Sam Oropeza After Sam Oropeza finished his associate degree, moving from working on a power plant as a student to working at a New Jersey refinery, he got a taste of just how unpleasant the full-time working world could be. “I found out,” Oropeza told MMAjunkie, “how cold it gets off the Delaware River.” That happened while he was climbing 70 feet into the air to check on equipment that it was his responsibility to maintain. He was also in those uncomfortable positions in the oppressive humidity of the summer and in every kind of element in between