Isaac Marquez recently had the opportunity to fight his friend and fellow gym buddy UFC vet Diego Sanchez in a ring. Isaac “The Shermanator” Marquez has Down Syndrome, but that doesn’t stop him from hitting the gym and training as if he was a UFC fighter with Sanchez who’s taught him everything he knows.
“[Isaac “The Shermanator” Marquez] came to [Jackson Wink MMA Academy] to just come and check out the gym and I told him, ‘You like MMA?’ and he said, ‘I love fighting,’ and then I said, ‘Alright. Well, are you here to just watch or do you want to train?’ and he said, ‘I want to train.’ So, I said alright let’s do this. He believes it with all of his heart, so I am going to make it happen. You know, he will be facing me, so I will be his opponent and we are going to have a championship fight. Isaac [Marquez] lost his mother to dementia and if you ever talk to Isaac he will show you his tattoo. He is doing it all for his mom, and he is going to win the championship for his mom. So, that’s the kind of heart that this kid has,” Diego Sanchez said to KRQE.
Isaac Marquez made his dream come true on December 2nd at the Istela Casino and Resort on the Jackson Wink Fight Night 2 card against Diego Sanchez. He received special permission from Dana White to compete in this exhibition match and guess what? The Sherminator won! Check out the complete fight below:
“Most down syndrome adults don’t live past 45. Isaac is 32, and I just wanted to see this young man be healthy. Exercise and martial arts are one of the most healthy things you can do,” said Sanchez.
You can see how excited Marquez was and that special bond that they share. “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.”