MUTARE- Having missed his first professional fight in Mauritius last month, due to visa
challenges, 2022 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) African Champion Lewis Mataya will not let a
small challenge kill the fighting and loving spirit in him.
The Manicaland born athlete is a student of trade and he believes in sharing and spreading
positivity.
“Individual growth is of paramount importance but as one grows it is also good to lift your
neighbour up in the process. I believe in a personal mantra ‘each one, teach one’,” said the ever
cheerful Mataya.
Living up to his personal motto, in his free time, Mataya takes time to make the world a better
place by offering voluntary self-defense lessons.
With the introduction of a Mixed Martial Arts Association in Zimbabwe, Mataya has taken it
upon himself to selflessly offer training sessions across the country.
Zimbabwe is planning to introduce Mixed Martial Arts as a competitive sport with the
Zimbabwe Mixed Martial Arts Association currently setting up provincial structures across the
country.
The association’s inaugural provincial training sessions are being facilitated by Mataya.
The formidable champion exudes class and charisma both in and out of competition. But despite
his outwardly sunny character, the young man has had to endure bountiful amounts of adversity
to get to where he is today.
Born in rural Chipinge at Changazi Clinic, in a family of eight, Mataya being the last, did not
have much to him during his childhood. He sadly lost both parents at a tender age of seven and
eight and had to move from household to household as he was raised by extended family.
Losing his mum at a tender age, Mataya grew up an anxious and timid child. He literally feared
everything he saw before him.
But facing such adversity from a young age made him who he is today.
“I lost both my parents at a tender age and you know how it is being raised by extended family.
However, I don’t really mope around about the challenges I faced during my childhood as I
believe these are the very same challenges that toughened me up for the sport,” he said.
As a child Mataya always had a sporty mind and body, as he described himself as an active
person.
“Herding cattle, going to the fields, I was always the energetic one. I would climb trees, do sets
of push-ups, I was generally a busy body so to say the least,” added Mataya.
His eight year journey started from a school library back in 2014. This was what he described as
his life changing in moment as he took up taekwondo with the Airforce of Zimbabwe.
However, his sister who had been his legal guardian throughout most of his childhood would not
concur with Mataya’s dream of becoming an athlete, most importantly so in Mixed Martial Arts.
It was at age 19 that the young fellow was faced with the dilemma of choosing between a career
in the army or in sport.
His sister did not agree with his career choice and was forced to stand alone in his journey. He
was thrown out of the house and asked to fend for himself if he was to pursue a career in mixed
martial arts.
For him to grow in the sport, Mataya then moved to Cape Town, South Africa where he endured
sleepless nights and was homelessness at some point as he chased the carrot on the stick.
Mataya has won a number of titles including the Zimbabwe national championship, the
Mozambique Beira-Chimoio championship in 2017. He also won the Lightweight Championship
in mixed martial arts in South Africa and the African Jiujitsu Championship.
Following years of hardships, the 2022 MMA African Champion knows that his mind is his
biggest weapon and after conquering the sport of MMA, he still intends to give back to those
who grew up in similar circumstances to him.
