Dylan Andrews fights to forget scary past where parents were dealing drugs

Heartache is why Dylan Andrews fights in the UFC, why the son of New Zealand drug dealers will look to solidify his rise in the middleweight division.

UFC fighter Dylan Andrews at Heartbreak Conditioning as he prepares for his comeback bout after injury in November. Picture by Scott Fletcher

DYLAN Andrews was forced to move marijuana plants as a kid.

And that was just getting out of bed.

Or into it.

“My bedroom, yeah, cannabis everywhere,’’ the Gold Coast fighter recalls.

“My family grew drugs to make ends meet, to survive really, and where I slept was like the hydroponic room.

“It was tough because I could never have friends over. Couldn’t really have friends at all.

“My parents, they were always worried about some kid talking and getting them arrested. So it wasn’t much of a life.

Jake Matthews Australian UFC fighter.

“As a little kid, you should wake each day to a hug. But how can that happen if you’re the only happy person in the house?”

Heartache is why Dylan Andrews fights in the UFC. Why he wins.

And why come Saturday at Allphones Arena, Homebush - up against American Sam Alvey - this son of New Zealand drug dealers will look to solidify his rise in the middleweight division.

“Opponents, they feel my pain in the cage,’’ he continues. “My past.

“And I know I’ve moved on from that now past. That I’ve broken the cycle.

“But every success is built on hard times. And mine ... it’s the shit I dealt with as a kid.”

Now 34, Andrews is not only a doting father of two children, but has also helped lift his own parents clear of their previous life.

UFC fighter Dylan Andrews.

“It’s funny you know,” he continues.

“When I was little, I wanted to be a superhero.

“But I didn’t want to fly, didn’t want x-ray vision or anything like that. My power was going to be water.

“On TV, I’d seen a story about all these African kids starving. How they had no water, no food, nothing.

“So who knows why, I just wanted to fix their situation ... I dreamed of helping those little kids get out.”

Originally published as Dylan Andrews fights to forget scary past where parents were dealing drugs