UFC fighter Diego Sanchez made a dream come true for a fighter with Down syndrome who trains at the same gym. Over the weekend the two faced off in the octagon, giving Isaac “The Shermanator” Marquez a chance he never would be able to have.
Diego Sanchez helped make a dream come true for a fighter with Down syndrome
This is amazing.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Marquez’s dream was always to fight in the cage, but no commission was willing to sanction a fight — so the Jackson Wink MMA Academy took matters into their own hands. By setting the fight up as an exhibition at the Jackson Wink Fight Night, it allowed Sanchez to fight Marquez outside of an athletic commission, which allowed the moment to happen.
You can hear the crowd support both fighters, and Sanchez treated it like he would any other fight. It’s just incredible to see, and when Marquez got the submission everyone erupted. Sanchez lifted his friend on his shoulders to celebrate the fight.
After the fight Sanchez explained why he wanted to show that anything is possible.
“I just wanted everyone to know that Isaac had a dream and he went after it, and he earned it, and he got it. So anybody out there: If you have a dream, believe in yourself and go for it.”
What an amazing moment.
