Another heroic effort from involving a member of our Texas Mixed Martial Arts community took place recently all the way around the globe as part-time Austin, TX resident Roger Huerta was involved in another incident, saving a young child from drowning in a near-death experience.
As first reported by fellow MMA Fighter and Thailand resident Ray Elbe via the Underground, and shared to the community by JD Shelley of North Dallas BJJ, Huerta was in Thailand training Muay-Thai for his Bellator fight against Pat Curran when this all went down.
The story unfolded as Roger Huerta was enjoying the beautiful beaches of Thailand in between training sessions. While swimming on the south side of Phuket, “El Matador” noticed a small girl caught under the tidal currents and rescued her, performing CPR until paramedics arrived. According to the report, this (arrival of emergency personnel) can sometimes take a very long time, limiting victims’ odds for survival unless someone equipped to perform emergency medical assistance is there for the victim.
“I never really knew him before his trips to Tiger Muay Thai but I can honestly say he is one of the most humble down-to-earth guys in the fight game.” Ray Elbe says of Mr. Huerta. Between this and another recent situation in which Huerta risked himself to save victims in need, it would sure seem “El Matador” can help people outside the cage just as much as he can hurt his opponents in competition.
The MMA community would be best served to take this example of courage from Huerta as an example of what our MMA fighters and Texans are made of. Well done Roger!