles right out of the gate, and then get into the international world rankings for the WBC.”

The transition from MMA to Muay Thai, he said, is not as drastic as it might seem.

“Even though I started off training in MMA, it’s always been more of a deep-rooted passion for the striking arts (as opposed to) the grappling arts,” he said. “So Muay Thai is something I’ve always followed closely.”

Originally from Detroit, Fuller came to New Mexico with his family when he was 14. After high school, he attended UNM, then worked at Hewlett-Packard for eight years before becoming a firefighter.

“I’m loving what I’m doing now,” he said.

Fuller, while rehabbing from an injury, hasn’t had an MMA fight since August 2023. He likes and values the security his job as a firefighter provides.

“I’m a family man first,” he said.

He also, though, feels the urgency of time lost in pursuit of his combat-sports goals.

“I’m doing everything I can to still chase the goal with the time I have left,” he said.

“I’m not ignorant to my age in the sport, so I want to make sure that the rest of my prime that I have, maybe anywhere from four to five really good years, is enough to establish my legacy and hit my dream where I want it to be.”