Combating Epilepsy Within The Cage

Who is Miguel Cuevas? At a fight I attended for Premier FC, I noticed something different about a fighter, Miguel Cuevas. I observed that after he was done walking out and hugging his teammates he walked over to this man. He leaned into him, removed his necklace and this man blessed him. That touched my heart. At the moment I didn’t who this man was but later was told it is his father. He proceeded to be cleared by the referee to enter the cage. This would be the first time I see Miguel fight in the cage. As I saw him fight I could see the person who was walking out and the person that was in the cage were two different people. Once he was blessed by his father he turned in the fighter we saw and Miguel won his fight.

Why did he choose MMA? For most fighter’s they had the dream of being a fighter from a young age but for Miguel, MMA chose him. Trials and tribulations in life brought him to want a healthier life style, get fit and to be able to unleash the beast from within. When his brother Pedro, who was not only his brother, but his protector, his friend and role model suffered an Encephalitis. Pedro was left bed bound, non verbal and Epileptic at the age of 16. This devastated the entire family Miguel was only 15 years old at the time. Making sure he still made his brother proud Miguel finished high school and attended UTI where he excelled as an honor student.  The emptiness and heart breaking tragedy of his brother boiled inside for 10 years until he met his newly acquired passion MMA not only a sport but a family. This became a brotherhood, a place where he can release the demons inside and where he can unleash the beast and leave it all in the cage.

November in Epilepsy awareness month. Every time Miguel steps foot into the cage he dedicates the fight to his brother Pedro. Pedro is his inspiration, he has fought the disease that lives inside him for 13 years. When Miguel steps into the cage he sees his opponents as the disease. There is nothing that will stop Miguel from fighting. It is do or die in that cage!

As many see November as the month to be thankful. Miguel has been thankful from the moment his brother suffered Encephalitis. When you see Miguel fight, what you are seeing is a brother that fighting alongside his brother. If Pedro can fight everyday, then for Miguel, this is his way of combating epilepsy within the cage. Family is everything, his family is his strength and motivation. They have always supported his dreams and will always support the path that he chooses.

(Promotion: Premier FC)

(Photos by Igdalia Photography)