Billy Ayash was found dead in his home on Friday, October 17th.

Ayash, a professional mixed martial artist, passed away at just 34 years young. Ayash held a professional record of 7-2 with all seven victories coming by way of stoppage. While a cause of death has yet to be determined, Ayash’s presence will be missed by many within the fighting community.

On a personal level, Ayash was one of the first men I interviewed leading up to his fight with J.A. Dudley at VFL 34 back in 2012.

While Ayash was outclassed by Dudley that night in his home state of West Virgina, it was a burning memory following his bout that I’ll never forget.

I vividly remember receiving a phone call from Billy following his fight. Moderately upset regarding his loss, Billy quickly expressed his appreciation for the interview I conducted. I was surely perplexed until he began to explain.

Ayash shared with me how his father never attended one of his fights—a topic never discussed in the interview process. However, leading up to his fight with Dudley, Ayash explained how his father came across our interview and his perspective on his son suddenly changed. The interview can be read here.

For the first time in his life, Ayash’s father was in attendance that night he fought Dudley. And while Ayash came up short, it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that his father cared enough to make the trip to the Williamson Field House to see him fight.

Something inside tells me a simple act such as this will far surpass any feat Ayash could have achieved.

Ayash leaves behind his wife and son.

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