DAVIE, Fla. – Around the octagon he's known as "The Punisher." Outside the octagon, the South Florida mixed martial arts fighter goes by Garrett Holeve.
Holeve has Down syndrome, which had prevented him from being able to compete in the past.
He finally got his chance last weekend.
Holeve, who also go by "G-Money," had trained for about two months at Rock MMA in Davie for the fight. In less than a minute and a half, he was able to prove that his training had paid off.
A quick kick knocked his opponent back. His punches gave him a perfect window to execute a guillotine choke.
In the end, he won the fight.
"I think it just says to all adaptive athletes, 'Look, it doesn't matter what your sport is, but there's an opportunity for you to get out there," Mitch Holeve said about his son.
Garrett Holeve’s opponent is also an adaptive athlete, and both of them have become role models for other athletes with disabilities -- showing them they can do everything another athletes does.
Now, back at his home gym after the fight, Garrett Holeve will go back to training and coaching both children and other adaptive athletes -- a way of giving back to the community his father said helped him find his own identity.
"Coming here to the gym, the coaches and his teammates, he has friends, so I think it's given him that outlet to feel part of something," Mitch Holeve said.