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Brett OkamotoSep 17, 2025, 12:39 PM<\/p>\n
Close<\/a>Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.<\/p>\n Spanish bantamweight Hecher Sosa<\/a> earned a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday, less than 72 hours after the death of his father.<\/p>\n Sosa (14-1) defeated Mackson Lee<\/a> (9-1) in a lopsided decision, in the main event of Contender Series in Las Vegas. The 30-year-old elected to carry on with the fight despite receiving news of his father’s death Sunday morning. His father had been battling cancer. Sosa also lost his sister to cancer one year ago.<\/p>\n “I can’t talk [to my father] today, but he is the reason I am here,” Sosa said through an interpreter. “He’s the reason I am the man I am, and I will continue to represent him.”<\/p>\n Sosa, of Lanzarote, Spain, revealed on Tuesday that he was informed of his father’s death as he was cutting weight for the 135-pound contest. He wrote on Instagram<\/a> that he agonized over the idea his father wouldn’t see him compete in front of White, but that he “came to the conclusion that my father told me before I left, ‘son, don’t worry, we started this together and we will finish it together.'”<\/p>\n Sosa dominated the three-round bout against Lee and White immediately signed him to the UFC.<\/p>\n “I respect your drive, your resiliency, everything you’ve been through in your life,” White said. “I’m going to give you an opportunity to deliver on your promises to your family.”<\/p>\n Sosa has not lost since May 2022. Nine of his 14 career wins have come via knockout or submission.<\/p>\nHecher Sosa said he learned of his father’s death Sunday as he was cutting weight for the 135-pound Contender Series fight against Mackson Lee.\u00a0Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n