One-eyed fighter wins MMA debut 'to make a name for Kingsburg'

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A 20-year-old MMA combatant from Kingsburg is missing thing that astir each different rival volition have: an eye. But Alex Hernandez says he's acceptable to amusement everyone what a one-eyed tin truly accomplish.

"I privation to amusement radical what I'm susceptible of with conscionable 1 eye," Hernandez said.

Hernandez says helium mislaid his oculus successful an mishap successful precocious schoolhouse portion helium and his person were conscionable hanging out.

"We were conscionable goofing around, messing around," Hernandez said. "[I] had an incidental to wherever I fell and I mislaid my eye, fractured my full cheekbone, punctured my eye, wholly flat."

Hernandez was a freshman astatine the time. He says helium was transported to Valley Children's Hospital and doctors initially said they were capable to prevention his eye.

"I got retired of the infirmary similar a week later. I tried going backmost to school, had this truly crisp symptom successful the backmost of my caput and I was like, I can't bash this."

Hernandez says helium and his household went backmost to Valley Children's Hospital wherever doctors discovered interior bleeding successful the backmost of Hernandez's head.

"I retrieve we went up determination and the doc came backmost and helium was like, Hey, Alex, we're conscionable gonna person to region your eye. Like, it's done."

Hernandez says what affected him astir was his family's absorption to the news.

"What truly impacted maine much was watching my ma and my older sister," Hernandez said. "My ma was a azygous parent. My dada passed distant successful 2015. I'm similar the lone lad successful the family."

Hernandez says helium ne'er mislaid his consciousness of wit oregon fun-loving nature, but his acquisition made him recognize helium needed to find an outlet to determination forward.

"I did football, did beauteous good," Hernandez said. "Then wrestling is erstwhile it truly got much challenging."

With a unsighted spot connected his near side, Hernandez said helium was initially overwhelmed by the challenge, but besides welcomed it. With the enactment of his hometown assemblage successful Kingsburg, helium was acceptable to prosecute wrestling wholeheartedly.

"I privation to beryllium capable to marque a sanction for Kingsburg," Hernandez said.

Hernandez would spell connected to not lone correspond Kingsburg successful the cage - but besides arsenic a wrestler astatine Fresno City College. He says helium volition decorativeness retired his assemblage wrestling vocation this August.