Cuenca originally hails from Alabang in the Philippines. Having spent part of his childhood in the US, he joined his high school’s Wrestling team when he was unsuccessful in his try-out for the basketball team. This proved to be a life-changing decision, with Cuenca’s Wrestling experience awakening a passion in combat sports that led him to train in Muay Thai, Boxing, and Brazilian Jiujitsu. After medaling in the Pan-Americans and Grapplers Quest and compiling an undefeated 4-0 amateur MMA record, Cuenca made the decision to go pro in early 2012. In spite of his achievements, Cuenca describes himself as “a pretty boring guy”: he works in financial services, and when he’s not training at Hong Kong’s Team GRIPS, he spends most of his time watching science fiction movies and reading comics.