UFC heavyweight Shane del Rosario has been removed from life support and is breathing independently just days after it appeared he would not survive following full cardiac arrest last week.

On Saturday, reports surfaced that del Rosario had signs of brain activity and even squeezed his mother’s hand at a California hospital. Del Rosario’s friend and training partner, Erik Apple, confirmed this development, according to Sherdog.com.

Del Rosario, 30, suffered a catastrophic cardiovascular collapse Tuesday at his home in California and has been in the hospital ever since. His manager Jason House provided the following update on Twitter Friday afternoon:

“Shane continues to cling to life at Hoag hospital in Newport Beach, CA. After arriving at the emergency room in full cardiac arrest on Tuesday morning he was resuscitated to stable rhythm and blood pressure, but has not regained consciousness. Doctors believe he may suffer from a rare condition called Long QT Syndrome which is a genetic anomaly that can cause a sudden and life threatening heart rhythm abnormality, and may result in sudden death. Tragically, it strikes healthy young people and often is the first and only presentation of a heart problem.”

Earlier in the week, UFC officials confirmed to sportsnet.ca that del Rosario was still alive but not responding to treatment, despite many false reports of his death.

The first signs of hope occurred early Saturday when del Rosario’s trainer Colin Oyama posted this encouraging message on Facebook: “Start praying people cause we got a shot!”

Doctors had previously advised family and friends to say their goodbyes as his chances of survival are extremely thin.

According to Apple, del Rosario’s roommate UFC flyweight Ian McCall was the one who found him, called 9-1-1 and attempted CPR prior to being taken to hospital.

Del Rosario started his MMA career in 2006 and went 11-0 before making his UFC debut in May 2012. The Hacienda Heights, Calif., native lost his first two fights in the UFC and was scheduled meet Guto Inocente at UFC 168 on Dec. 28, but was forced to pull out of the bout last week with a rib injury.