Hecher Sosa 'felt relief' fulfilling father's dream of debuting in UFC
Following a successful UFC debut, Hecher Sosa reflects on living up to his promise to his father, who passed away from cancer.
Hecher Sosa can breathe a little easier and rest his mind now that he's fulfilled his father's longstanding wish: To debut in the UFC. Last year, the MMA world witnessed Sosa's touching story. The Spaniard had to say goodbye to his father, who was dealing with a terminal cancer, so he could travel from his home in Spain to fight for a UFC contract at Dana White Contender Series in Las Vegas.
It was a difficult decision for Sosa (15-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), but not for his father, who was adamant that he'd go and pursue his dream of becoming a UFC fighter. Unfortunately, Sosa's father didn't get to see his son win a UFC contract, as he passed days before the bout. It was devastating news for Sosa, who was in the midst of a weight cut, but he went on to make weight, fight and win in the name of his father.
Although the UFC contract guaranteed him a spot with the promotion, the step of debuting was still pending on his father's wish. This past weekend at UFC Fight Night 269, Sosa returned to the same city and venue where he learned his father was no longer with him, and won his UFC debut. He outslugged Luan Lacerda in a wild bout to win a unanimous decision.
"Emotions did stir up a little when I got to Las Vegas," Sosa told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "Luckily, I got to Las Vegas two weeks before the fight, and the first few days I did think of my dad a lot, even though I always think about him. I thought about the situation I had to go through.