Sosa signs with UFC after winning and honoring his deceased father

Hecher Sosa Wins UFC Contract After Difficult Personal Battle

The Spanish bantamweight fighter, Hecher Sosa, secured a contract with the UFC at the “Dana White’s Contender Series” event on Tuesday, demonstrating admirable resilience in the face of recent personal adversity. Sosa (14-1) achieved a unanimous decision victory over Mackson Lee (9-1) in the main event of the series in Las Vegas. The victory comes in an especially emotional context, as Sosa received the news of his father’s passing on Sunday morning, less than 72 hours before the fight. Despite the pain, Sosa decided to compete, honoring the memory of his father, who had fought against cancer. It is worth noting that Sosa also lost his sister to the same disease a year ago.

I can’t speak [with my father] today, but he is the reason why I am here. He is the reason why I am the man I am, and I will continue to represent him.

Hecher Sosa

Sosa, originally from Arrecife, Spain, revealed that he learned of his father’s passing while in the process of cutting weight for the fight at 135 pounds. In an Instagram post, Sosa shared the agony of knowing that his father would not see him compete against Dana White, but ultimately clung to his father’s words: “Son, don’t worry, we started this together and we’ll finish it together.” Title of the post: Sosa’s message on Instagram.

Sosa dominated the three-round fight against Lee, which led White to immediately offer him a contract with the UFC.

I respect your drive, your resilience, everything you’ve been through in your life. I’m going to give you the opportunity to keep your promises to your family.

Dana White

Sosa has not suffered any defeats since May 2022. Of his 14 professional victories, nine have been by knockout or submission.