On paper, Adel Altamimi doesn’t necessarily seem like a fighter deserving of a Bellator contract. In truth, it’s just a fraction of the rewards his sacrifices should earn him.

Altamimi’s story was featured on the broadcast of December’s “Bellator and USO Present: Salute the Troops” event, when the promotion revealed they had signed the 29-year-old featherweight.

Currently a coach with Jay Glazer’s Merging Vets And Players, Altamimi was contracted as a convoy driver by the U.S. Marines in Iraq. During his service, he was captured by Al-Qaeda and watched as his cousin and his best friend were killed alongside him. Altamimi was next, and he said he knew there was no escape.

“I had no crying or anything,” Altamimi recalled. “I was just waiting for my turn.”

With the captors’ blade inching toward his neck, Altamimi’s life was spared due to the heroics of invading Marines, who breached the location with just moments to spare.

“They saved my life,” Altamimi said. “Whatever I do is not enough, when somebody saves your life.”

Bellator officials, who have partnered with the Merging Vets And Players program, heard Altamimi’s story and elected to offer him an exclusive multi-fight contract. You can watch the moment unfold in the video above.

Altamimi, who currently resides in the Los Angeles area, is expected to make his debut at Bellator 214. And while is career record is just 7-5, he is 5-1 in his last six appearances, with his lone loss coming to fast-rising contender Juan Archuleta.

He’ll get a chance to prove his skills in the Bellator cage in short order, and while every fighter follows a different path to the cage, there seems to be little question Altamimi has done more than enough to earn the opportunity.

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