alcides "al" ochoa-vaea was born in late july of 1986 in san diego california. his parents chose to preserve his heritage by showcasing both last names in hyphenation. his mother, a second generation mexican-american, yvonne ochoa, and his father, a first generation samoan-american, manuia "manny" vaea. though manny fought endlessly for a more 'island' name, yvonne proved victorious and named her son with mexican rooting (a name that she'd dreamt of since childhood). at the time of alcides' birth, yvonne was at the cusp of twenty years old, juggling two jobs: working the graveyard shift at an area nursing home as well as working afternoons and evenings at a mexican grocery store as a cashier. meanwhile, manny was trying to better himself by being on the right side of the law for once, going through school at the technical college to become a policeman, as well as working part-time as a janitor at a local highschool.

it was because of his parents' work schedules that alcides was looked after by his maternal grandmother, adora ochoa, almost entirely. the first years of his life, he grew from a mild-tempered infant into an even milder child. often quiet, content to play by himself and bordered on shy, he still had a soft curiosity to him. even when his two brothers -- angelo and armando, fraternal twins -- came into the picture when alcides was nearing three, and grandma's house was particularly loud, he was close to his grandmother's side. as he aged onward, he remained gentle and softspoken in demeanor, and enjoyed typical things that little boys do, he looked up to his father most, who by this time, had become a rookie police officer. seeing his father in the morning before he'd sleep (manny worked the night shift), his mother also retired in the am hours, as he'd kiss both goodnight before he was off to kindergarten. from age six onward, he was almost sponge-like in his grandmother's company, learned good manners and respect early on, due to adora's morals and soft-yet-dignified nature. never a request without a 'please' and never receiving without a 'thank you', along with his 'yes ma'm,' and 'no sir'. this garnered much praise from teachers and parents of his classmates, who took notice of his upbringing as well.

all the way through elementary school, his aptitude for manners and respect continued on. alcides also proved to be very bright, excelling in all subjects, though it was apparent that he loved art class, as well as music and writing. he was a favorite of the art teacher, who was quick to use the little boy's artwork as an example and display his works on the wall proudly alongside the other haphazard, less skilled sketches and drawings of his peers. when time came for middle school however, it wasn't exactly 'cool' to be polite, and other kids began to take notice that his clothing didn't come from department stores. bullied his fair share, he was taught to turn the other cheek, and never participated with those who teased him.

when junior high turned to high school, he found that it was also not very hip to have a policeman as a father, either. however, by the tenth grade, as he began to grow into his frame, and collect height slowly but steadily, he found that his stature was that of an athlete's. while he still had a passion for the creative arts, he played football in the fall, wrestled in the winter and played baseball in the spring. making varsity in all three sports earlier than normal, it was also during this time that he fine-tuned his physique and began to do light bodybuilding. the tall, skinny geek who was too-polite, had a cop as a father and once wore clothes from the salvation army was now nearing 6'4" and 250-pounds? he still had a cop for a dad, but he turned out to be pretty handsome, and respect still held much merit for him. girls began to notice, and one in particular by the name of lia cosetti, especially took notice, and they dated from junior year through his graduation. his father, mother, twin brothers and grandmother adora were all in attendance, and prouder than ever. he graduated with honor after honor.

wanting to walk a similar path as his father, he was accepted at california state university and delved into their criminal justice program. living on-campus, and with lia at his side (she took a degree in nursing), alcides got midway through his degree when news came that he would be a father. however, a few months into the pregnancy, lia suffered a miscarriage and thereafter, their relationship fell apart, as did his plans to finish school.

at the age of twenty one, he moved into his own apartment in san diego and took odd jobs for a few years, free-floating and unsure of where to go in life. he fell back on his (mostly secret) love of artwork, found therapy in music and of course his biggest support, his grandmother. alcides also realized that he not only enjoyed watching mixed martial arts, but began to study it in his free time and joined a local gym. he also found solace in owning animals, and by his mid-twenties, had four canines join his household, on top of the snake he'd owned for years. so, after some deep thought and soul searching, as he neared the end of his twenties, he took his grandma adora's advice that she'd given for a long time: to uproot, start anew, wipe the slate clean... but not too far from her, so they could still visit one another. in the summer of 2016, at 29, alcides moved the hour-and-a-half away to santa ana, and began to work as a bail enforcement and recovery agent, finding that the change of scenery and brand new job made him feel, well, alive again.