WILMINGTON, N.C. — David Wilson has a life that revolves around the sport of mixed martial arts.

By day, he makes YouTube videos around the sport, and by night, he is training for his next fight.

Standing at exactly 5 feet tall, Wilson is known as "Baby Hulk."

“I never thought that I would get to be a pro athlete at anything,” he said.

Wilson wrestled at UNC Pembroke, but once he graduated, he couldn’t let himself stop.

“I just wasn't done competing. I love, you know, putting myself out there competing with the best. So afterward, I just started to pursue MMA,” he said.

Since a North Carolina ban on some forms of MMA was lifted, the Wilmington area has become a hot spot for professional MMA fighters to train.

Wilson got the name "Baby Hulk" in high school when one of the team managers said he was strong like Hulk, but small like a baby.

“I really like the moniker. And when I started wrestling in college and then I started MMA, it was like the perfect name for me to go by,” Wilson said.

While height can be seen as a disadvantage to Wilson, he never let it get in the way of his success.

“I’m a lot, you know, shorter and smaller than a lot of the fighters, but that never bothered me,” he said.

Wilson says a lot more goes into the sport of MMA than just strength.

“You just have to be dedicated to it, man. Like, it's not going to be easy. You're not going to always see the results you want. But you got to remember perseverance, hard work and that belief in yourself,” Wilson said.

Wilson has a message to those who may have a barrier they have to overcome to succeed.

“You just give 100% in everything you do. Try to be positive, help your fellow man,” Wilson said.

Wilson not only makes online content and fights professionally, he also takes time to train youth wrestlers in the greater Wilmington area.