A Father-Daughter Bond Forged Through Martial Arts

After wrestling in high school, martial arts enthusiast Joe DeRobbio’s journey culminated in him founding Combat Games MMA promotion company, running a community center, and opening Royal MMA in Bothell, Washington in 2008. Still, none of those compare to his greatest achievement in martial arts – accomplishing it all alongside his daughter, Olivia Scardina.

From the time Olivia was young, she became his martial arts wingwoman. As a young child, she’d be woken up at the crack of dawn to get in the truck with her dad and then get on a bus full of his students headed to wrestling tournaments and practices. Those early mornings laid the foundation for a lifelong passion for martial arts.

“I never really saw myself doing anything else [besides martial arts],” Olivia said. “I drew my dad – when I was little – in a little puffy red dress and at the bottom I wrote ‘I’m an athlete.’ PE (Physical Education) was my jam and I was super competitive.”

In addition to bringing her to different events and competitions, Joe bought Olivia’s first boxing gloves from Toys “R” Us and a Bugs Bunny punching bag for fun-filled training. They even started gaming on the Sega Dreamcast, playing Ultimate Fighting Championship (with Olivia usually coming out on top, at least as she remembered it) – though she wasn’t sure if her dad let her win. Joe supported his daughter during every step of her martial arts journey.

“I didn’t see my girl [as a martial artist] nor did I want her to be a martial artist,” Joe said. “[She] was always around it and heavily exposed to it. But I was going to let my kids figure out who and what they wanted to be. I never forced [martial arts] on her.”

Olivia went all in on martial arts. Her gloves and Bugs Bunny bag led her to start with boxing and later expanding to other disciplines. By 16 years old, she was teaching grown men and women as a boxing instructor. Her expertise and skill level at a young age combined with years of watching her dad teach gave her a unique perspective as a teacher.

Even while Olivia was growing as a martial artist, she supported her dad’s business. Joe said she showed courage multiple times: stepping up and giving a demonstration at 11 years old in front of the whole school, helping run his first summer camp, and boxing a 15- to 16-year-old boy as a 13- to 14-year-old.

Joe’s proud of all of Olivia’s accomplishments and the strength she’s shown since she was young.

“I’ve just thrown her into the deep end of the pool because I have supreme confidence in her,” Joe said. “So watching her grow and accept and overcome those challenges – I take a lot of joy as a parent.”

Still, nothing made Joe more proud – and terrified – than when Olivia stepped into a fight for his fighting promotion with just three days’ notice. When presented with a tough and daunting challenge, Olivia rose to the occasion.

“It was cool because I didn’t even have time to be nervous,” Olivia said. “It was just going out there and just doing what you’ve been training for half your life – so just go put it to the test. And it being on such short notice, I didn’t really feel nervous. But I could tell that [my dad] was nervous.”

When Joe first had Olivia sign up, he was amped to see her compete. Quickly after, the thought of her fighting terrified him, leaving him trembling as he wrapped her hands for the fight.

“I’m like, ‘You can do it.’ And once I did it, I was mortified… We’re rolling into battle and my daughter’s stepping in the cage and then I was just kind of like, ‘Oh s***, what did I do?’”

Joe was both proud and panicked the entire time. Watching his daughter compete in an impressive but difficult situation was an experience unlike anything he’d ever experienced in martial arts.

“It was very stressful… it was a three-round war,” Joe said. “She got put in some predicaments where we didn’t really have time [to train]… I mean, she won the fight, it was a unanimous decision. But when you’re watching your kid struggle knowing that we didn’t get to work on that or talk about that and she just got out [of clinches] by just grit, toughness, and determination, I was mortified.”

After her standout fight, Olivia continued to build a well-rounded game, rolling into Jiu-Jitsu, which she now teaches for kids at Royal MMA. She eventually took a couple-year hiatus from martial arts, but knew she wanted to come back when her dad told her they were expanding.

While the gym has grown, they have built a special culture for martial arts in Bothell together. The love they have for martial arts and each other carries onto the mats every day of training.

“It’s an honor to be able to work alongside my dad and learn from him and take his wisdom and take it as my own and continue to grow,” Olivia said.

While they’re ecstatic to teach side-by-side, they’re still family. The normal day-to-day issues family members have spill over every once in a while.

“[Contradictions in teaching styles are] always a little more exacerbated because of the father-daughter relationship,” Joe said. “How do you navigate knowing that you pissed off your daughter and are like, ‘No, we’re going to do it like this’ and she’s like, ‘Dad’s being dad.’ There’s definitely that dynamic that it’s not all roses and rainbows. I think anybody that works for their family business would relate to that because it’s not employer and employee; it’s employer and your dad is your boss.”

Their wires may cross at times but they still enjoy spending their time together. Whether it’s in the gym, eating dinner, or just talking, they embrace hanging out and how similar they are.

“I think we both thrive in the chaos a little bit,” Olivia said. “We are able to communicate without communicating… I’m just like him. I will just do stuff and it’s nonverbal communication. We’ve just been doing it so long that it’s just telepathic at this point.”

They have similarities and differences, all balancing each other out to be the best leaders possible at Royal MMA. Joe brings intensity while Olivia has helped create a warm, inviting environment where everyone, especially women, has come to call their home for training. Together, they have built a family-oriented community where everyone follows the lead of Olivia and Joe. Students have told them that the family vibe they’ve created – alongside head instructor Steve Cabana and his son Apollo – allows everyone to feel welcome.

And this extends off the mat as well. Olivia and her sister put their heads together and set up a Halloween party to bring the community together. This has led to many other family and social gatherings at the gym. Joe’s thankful for his daughters’ influence on the unique vibe and culture she brings to the community to enhance the family atmosphere.

Whether it’s watching families have fun together at group BBQs, helping someone find a place to feel at home, or getting a good laugh when students discover they are father and daughter, Joe and Olivia have created something special. Their life and journey through martial arts has created a lifetime of memories they’ll always cherish.

“I feel like I’m retired,” Joe said. “It’s the greatest joy for me that I’ve created a scenario where I can coach with my daughter and change people’s lives.”