Austin Thomas Mase Sports interview on kickboxing and work

The Austin Thomas Mase Sports interview traces how the Tracy City, Tennessee, kickboxer goes straight from a 50-hour workweek to training. Thomas also discussed how the sport changed his life, the movement-based approach he learns from coach Alex Roberts, and his hopes of eventually fighting for a title.

How does Austin Thomas balance work and kickboxing in Tracy City?

Austin Thomas treats kickboxing as a second job. He said he works about 50 hours a week, leaves work for the gym without going home, and approaches training as another full workweek. That routine has become the structure around which he organizes his life in Tracy City.

From his day job to the gym

After work, Thomas changes at the gym, takes a breath and starts training. He described the transition as going straight from one job to another, rather than taking time at home to rest. He said he began competing roughly two years ago, has had his first kickboxing fight and a couple of boxing matches, and remains undefeated to this point.

Thomas said he is about 5 feet 10 inches tall and usually walks around at 175 to 180 pounds. He tries to stay roughly 10 pounds above his fighting weight because he does not like cutting weight. He did not identify a weight class.

Training in his hometown

Returning home and finding a gym in Tracy City gave Thomas a place to develop as a fighter. He said its members welcomed him as a hometown athlete. That support made it easier to settle in and gave him the platform from which he began improving.

How did kickboxing change Austin Thomas’s life?

Austin Thomas said kickboxing gave him a goal and helped him become a different person. He began fighting competitively at about 21 or 22, after a period when he felt angry and had little direction. Competition gave him something to work toward and a way to pursue a better life for himself and those around him.

Before kickboxing, Thomas said he had no clear plans for his future. He also described losing someone important to him, without giving further details, and said the experience motivated him to change. Looking at old photographs now can make that earlier version of himself feel unfamiliar.

Thomas enjoys the directness of competition: stepping through the ropes and concentrating on the person opposite him. Although he played other sports, he said nothing gave him the same feeling. He hopes a fighting career can improve not only his own circumstances but also those of people close to him.

Thomas put the change most plainly when Mase Sports asked whether the sport revealed who he already was or helped make him who he is becoming:

I don't think I was the person who I was supposed to be before kickboxing.

He said he needs a goal to hold his attention. Asked what he would tell his younger self, Thomas said he would urge him to start sooner. Fighting had felt like an unusual path where he grew up, and no one in his family had competed before, but he now wishes he had acted on his interest without waiting.

What is Austin Thomas’s kickboxing training and fighting style under Alex Roberts?

Austin Thomas described a style built around movement, angles and low kicks rather than standing in front of an opponent to trade shots. He credits coach Alex Roberts with helping fighters find what works for them instead of making everyone fight the same way. Thomas uses his footwork for both attack and defense.

Alex Roberts’s coaching approach

According to Thomas, Roberts was born in the United Kingdom, fought professionally in Japan and spent more than a decade there. Thomas said Roberts studied kickboxing and martial arts while living in Japan. Thomas did not claim to be an authority on the history of the Japanese style discussed in the interview; he explained how he practices it.

At the gym, Thomas works on attacking the legs to create openings for punches and other kicks. He thinks about how a low kick might set up a hook or a middle kick, rather than treating each technique in isolation. Roberts, he said, notices what suits an individual fighter and develops it.

Moving in and out of range

Thomas contrasted that approach with bouts in which fighters stay directly in front of each other and exchange strikes. His aim is to move around an opponent, cut an angle, land shots and get back out before attacking again. He said the point is not to stand still and absorb shots when movement can help him avoid them.

How does Austin Thomas handle pressure in fights and daily life?

Austin Thomas wants to keep improving technically, but he sees staying calm in a big moment as especially important at this stage of his career. He expects to pursue a state title opportunity and wants to be mentally ready for it. Training has also helped him pause when frustration builds at work or in the gym.

Preparing for a title opportunity

Thomas said he does not want to become satisfied with his technique. Still, as an early-career fighter, he is paying close attention to how he responds when pressure rises. He believes a state title fight lies ahead and wants to handle that moment well enough to leave with a belt.

He applies the same need for composure outside competition. Thomas said he has encountered people who wanted an altercation since he began training, but he does not look for fights. Knowing he can defend himself helps him remain calm rather than feel compelled to respond.

When a drill goes badly or work is frustrating, he said he has to stop and settle himself. Sparring has taught him to narrow his focus when someone is attacking, instead of letting distractions or emotions dictate his response. He also learns from the varied people at his gym and the difficulties they bring with them.

What sacrifices did Austin Thomas say amateur fighting requires?

Austin Thomas said the visible parts of amateur fighting conceal the time it takes away from family and ordinary activities. Fans may see a poster, a walkout and a result, but not the hours he misses with his relatives and younger brothers. He views those sacrifices as part of trying to advance.

Thomas pushed back on the idea that one win immediately brings a contract from Dana White’s Ultimate Fighting Championship or a huge following. Fighting has introduced him to new people, he said, but progress does not remove the work or the choices behind it.

He also tries not to get comfortable when things go well. Thomas said there is always another goal, while acknowledging that a fighter can give a full effort and still not get the outcome he wanted. Learning to accept both the effort and the result is, to him, a lesson that carries beyond sport.

What does Austin Thomas do outside training, and what does he want next?

Austin Thomas spends time with family, hunts, fishes and follows University of Tennessee games when he is not working or training. He also watches and studies fights, exercises on days off and sometimes plays golf. Longer term, he hopes to turn professional and said he would love to fight for ONE Championship within five years.

Family, faith and the Tennessee Volunteers

Thomas said his Christian faith is important to him, as is spending time with relatives and being outdoors. Even on a day off, he often starts with exercise before seeing family. He called life precious and said he tries to share as much of it with them as he can.

He and his family are Tennessee Volunteers fans. Thomas also offered his appreciation to Joey Aguilar for playing for Tennessee. At home, his schedule remains centered on work and kickboxing: work, train, return home, sleep and repeat.

Representing Tracy City and looking ahead

Thomas thanked Roberts, his gym teammates and the people who support him in Tracy City. He said he is one of the few people from his hometown fighting for his local gym, and that representing the community means a great deal to him.

Thomas earned all-region and all-district honors in high school baseball, but he did not expect to pursue that sport after school. He said opportunities can be limited where he lives, which makes the chance to build a future through kickboxing especially meaningful. His five-year hope is to be a professional fighter with a place in a strong organization, potentially ONE Championship.

Who is Austin Thomas?

Austin Thomas is an amateur kickboxer from Tracy City, Tennessee. He is developing his striking skills, competitive mindset and athletic performance while building his kickboxing career.