There’s a new scrapper representing the Garden State inside the octagon.

One year ago, Lacey Township’s Luke Fernandez was working on rooftops to make ends meet. Now, the octagon is his office. Fernandez has earned a UFC contract, and recently debuted in Las Vegas. 

“I didn’t get the result that I wanted, but at the end of the day, thinking back on my life right now, that’s one of the coolest moments," Fernandez said.

The 30-year-old light heavyweight has a 6-1 record, and his fighting style stays true to his Ocean County roots, where he grew up wrestling and later coached.

“I’m a wrestler first," Fernandez said. "I trained wrestling through high school and college, but I do like to scrap. At the end of the day, I’m not looking to go to a decision, looking to be exciting, looking to make some highlights.”

And there have been highlights - all but one of Fernandez’s wins has been a knockout. His fastest finish came in 15 seconds.

“Being from Jersey, everyone’s kind of got a chip on their shoulder," Fernandez said. "I think that’s mainly because of the blue-collar roots. Everyone has to work for what they want.”

He is training in Howell at Dante Rivera Brazilian jiu-jitsu before for his next fight in the summer.

“There’s no secret sauce," Fernandez said. "It’s hard work, just continuing to do that day in and day out. Bet on yourself, and when the doubt comes, you just work harder. That’s really all it is.”