On September 16, 2017, Hisyam “Zephyrus” Samsudin, 27, of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia claimed a bittersweet victory when he thwarted Indonesian hometown hero Jeremy Meciaz via first-round technical knockout at “ONE: Total Victory.” It was the Malaysian fighter’s second outing as a ONE Championship athlete.

Samsudin was incredibly emotional after hearing the announcer declare his name as the winner. With tears flowing from his eyes, he dedicated his triumph to his father, who passed away just 24 hours prior to the bout.

“I love you, dad. This is for you,” Samsudin uttered in his post-match interview with color commentator Mitch Chilson. According to the Malaysian fighter, his father’s last wish before he died was for him to notch his first victory on the world’s premier martial arts stage.

“He flew from my hometown to Jakarta with my mom to watch me compete,” Samsudin said of his late father. “All he wanted was to see me get my hand raised as the winner of the bout.”

It was Samsudin’s mother who gave him the strength to go on with his bout after getting the news that his father passed away. He said, “I was unsure whether to get into the cage, but my mom told me to do it as because my dad came all the way to see me fight.”

“He came to Jakarta to support me and see me win,” Samsudin said of his late father. “Thankfully, I got the win. I dedicated it to him.”

Now, Samsudin is taking care of his mother. He believes that he has to hold onto his persistence as he knows that life will never be a straightforward pathway.

“Life can get hard and things can go wrong,” Samsudin noted. “But no matter what happens, I’ve got to stay strong for my family. I know deep in my heart that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.”

On March 24, 2018, Samsudin will fight inside the ONE Championship cage for the third time. He will test his mettle against “The Terminator” Sunoto, 32, of Indonesia on the undercard of “ONE: Iron Will” in Bangkok, Thailand.

“The most important influence in my childhood was my father,” Samsudin said. “My dad was my hero because he’s someone I looked up to every single day.”