I was born on November 2nd 1983 at Desert Hospital in Palm Springs Ca. I have five sisters and two brothers.

My first lesson of being tough was from my Father, because He was dying of skin cancer. He passed away when I was six months old. My mother took it very hard and after three years it became too much to handle. She was a single mother with four kids and many personal struggles. My two brothers and I were adopted by my Father’s cousin and his wife. Although they were young and had no children, they were ready to accept this new challenge in their life. We were very well accepted by our new family and I lived with them until I was 14. I then decided to move back in with my mother to try and become a family again. That was the first real decision I ever had to make on my own.

I began a very confusing time in my life because I was home schooled most of my life and high school was very influencing. I began to get to hang out with my oldest brother and all his friends. He didn't want me around because they were always getting into trouble but his friends always encouraged me to stick around. I ended up getting into a lot of trouble and picking up a few bad habits. The whole lifestyle just kind of sucked me in, and I loved having so much respect in the streets.

Eventually, I ended up going to Juvenile Hall for 4 months and then to a boy’s home for 8 months. This gave me so much time to think about my life. I stopped blaming other people for my problems and realized that I didn't have it as bad as a lot of people around the world. I also got a chance to get right spiritualy. I was raised in the church and I realized that I wasn't living the right kind of life style.

I was released as soon as I graduated high school. From there I moved back in with my mother and started going to the local community college. I was really excited because I was playing for the soccer team but I wasn't really focused on my education.

After the semester my brothers and I had had to move out on our own. This was very scary because I was still 17 years old and never had a real job. My mother got me an interview with a non-profit organization called United Cerebral Palsy. I was very interested in working there because my youngest sister has Downs Syndrome. I got the job and I loved working there. It was definitely a challenge working with kids with special needs. I often was bit, scratched, hit, and even spit on. I even changed diapers, spoon fed, and tube fed kids. Even through the stressful situations it was very rewarding because they really loved you, and appreciated the time you spent working with them.

After a year of working at UCP I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at a very small school. I had no idea what it was but I wanted to do something different since I had played soccer my whole life. I trained very hard almost everyday after work. I stopped all my bad habits cold turkey and even stopped hanging out with my friends. All they wanted to do was get smashed and I wanted to do something great with my life. I started competing in Jiu-Jitsu tournaments all the time and I won almost everyone I entered.

One night I went with some of my training partners to watch some cage fights and I loved it. I thought to myself “I think I can do that.” Even though I knew it would be the harder than anything I had ever done. I trained very hard and got in contact with the right people and I got my first fight. I was thrilled and I trained very hard. I had to deal with a lot of doubters, but I was still able to bring some friends and family to watch me fight in Mexico.

I lost that fight and it was very hard to overcome. I'm glad I had the support of my girlfriend whom I am still with to this day. She told me to suck it up and I did. After that I was very eager to fight again and I trained even harder. I won my next two fights and I can't even explain that feeling. My manager strongly suggested that I commute to Orange County and train with some great trainers. It became very clear that if I wanted to do this for a living I would have to move out there. After thinking about it for awhile and talking to my girlfriend about it. She was also commuting to Orange County for school so we decided to go together. I had to quit my job after almost 4 years and they really tried to convince me to stay. I told them that I was young and I had a dream to become a champ and I know I can do it. I also had to tell my two brothers who I am very close with that I was moving out. It was very difficult to leave because I have been with my brothers my whole life. So I've been out here for two years now and I'm still working on being a champ but it's coming real soon.