Sam Oropeza After Sam Oropeza finished his associate degree, moving from working on a power plant as a student to working at a New Jersey refinery, he got a taste of just how unpleasant the full-time working world could be. “I found out,” Oropeza told MMAjunkie, “how cold it gets off the Delaware River.” That happened while he was climbing 70 feet into the air to check on equipment that it was his responsibility to maintain. He was also in those uncomfortable positions in the oppressive humidity of the summer and in every kind of element in between. He was built to handle hardships, guided in that area by his mother, who went back to get a more advanced education after the death of Oropeza’s father when he was 10. His glimpses of her during late-night study sessions served as an early inspiration. Then he found himself working a job he didn’t like for bosses he liked even less, which reminded him just how much more he expected of himself that the position he was in.
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Fight Path: Watching mom build back up helped inspire Sam Oropeza to MMA career – MMA Junkie