Among the many talented athletes who are competing at ONE: Eternal Glory this coming Saturday, 19 January, Bruno Pucci will be entering the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia with some extra motivation.

He is scheduled to face former ONE Lightweight World Champion Kotetsu “No Face” Boku in a featherweight bout, and he believes it is the biggest match of his mixed martial arts career.

“Puccibull” feels that way because he wants to repay his strongest supporter — his father.

When he won his ONE Championship debut in September 2013, Pucci’s dad was watching the match from Curitiba, Brazil, where he resides.

A two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi World Champion, Pucci had moved to Singapore to become a BJJ instructor at Evolve.

Despite the distance separating the two, the martial artist is proud of the special relationship he shares with his father.

“Family is everything to me. I am very close to my dad,” the 28-year-old Evolve representative begins.

“My father watched all my fights in Brazil. My very first fight with ONE Championship, he watched it from Brazil, too. It means a lot to me.”

Pucci managed to celebrate another very special moment with his dad last July, who was able to make the trip from Brazil to attend his son and ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee’s wedding.

It appeared father and son would get another chance to reunite when Lee surprised Pucci following his win against Xie Chao at ONE: Warrior’s Dream in November.

“Angela wanted to surprise me with a trip to Brazil to visit my father,” he explains. “We were both really excited as I had not seen my dad since the wedding. It was a really nice gesture from her.”

However, “Puccibull” was soon offered a bout at ONE: Eternal Glory.

Despite having to sacrifice the trip, he accepted the contest without hesitation because he knew his dad would have wanted him to win.

“When we heard about the fight against Boku, we canceled everything,” Pucci says.

“I spoke to my dad over the phone, and he understands why I have to take this fight. This is why I feel this is the biggest fight of my life — I have to win because of the sacrifices. Of all the people who believed in me, the first one was my father.”

Aside from honoring his father, Pucci also wants to repay his gratitude to new friends and family members who have been by his side.

Since becoming closer to the Lee family, the Brazilian has been able to train alongside some great martial artists at United MMA.

In fact, by training with his brother-in-law and former ONE Featherweight World Title challenger Christian “The Warrior” Lee, “Puccibull” has added new dimensions to his skill set.

The Brazilian owes a great debt of gratitude to all of his supporters, and he knows that winning this match will validate all the sacrifices both he and his family have made so far.

“I expect to finish Boku and break the top 10 rankings,” Pucci says.

“I will dedicate this win to my father because I know he will be watching me, and I am sure I will see him soon.”