That mindset isn’t developed over years in the gym or in fights. You either have that in your DNA or you don’t. And from early on, Hafez knew he was a fighter. Unfortunately, that willingness and need to scrap got him in trouble and left his parents with a dilemma. Even worse, they had their own wars to wage against cancer. Looking back, Hafez sees where his fighting spirit comes from.
“Both my parents had cancer, then they were in remission, and then the cancer came back viciously,” said Hafez. “And they were both tough people. We had a pizza shop, and my mom was the kind of person that would go to chemotherapy and radiation at 8am and then go right to work for a 12-hour shift at the pizza shop. And she did that every day. She taught me the value of grit, hard work, and not giving up. But I was always getting in street fights, always getting in trouble when I was younger and not making her happy, getting arrested, doing different things.”
After his mom passed away, the 18-year-old Hafez got into trouble again.
“I got into a really bad street fight right after that and then ended up getting arrested and dealing with a lot of consequences for it,” he recalls. “And I saw how it broke my dad, and all the things he had to deal with. He had to deal with this kid who might go to jail now, and he just lost his wife, my mom. So I really grew up in that moment. I realized I needed to do something with my life.”
His cousins were training jiu-jitsu with Ricardo Migliarese. They introduced him to the renowned black belt, and that was it. Life changed. Focus gained. A goal to chase.
Cancer claimed Hafez’ father three years after his mom passed away. But they would undoubtedly be proud that their son’s first step of goal chasing will end with his UFC debut against Della Maddalena. Then it’s off to set new goals in a shark tank of a weight class that Hafez is excited to swim in. Though living and training in Colorado now, he mentions the possibility of facing local Philly rivals like Wells and Brady, and after that, he’s open to anything. It’s a new day and a fresh start for the 31-year-old, and while his parents weren’t particularly fight fans, they were fans of a kid who turned it all around.
“They would definitely be proud of me for chasing my goals and my dreams and being able to achieve them,” Hafez said. “And so, for me, making it to the UFC and staying here and being successful at it is something I can die happy with, knowing that I made my parents proud.”
