Sanchez lives his nickname by entering the ring to the song “Braveheart.”

Imagine waking up in the morning to the thought that before you lay your head to rest that night, you will engage in a battle against another human being looking to destroy you. On Friday, March 5 that thought was a reality for accounting major Rudy Sanchez.

Four years ago, the 21-year-old started boxing and established his life goal.

“I’ve always wanted to do a match in the ring with people watching,” Sanchez said. “As Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) exploded I said, ‘man I want to get in the cage’.”

From that point on Sanchez has been set on acquiring the skills necessary to become a mixed martial artist.

The first stop on his mission to becoming a fighter was training with jiu-jitsu fighter Royce Gracie.

Sanchez was drawn to the gym because the Gracie name is synonymous with jiu-jitsu greatness.

When Sanchez learned that the three-time Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) champion and legendary jiu-jitsu practitioner Gracie would soon be holding a seminar at the gym, he walked out the door as a student with a signed commitment to the gym.

As Sanchez trained he became more focused on his goal.

“My one goal with jiu-jitsu and training was to get in the cage one time, and have my hand raised one time,” Sanchez said.

As time passed, Sanchez trained hard and competed in boxing, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu tournaments to test his technique in a competitive environment.

Sanchez’s anxiety grew as time drew nearer to his first step in the cage. He maintained a strong belief in the plan that was set forth for him by his trainers.

Sanchez was overwhelmed standing back stage waiting for his match in front of more than 3,000 people.

“If you at least have some other smaller experiences to draw upon, you won’t be as overwhelmed,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez had his first fight scheduled at the first Playboy Fight Nights event, in Visalia, against Jaime Valdez, who had more than 11 years of boxing experience and a seven-inch height advantage.

Weeks prior to the fight, Sanchez began a rigorous diet and training regimen. He stuck to a strict diet of protein and foods with little carbohydrates, sugar, and fat content.

“Sticking to that was probably the hardest thing,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez also worked to improve his stamina and focused on training in jiu-jitsu, muay thai, wrestling and boxing.
He credits his boxing instructor Hector Alatorre for the insight he shared on what to expect from his experienced opponent.

“I told him he has the power to drop you, but he also has weakness and could get dropped,” Alatorre said, “So, I told him stay out of his reach at the end of his punches, get inside, get in close and be smart.”

Before the fight Sanchez shared Alatorre’s mindset: “I don’t quit, I’m not going quit, I’m not a quitter. This guy’s going to have to kill me, if he wants to win he’s going have to kill me.”

Sanchez said that he planned on breaking Valdez’s will.

“What I’m bringing into the cage is going to be too much for this guy to handle,” Sanchez said. “My skills, whether it’s on the ground or standing, are going to be one thing but my heart is going to be the hardest thing for him to deal with.” This characteristic earned Sanchez the nickname Braveheart.

Finally the moment arrived. The theme from the movie “Braveheart” began and Rudy “Braveheart” Sanchez made his approach to the cage for the first time, his face plastered with a look of determination.

“The way I look at it is the nerves are going to be there regardless. If I try to avoid it, if I try to run from them, they’re just going to hit me harder,” Sanchez said before the fight.

His opponent, Valdez made his entrance and the two warriors finally met face to face, and the referee gave the signal to commence.

Sanchez fired out quickly with two fast leg kicks, the second nearly knocking Valdez off his feet. Sanchez then quickly shot in and secured a takedown.

With Valdez dropping punches, Sanchez kept his composure and was able to stand back up after performing a scissor sweep. Sanchez then quickly executed another take down and established the full-mount position, one of the most dominant positions in mixed martial arts.

“As soon as I mounted him I kind of hesitated for a split second, only because I was worried about my position because he was really, really strong,” Sanchez said.

After securing the mount Sanchez rained down with a flurry of violent punches. After Sanchez punished Valdez with about 14 clean punches to the head, the referee ended the fight 1:55 seconds into the first round. Sanchez was declared victorious by TKO.

“Once I got that first punch in, that’s when the killer instinct in me took over and I just finished him,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez erupted off of his fallen opponent and let out a monstrous scream after finally realizing a dream that he worked so long and hard for.

“That was all emotions. It was everything I worked hard for. For the four years that I’ve been training, everything, all in that one scream, all in that one fight,” Sanchez said.

After the fight Sanchez thanked everybody who supported him.

“I just want to thank everybody who has got me to this point,” Sanchez said. “This fight is dedicated to my grandfather. Everything I have to be thankful for is for him.”