The boys moved with their father and grandparents to West Jordan when Rad was a senior in high school. He played football and wrestled for the Jaguars, but he wanted badly to graduate, get a job and start earning his own money.

"I didn't want to go to college," he said. "I wanted to start working. My wrestling coach got me a job taking care of swimming pools. He rode me every single day about going to college. 'You've got to go to college; you've got to go to college.' He finally talked me into it."

He also helped him secure a wrestling scholarship with Northwest Community College in Wyoming. After that he went to Clarion College in Pennsylvania, where he wrestled at 133 pounds. He graduated, coached for the college and earned his master's in sports management.

One of his college teammates, Frank Edgars, began fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and he trained a little with him in martial arts that year.

"He kept saying, 'You've got to do this. You'd be great at it,' " said Rad with a grin. "I moved home and started an internship with Real Salt Lake. I wanted to work in sports."

He watched Edgars continue to evolve into a talented MMA fighter, and he and his brother began to pay attention to the growing sport. In 2006, he began helping with his father's care more and more. Then in 2008, another friend talked him into taking some jiujitsu classes with him at Gold's Gym.

"I was getting a lot of compliments, people saying I was big and strong," he said. "After three weeks, they talked me into a tournament and I took second. The bug had bit."

They bought some equipment and began training for an MMA fight. They really didn't know what they were doing, but they were having fun.

"I didn't miss some of the training for wrestling, but I missed the competition," he said. Rad fought an amateur fight and won but hurt himself. He recovered, fought again and lost a close decision.

Meanwhile, Levi Martinez, who owns a wrestling club for youngsters, saw Johnny Riche at a wrestling tournament. Riche told him Rad should try out at Throwdown in Orem.

Rad took his brother's advice, and coaches there loved Martinez.

"They let me work out there for free now," he said. In addition, he now gets coaching on the disciplines of MMA, boxing, wrestling and martial arts.

As lonely as parts of Rad's life have been, his brother has been one of the constants.

Just 16 months apart, Rad and Levi grew up wrestling, but without family in the stands.

"I do feel like we missed out on a lot of things," said Rad without a hint of self-pity. "My grandparents weren't able to go to football games or wrestling matches because they were with my dad. That was hard."

But what he lacked in parental support, he has found tenfold in brotherly love.