WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje might be a Division I All-American wrestler, he still intends on showing off his constantly improving striking skills on Saturday night against Nick Newell at WSOF 11.
Gaethje, who wrestled for Northern Colorado but was born and raised in Arizona, has developed an impressive striking game under the tutelage of Grudge Training Center head coach Trevor Wittmann over the last two years. In fact, the champ has finished his last six opponents with strikes and he plans on keeping up the streak against fellow undefeated lightweight Nick Newell when he makes his first defense of the WSOF lightweight strap at the Ocean Center in Daytona, Florida.
“I’ve seen Nick fight before and he’s a great grappler,” said Gaethje. “He’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu and you can’t take that away from him, however I know that’s he’s going to try and take me down and I’m going to stop him from doing that. That’s what the fight is going to look like in my opinion.
“Since I’ve been training with Trevor Wittman my stand-up has come on leaps and bounds. He’s done wonders with me because I was not a striker by any means. My first seven or eight fights, from amateur to pro, were all wrestling. Then I came to the Grudge Training Center and everything changed. He’s such a creative coach and luckily for me I’m athletic so it’s really been fortunate for my career.”
Despite having the pressure of being a champion placed on his shoulders, the Arizona born lightweight plans on having fun inside of the cage and having an exciting fight for those watching the event.
“I’m going to go in there and take chances, that’s what I like to do. I’m going to go in there and try some crazy things because I don’t care if I lose. I want everyone to be ready because this is going to be an exciting fight and there’s going to be a finish.”
WSOF 11 will be broadcast live on NBC on Saturday 5th July. Check local listings for times
If you ask 25-year-old Justin Gaethje, he’ll tell you that there isn’t really any secret to his success. From starting on the wrestling mats at the young age of four, to defeating Rich Patishnock in just over a minute to win the World Series of Fighting lightweight championship, it all just comes down to putting in the work.
The 11-0 Grudge Training Center product has made a pretty good case for his philosophy so far, as he not only holds an undefeated professional career with 10 finishes, but also had an undefeated amateur career of 7-0. While one might expect becoming a champion so quickly may get to a young man’s head, according to Gaethje, it’s only making him train harder.
“It’s actually easier for me,” Gaethje admitted to The MMA Corner. “That’s where I want to be. I don’t have to worry about anybody right now, just myself. I got to try and make myself quit every single workout I put myself through, and no one else is going to push me harder than myself.”
His extreme abundance of self-motivation has also bred an equal amount of self-confidence in his ability to win. Gaethje might not be competing against the cream of the crop in the WSOF, but that by no means should indicate that he has had an easy career. In only his sixth fight, he demolished UFC vet Drew Fickett in just 12 seconds. He’s also defeated Strikeforce vet Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante, and in his last fight before becoming champion, Gaethje scored a TKO victory over Dan Lauzon.
All of this was in a career that started not even three years ago.
“I signed with World Series of Fighting a year and a half ago, and it’s four fights, and I have a belt,” said the champion. “So, no, I didn’t expect that, but I got to take it one fight at a time. I can’t be looking at the future.”
Apparently there is no wasted time for Mr. Gaethje sitting on the mats in the Grudge Training Center dreaming of knocking out UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. If the opportunity eventually comes, so be it, but for the moment, Gaethje knows that time not spent preparing for his current fight is wasted time.
His opponent, Nick Newell, also knows a thing or two about hard work. The 28-year-old lightweight from Connecticut was born with one hand due to a congenital amputation. That hasn’t stopped the contender from strangling opponents and taking names with him along the way. Newell, like the champion, holds a perfect 11-0 record, with 10 of those wins being stoppages.
If you look at it on paper, it really is a classic case of striker vs. grappler. The champion has nine of his 10 finishes by way of knockout or TKO, and the challenger has eight of his 10 finishes by way of submission.
Fights aren’t decided on paper, though.
“The good thing for me is, I’ve been training my whole life for what Nick’s trying to do,” Gaethje explained. “I’ve been wrestling since I was four years old. He’s trying to get my head down, and that’s what wrestling is—trying to control a person’s head and move on to the legs.”
There really isn’t any secret for what either fighter is trying to do here. This is mixed martial arts, though, so anything is possible. However, in Gaethje’s opinion, his opponent will try to keep taking him down, and when he can’t, he’ll be left vulnerable.
“I’m going to keep it standing. He’s going to try and take me down, and I’m going to stuff takedowns, and keep it standing, where he doesn’t want to be, and make him uncomfortable,” Gaethje predicted.
Even though he intends to finish Newell, like he has with most of his other opponents, Gaethje can still appreciate hard work when he sees it. He might not consider Newell his toughest test, but who can’t respect someone like Newell coming this far in the sport when, on paper, no one would think he’d stand a chance.
Still, Gaethje has a job to do, and it doesn’t matter who’s standing across from him come fight night.
“[It] sucks. I wish I was not the person that had to do this, but that’s the position I’m in, and I’m going to have to knock Nick out.”
ne of the more time-honored ways of conveying an intent to do harm is to say you want to “beat the piss” out of someone. Depending on your taste in flourishes, sometimes there’s an adjective attached for emphasis…such as, “I want to beat the living piss” out of someone.
At any rate, this is usually an empty threat. But in the case of Justin Gaethje, who during his summers between collegiate wrestling took amateur cage fights to see how he liked it, well, he can boast of doing just that. In his first ever amateur MMA bout in Colorado, Gaethje slammed Ben DeAnda so hard into the ring that he gave up the contents of his bladder. It was a violent first look at what Gaethje can do.
And for a guy who came from the copper mines of Morenci, Arizona — a guy who now holds the World Series of Fighting lightweight title — it all goes down as part of Gaethje’s growing lore.
He appeared on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour and related the experience to Ariel Helwani.
“I thought, and I still think that my wrestling, I can win any fight that I need to with my wrestling,” he said. “And at that point, I was much more confident with my wrestling, because I didn’t have my striking. My first fight, I don’t know if you’ve seen it, it was in a boxing ring. I double-legged him, slammed him, then I high crotched him and he tried to throw a triangle and I slammed him [again], and he pissed himself. It was a good one. Twenty-six seconds. It was all wrestling, and I was just really confident. You’ve just got to be confident in your skills and I was.”
Gaethje threw in the “pissed himself” as an afterthought, just part of the procession from that night in the “Battle Under the Stars.” When Helwani said, “wait, he actually pissed himself?” Gaethje explained.
“No, yeah, it was bad,” he said. “He started squirting…squirting himself, it was bad man. He landed right on his head. It was not pretty.”
There is guerilla footage of the event. More than the unfortunate leakages, though, it crudely documents the first time Gaethje — who has since become a spring-loaded berserker in WSOF — got his start. After a 7-0 amateur career, and now an 11-0 start to his professional career, Gaethje has been a veritable wrecking ball, plowing through everybody that’s stood across from him. It has all led to the big stage.
Gaethje will make his first title defense against Nick Newell on Saturday, July 5, at WSOF 11, in Daytona, Florida. It will be aired on NBC, a mantinee main event like no other before it. Gaethje, the incautious wrestler who has only heard the judge’s scorecards read once in 11 fights, against Newell, a wrestler who has only heard the judge’s scorecards once in 11 fights who happens to have one arm.
It will mark the highest profile WSOF fight to date. And even given the styles and the context and the historic elements for being on national broadcast television, the 25-year old Gaethje says he doesn’t feel specific pressure to do anything different than he usually does.
“One thing I do every fight is perform, even in wrestling matches,” he said. “If you ever watched [my] wrestling matches it was exciting, win or lose. And I lost a lot at college, I lost 30 times. I know what it’s like, and I’ve learned my lessons, and I’m going to keep pushing. I’m not going to let anybody take my perfect record from me right now.
“I just need to stay on my toes…I’m going to take chances, you know? He can get as deep as he wants on a shot, he’s not going to take me down. The only way he’s going to take me down is if I fall trying to kick his head off, and I’m going to stand back up and we’re going to be swinging. I see this as an exciting fight. Nick is going to be bringing it to me.”
As for what he’d say to people who think he fights wild, Gaethje agrees, but says there’s a method to this perceived madness.
“I don’t know, it’s their opinion…but I am wild, you know,” he said. “It’s my style. I’m coming forward. You have to meet force on force, that’s the only way that you’re not going to get knocked out, is if you’re beating a punch, or beating a shot with your hips, he’s not going to blow through you. If you go backwards, you don’t have the same stuff on your strikes.
“I got my style, and I’m not going to change it for anybody.”
July 5th , the day after Independence day, and the continuation of chest swelling, high fiving, all American pride being shown by everyone , in every town in the U.S.A . But on this particular holiday weekend, while there will certainly be MMA events being held all around the country, none of them, and let me reiterate that , I said none of them are more important to the MMA community than World Series of Fighting 11 Gaethje vs Newell, and not for the reason that most might think.
There is certainly a buzz about the main event , the hard hitting champion Justin Gaethje, solid all around game , and a big banging right hand that can end a fight before you blink. The challenger “Notorious” Nick Newell. The man who has defied the odds his whole life as a congenital amputee, being born with only one fully developed arm, and turning in to the undefeated (11-0) MMA star in the making, seeking his second World Title (former XFC LW champion) as he continues to amaze and inspire all those that see him fight.
An under-card filled with familiar names, some definite fan favorites. Jon Fitch , Melvin Guillard and the TUF cast off Cody Bollinger, who may be remembered in the MMA world for the wrong reasons after not making weight in the house for his last fight, and we all know the rest.
And while the names , and the story lines above have their own drama and intrigue by themselves, with a huge title fight, and so many future stars and current stars on this card, they are all a part of the small scene inside the big picture, and this time , there is hope that these folks at WSOF can be the ones, that is the ones to compete on the big stage of network television and be relevant on the MMA landscape as they ascend on their rise to the number two MMA promotion in the world.
NBC is putting their hat inside the cage and bringing MMA to their network for the first time in their history, and World Series of Fighting will bear the torch ,and or the peacock if you prefer,in this first of what many hope to be the beginning of numerous shows on the network.
The executives at NBC and WSOF could not of asked for a more exciting and inspiring main event for their first card, as two all- American undefeated tough guys go head to head on July 4th weekend to take home the World Title. You know the old adage, somebody’s 0 has gotta go! And while this fight is expected to have fireworks that should rival any you will see the night before, the rest of the card has to deliver, and in reality every fighter on this card needs to for lack of a better term , over achieve.
MMA fighters of today need to have a place where they can go and fight , and feel respected and appreciated, plus get the exposure that will help them secure the financial stability through sponsors, and big money fights that they deserve as they grow in their careers. WSOF can be that for so many as long as the partnership with NBC continues, and events will continue to be aired on the network. that’s why July 5th has to be a home run.
With the current shake up at Bellator MMA, as Bjorn Rebney is out , and Scott Coker of Strikeforce fame joining Bellator, WSOF needs to take the bull by the horns, and grab hold of the opportunity in front of them. Give the MMA fans , and the casual viewer that will certainly be watching that night , possibly for the first time ever, a great night of exciting fights!
Newell vs Gaethje will certainly have action and a great human interest story that no other fight can bring to the table, and as long as the rest of the card delivers, fans will be made, and new relationships will be formed that night, with both fighters that will want to join the fighter friendly organization headed up by Ray Sefo, (an incredible , and great fighter in his own right), and sponsors that want to join up with the still fledgling MMA promotion.
WSOF 11, the eleventh show for a company, (hence the WSOF 11 name, sorry had to do it), that is still getting their feet wet in the industry,and they are jumping in with both feet in the deep water of network tv where only the UFC has had success, and they have no fear, that is important. Win , lose or draw on July 5th WSOF arrives in your living room, don’t touch that dial! WSOF 11 takes place on July 5th from The Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fl, and will be broadcast on NBC. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com and
ALL ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL with i.d GET IN FREE Nice way for WSOF to give back to our real fighting heroes.
MAIN CARD NBC, 4pm ET / 1pm PT Justin Gaethje vs. Nick Newell for lightweight title Jon Fitch vs. Dennis Hallman Gesias Cavalcante vs. Melvin Guillard Pablo Alfonso vs. Cody Bollinger
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What a pleasure it was to listen to Trevor Wittman honestly discuss his career and fight philosophies in depth and detail with me over the past several weeks. Trevor neither hides nor obscures the reasons for a successful career, working with, teaching, and coaching, some of today’s best fighters, and winning several world championship belts along the way. This interview is a must read for anyone who aspires to become a trainer/coach someday. Trevor lays out everything you need to know to become not just a good trainer but a great one.
Trevor, who prefers to be called T., is one of the top two or three fight trainers around, and is routinely mentioned alongside Freddie Roach as one of the best trainers in the world. T. began Grudge Gym out of his basement in 97, along with Jake Ramos, and from those humble beginnings it has grown into a fighter factory of excellence, all that in just sixteen years.
‘It ain’t bragging if it’s true,’ is an old clichéd term that’s been around for centuries; it’s appropriate here once you realize that Grudge brags a win rate that is rather difficult to believe, it is over ninety percent. Unbelievable and ridiculous! Nine out of ten times Grudge fighters have come out on top, and for the last sixteen years! If I were a young fighter this is the gym I’d want to train in. (Full disclosure; I am a young fighter and I am training at Grudge.)
T. is married to Christina, he credits Christina for changing him as well as his entire life, and very much for the better. She plays a huge part at Grudge, keeping the front office in ship shape, signing up new members and raising Marissa, their beautiful 5 yr. old daughter. She is a surrogate mother to the majority of Grudge fighters as well, offering support, kindness and hugs, whatever is needed. She’s seen so many of us battling through our worst moments and is always ready to help. She’s one of those rare people who possess huge hearts and care deeply about all suffering souls, animals included, for she is an animal advocate as well. T. and Grudge gym are both very lucky to have her!
The coaches, T. and Christina, all put in unbelievably long hours at Grudge each week and their hard work has paid off with a truly great gym, great trainers, and new location that’s easy to find, one block north of I-76 and Sheridan Ave. on the northwest corner of 59th & Sheridan. They offer a huge variety of workout plans and classes, catering to everyone, male or female regardless of skill level, even if it’s zero. In fact there are more females joining every day, old and young alike, as well as classes and teachers ready to work with total novices, amateurs, all the way up to top of the line pro fighters. They work with people for specific things like weight loss or anger management as well. Grudge is for everyone, not just fighters, or want to be fighters, and the benefits can sound like testimonies. We will hear more of these stories in parts 2 & 3. of the interview. I can testify to how comfortable Grudge gym is to step into for the first time. I’ve always found it to be more inclusive than any other place I’ve ever been. I’ve been working with Jake for 15 months, starting as a total novice with zero experience and have felt totally at home from day one. The positivity vibe is real and almost palpable, that and the work ethic on constant display make the Grudge workout a cut above all others.
Trevor also has a son Terrance, who is 15 years old and prefers the Lacrosse pitch to the fight gym, T. encourages Terrance to be the best soccer player he can be without trying to force him into fighting.
I spoke with T. twice last week and sat in awe listening to his many captivating stories and philosophies about fighters and trainers, he did not hold back and shares his knowledge and experience with anyone who asks. Here’s what T. had to say-
Mk-When did you begin training fighters?
TW-I began training fighters in late 97, early 98. Jake and I started out of the basement of my house on Tower rd. and Smoky Hill, we met in Art School back in 94, and went back east to New Jersey on a whim for six months, where we became surfing beach bums. We lived in the car for a few days before landing a landscaping job. Eventually we rented a little beach cottage in Seaside Heights, staying for six months and having a total blast there.
Mk-For anyone who doesn’t know Trevor, I wanted to say that throughout my interviews with him he always had a huge smile on his face. He smiles all the time and I’ve wondered many times if he might be the happiest person in the world. He had no problem talking about seeing a counselor while going through a divorce many years ago. He goes into great depth on how she helped him make his career choice as well and I thought young fighters who read this should take note. Here is a genuine tough guy who had no trouble at all seeking help and advice when he needed it. We should all be so smart! Here’s what he said about it:
TW-I’d seen a marriage counselor while going through my divorce and continued to see her right after it as well, she gave me some great career advice after I got hurt and couldn’t fight anymore. The absolute worst part of my job is telling a fighter he cannot fight anymore and it is usually due to injury. I loved fighting and wasn’t ready to quit, but after my injury I had no choice; she asked if I could be a promoter or coach or train, well I did not want to be a promoter or a manager so I picked up a pair of focus gloves and thought to myself, I can do this.
I am a really giving person and at that point I wanted to give something back to boxing and I remember her saying to me, “Do something you really enjoy, don’t worry about the money. If you do something you love it will turn into something great!”
It was great advice and I’ve never forgotten it.
I asked T. to retell the infamous greasy popcorn story here and he obliged.
TW-The greasy popcorn story, when I began my fight training in Connecticut, my trainer was an overweight, mean, cold, old school coach, who tried so hard to motivate me through negativity and humiliation. The gym was this cold concrete building that was dark and dusty, each day he’d push himself around on a wheelie chair and cook bags of greasy, buttery, instant popcorn, that was so gross. I’d be training and I’d be overcome with nausea from this stinky greasy popcorn odor. The entire gym reeked of fake butter and almost made me sick. To this day I can’t stand that crap.
Mk-Lucky you T., that crap is terrible for you.
TW-It is horrible for you, good stuff to avoid for sure!
I’d be working out on the heavy bag and he’d be yelling at me, “You are horrible; you will never make it as a fighter, you hit like a little girl! You won’t amount to shit”
Looking back I can’t believe I put up with it but I do remember telling myself if I ever coach someday, I will do the exact opposite of this guy. He was so negative all the time, I could dominate any round of my fight and he’d say “You are getting killed out there.”
It didn’t matter how far ahead I was in the fight, it was the old school way of humiliation and trying to inspire someone by pissing them off! I always thought that fighters must really love what they do to put up with people like that, all that guff. I realized how much passion fighters possess.
Mk-Can you talk for a little bit about what the differences are between good trainers and great trainers, and we are lumping MMA and boxing together here.
TW-Mark, there are tons of good coaches out there and they come a dime a dozen, you only need to know what moves counter what other moves. Add some basics, conditioning, a few fundamentals, and you have a decent to good coach. If you study enough fights you will see what counters what, good coaches can always talk a good fight strategy, I hear football fans talking strategy and some really do know enough to go out and teach peewee’s and so forth. They have enough basic knowledge that they could teach fundamental plays, basic counter plays, and whatever techniques are needed. They could easily become good coaches, but to be a great coach you have to do more than just tell or delegate. You have to be able to show them precisely how it is done and not just tell them to go do it.
Example: I used to have a coach who would always ride me about stepping to my left, but each time I stepped left I got hammered with a right hand. I’d come back to my corner and he’d be yelling at me, “Step to the left.”
I’d do it, step left and get smacked over and over again with the right hand. It wasn’t until I saw other fighters stepping left and not getting hit before I figured it out. They were getting their head outside their shoulder when they stepped left and that made all the difference in the world. If I’d had a great coach he’d have shown me exactly how to do it and not just said “Do it.”
Fighters are always going to have questions and they need answers that SHOW them how. A great trainer will never say it, they’ll believe it, and they’ll show it and not just say it.
Mk-I see that exact thing working with Jake all the time. He always takes his time showing me exactly where my feet should be and how to get them there, then what punches and combinations I should be throwing from said position. He shows me the entire movement from start to finish and then shows me how to practice that movement.
TW-Exactly! Jake is really good at it. Now he is teaching and showing, not simply telling. He’s so good at explaining it for you and you will never hear, just do it. I learn something from Jake nearly every day.
TW-Another thing that separates the good from the great is that the great ones are very artistic. What I mean by artistic is that so often when we get fighters signing up with us, they’ve been fighting for many years. They don’t need us to teach them or even re-teach them as much as they need polishing. We may take their ‘four go to moves’ and cut back to just ‘two go to moves,’ but we want those two moves to be nearly perfect. Little things here and there as opposed to total makeovers, a minor adjustment to their footwork or stance; often times we like to get back to basics. The question is always the same, how to sculpt your guy to be the best possible fighter he can be.
Figuring out what type of fighter you have can also be a means of separating the good from the great. What motivates him, what makes him mad? Does he need his confidence built up, or is he overconfident? You can never know enough about your fighter, each one is different but your job is to know exactly what makes them tick and what words illicit what response. I’ve lived with so many of my fighters and often found that this was the best way to learn all these little things, so that whatever I am faced with in the ring I will have a well stocked arsenal to cause the particular reaction I need.
Fight psychology is important as well. If you are able to get your fighter to the right mental state he becomes extremely difficult to beat, making the mental part of fighting another place where good is separated from great. When both fighters are equal it’s mentality that will prove to be the difference.
Example: I remember watching a Ugandan fighter years ago who was fighting some club fighter. The Ugandan was undefeated at the time while the club fighter was like 15-5; surprisingly the club fighter knocked the Ugandan down, then out, and after the fight the press was rabidly asking the Ugandan about getting knocked down for the first time in his career and what that was like. The Ugandan was adamantly disputing the statement, reiterating over and over again that he was never knocked down. He never did admit it and what I realized was that he may have lost this fight but no one had taken his dream of being a champion away. He’d not been dissuaded. I always remembered that.
Same with Ali, once, and I forget who he fought but he lost by decision after 15 rounds, and when the press forced the issue by beleaguering the point of Ali losing, he responded with, “I lost the bout but I won the fight, go ask him. (pointing towards the winner) I was whipping his ass the last three rounds and he wouldn’t fight, kept running away. If I fought him 30 times I’d win 29, this was just his one win.”
When they can no longer have their spirit broken or taken away, when they don’t fear losing the occasional bout-Losing can be the best thing for them, you learn so much more from losing a fight than from winning one; when you keep their slipups small ones and don’t let them fall off in the deep end, that’s the difference between good and great! It all comes back to passion, if you have passion, if you apply yourself one-hundred percent to everything you do you will adapt to whatever you need to adapt to.
I still believe good coaches are ubiquitous, they’re everywhere, anybody can draw a play on the board and tell folks what to do and even how to do it. Great ones are true teachers that show how, not tell how, and those types of coaches are very rare. If you can make someone believe, truly believe he’s number one in the world, well that belief will separate him from the other fighters just like it will separate you from other trainers. It certainly is harder than it sounds. Anytime a fighter doesn’t trust or believe in his trainer it’s a little tough for him to believe in himself.
I think part of the reason for my good people skills is that we moved around often when I was a kid. My father was in charge of the grand opening of all the Home Depot stores around the country so we moved every couple years and I lost all my friends. Every other year or so I had to make new ones and I think no matter how bad it sucked at the time, this forced me to learn how to make friends, how to get people to trust me. That all carries over to everyday.
I had a teacher in high school, Mr. Day and he made a huge impression on me and was probably the biggest reason I was able to turn my life around. I had been told continually how I was a bad kid and would never amount to anything. I figured if I’m bad I might as well be really bad and I was. I came to his class one day and he said to me, “Trevor, why would you be late to my class when you’ve been doing so well lately?”
I thought to myself, ‘I’m doing well at something?’
He was always like that and each time he’d offer his critique he’d start by offering me a huge compliment before saying something like, “You know you are better than that.” Or, “I know you can do better.” I’ve never forgotten Mr. Day and now I find myself emulating his positivity each time I talk to fighters. Mr. Day is now in charge of the entire athletic department for that high school and I will never forget him. Once I became a coach I incorporated all of his methods into my routines. I always tell my fighters something they do very well before I’ll mention something that needs improvement and it all goes back to Mr. Day. I’ve had that negative trainer and I ended up hating him more than any fighter I ever faced. When you don’t trust your trainer it is a very bad way to fight and no fighter should have to put up with that kind of abuse.
Something else I believe in is treating fighters like family, that’s why I’ve had so many fighters move in with me. If you fight fighters the way people fight chickens or dogs you won’t be around long. Keeping the fighter calm is important as well, if you get panicky or too hyped up so will he. Try to always speak in a calm, but level voice; and like I said earlier, the more you know your fighter the better off you’ll both be. Fights fly by and you only get that one short chance when you’re in there, so the more you know about your fighter the better you will be able to deal with whatever the fight throws at you. Never panic, remain calm and then instill that same calmness with your fighter and you’ll do fine. Knowing when to give that Rocky type speech is all important as well.
Example: The Shane Carwin – Dos Santos fight
TW-I had worked with Shane a number of years and could almost read his thoughts from watching his facial features. Shane had been badly beaten in the first round by Dos Santos and when he came to his corner he had this look on his face that said, ‘I have a wife, home, child, good job, what the hell do I need this for?’
I knew I had to come up with something very inspirational and do it quickly or this fight was over. I made sure to whisper as I didn’t want anyone else overhearing. I simply told him, “Your opponent has just broken into your house and is threatening harm to your family, now what are you going to do about it?”
Shane came out and fought the kind of fight movies are made from. He took kicks to the head and waved the crowd on like he never felt them. He took a beating as well as gave a beating and in the end he nearly won by tap out, just as the time ran out. The crowd was going crazy, screaming for Shane, he won every fan over that night and I have never been more proud of a fighter than I was then. The point is whatever speech you are going to give at that crucial time to resurrect your fighter, better be the one that motivates him to do things that seem impossible. If you know your fighter inside and out, you will be able to say the right words at the right time. That may have been the best fight I’ve ever seen. No matter what happens, stay positive.
I told Shane afterwards, when he was all beat up and battered that he saved lives that night by showing the world and all the people in it who don’t think they can conquer something, that yes, the impossible is possible and things that seem unconquerable can, with enough hard work, be conquered. That by sheer will and determination humans can achieve the impossible and that’s what he did on that night!
I always tell my fighters what they’re doing right before I say what’s wrong. I’ll tell them, “I love your jab, it’s beautiful, keep throwing it but quit being lazy with it, snap it the way I know you can!” When they are told in this manner they don’t get all down and quit throwing it, instead they come out and start snapping jabs off the way I wanted them to from the beginning. Stay positive at all times, I believe negativity is not only the enemy, it’s to be feared and avoided at all times.
Winning is so fun and losing is so painful but when you lose you find out your true friends are and guys who fight for the wrong reasons, money, fame, chicks, fall away pretty quickly while the guys who fight for themselves, their families and coaches, usually last a long time. When you are winning you get free meals and everyone wants your autograph, lose once and it can all go away. The hardest parts of boxing are what makes great coaches and fighters, overcoming challenge after challenge. I have learned so much from watching Jake Ramos work as well as my other coaches. It’s all about doing the work.
Coaches and fighters are both so woefully underpaid I can’t believe it, yet they still have so much passion for the sport. The work ethic here is off the charts and if I have either a fighter or a coach who get an offer for better money I let them go immediately. They will be welcomed back anytime or whenever that gig runs out. We’ve had that happen many times. I am a believer in a handshake and a man’s word but anytime one of my guys has a chance to earn more money I make sure they go. It’s these coaches and fighters who are so underpaid yet who work so hard and such long hours who make the sport of boxing and MMA the great sports they are today. The vast majority of pro fighters work full time jobs, some work two full time jobs! These guys are all great people and when you work closely with such great people it can’t help but wear off on you.
Money is no motivator, these guys work so hard for so little that it’s simply passion. Sure, there are a couple boxing millionaires out there but that’s more like hitting the lottery than real life. The vast majority will never see anything close to millions of dollars. Here at Grudge we specialize in positive fighters and ask the negative types to move along to another gym, regardless of how talented they may be.
Mk-I’ve noticed in my time here that the Grudge work ethic is definitely intense and contagious, I can also see that it starts at the top and is passed around from coach to fighter. All Grudge employees have a great work ethic and positive attitude as well.
TW-Work ethic is everything, if you don’t want to work harder at this than anything else you’ve ever tried before, you will likely fail. The great thing about MMA, Ju Jitsu, boxing, and wrestling is that they are so fun you quickly forget about the hard work. Almost immediately you will find yourself looking forward to your next workout, I guarantee it!
Mk-Thanks so much for speaking with me today T. and we will finish up this interview in a few days.
This concludes part one of our interview, part two will be posted next week. As always send comments and questions to: ringwrap56@gmail.com, thanks for reading, Mark D. Kilburn
“Nick Newell has almost never fought anyone with any kind of grappling skills. So I don’t know what he’s going to do when he can’t take me down.He can’t stop a right hand or a right head kick,” Gaethje said. “That’s what I’m going to throw, over and over.”
Shocking words from WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethjeas he prepares for #1 contender NotoriousNick Newell. “Good for him I like that he said that , why doesn’t he just go ahead and not train his wrestling for the fight? I cant wait to see his face when I do take him down. Im not invincible to strikes, but if (Throwing a right hand or Kick) that was such a secret, why has’nt anyone else been able to do that? I hope he does come out like that, i hope he does. Make your self as predictable as possible, see what happens…”
Gaethje was quoted in his recent interview with MMAJunkie.com back in March that he felt it “Impossible for Newell to take him down and choke him out as he (Newell) has done so many times before to past opponents. Newell, a jiu jitsu black belt welcomes the challenge and uses the comments as fuel as he prepares for the long awaited world title shot he so eagerly awaits.
When asked if he felt he was more of a submission specialist than a striker Newell responded “I don’t know I have a black belt in jiu jitsu but I feel like i’m just as good a striker as I am on the ground. I love fighting, I enjoy this life im always gonna try to win the easiest and safest way possible. I’ve beat strikers by taking them down. You never see me get outclassed on the feet. I have much better footwork. There is a big question mark about my striking ability because i havent really needed to use it. I’ve fought lots of strikers and i try to fight smart so i take them down. I plan on showing a well rounded game.”
Gaethje has made it clear that being a Div. 1 All-American, that he is the best wrestler Newell will have ever fought and that he will give him fits and wont allow him to take him down. Newell answered in kind “Maybe I haven’t fought someone with his wrestling pedegree on paper but I don’t think he has ever fought someone with as good of wrestling that i have as well. MMA wrestling is different. I have good MMA wrestling. He certainly hasn’t fought anyone as good as me on the ground. (Being an All-American) Doesn’t mean I cant take him down.I cant wait to see his face when i do!”
Newell went on to say “My real advantage is that I have technique because I work harder and im a better fighter. That’s my advantage.”
“I really feel like i have a world class training camp right here at home. I have some of the best coaches in the world. My head coach Jeremy Libiszewski at Fighting Arts Academy is a genious when it comes to MMA and strategy. My boxing coach Scott Labrie, great help from Callendrelli’s in CT and my strength and conditioning coach Matt Ramos. They make me work hard, i get my ass kicked everyday”
Justin Gaethje defends his WSOF title belt for the first time July 5th against the undefeated Nick Newell (11-0) at WSOF 11. For more information on Nick Newell and the WSOF fightcard, stay tuned to MassMMA.com
On Saturday night, Pat Barry made his return to kickboxing at Glory 16 against another hard-hitting heavyweight Zack Mwekassa. It was a short brutal fight that ended with a vicious uppercut that laid Barry out. It was not easy for many to watch and it led to many of them calling for him to retire after the fight.
The answer to whether or not he should retire can only come from him and it should not be based on this one fight.
While it was not fun to see Barry get knocked out in such a fashion it was realistically one of the two most likely finishes for this fight.
When two heavyweights get into the Glory ring there is usually a TKO/KO finish.
Coming into the fight Mwekassa had 10 kickboxing wins with 9 of them coming via TKO/KO. Barry brought 16 wins into this fight with 10 of them being TKO/KO’s.
When you mix that kind of power with the warrior mentality of these two fighters, it usually leads to one of them getting knocked out.
People were acting like he got KO’d by a guy who was 1-10 with no knockouts. Mwekassa is a very good fighter with a lot of power.
Many of the fans saying he should retire are ignoring the fact that Barry had Mwekassa in trouble when he landed an early head kick. He tried to seize the opportunity and moved in with a flurry of punches, flying knees and kicks. Mwekassa did an excellent job of covering up and protecting himself.
If Barry had landed one of those shots cleanly than people would have been celebrating his win.
Later in the round Mwekassa found a couple of openings and he did land them cleanly. In the heavyweight division of Glory it can come down to who gets that one strike off just a beat quicker.
The ones calling for him to step away are also ignoring that it was a competitive fight up to the knockout sequence. Mwekassa was winning the round but Barry was in the fight.
He was also having fun throwing flying knees, jumping kicks, head kicks and of course some nasty leg kicks.
It was also a leg kick that started the downfall for Barry.
Barry had landed a couple of his leg kicks and afterwards in a post fight interview on Glory’s site Mwekassa acknowledged their power. He also said that he was prepared for them the first knockdown came off of a Barry leg kick.
Barry threw a low leg kick. As he threw it he also extended his right arm and brought his left one up to his head to block.
Mwekassa countered very nicely by first going lefthand to the body that went below the right arm of Barry, then a right hook that snaked around and behind Barry’s left arm and then a quick lefthand uppercut.
The lefthand to the body and the right hook to the head both land while Barry’s right leg is off the ground while throwing his leg kick. The uppercut landed as Barry’s right leg was touching the ground.
Barry was visibly wobbled by the punch and hopped back a couple of steps and took a knee.
The fight would have been over for a lot of fighters in that moment. As he knelt in the corner Barry took a couple of deep breaths and then stood back up.
The big difference in the fight was what happened after they hurt the other fighter.
Mwekassa did not swarm Barry but was patient. Barry was still dangerous and he was trying to win the fight throwing some big powerful punches. Those punches missed. Mwekassa then methodically looked for an opening and found one with a clean left uppercut.
It was a brutal violent knockout but not one that should end Barry’s career.
It would be different if the people close to him were calling for him to retire or he himself was talking about retiring. They are not.
It is difficult for a fighter to know whether or not it is the right time to retire. Some want to stay in the sport too long and risk long-term injury themselves.
That is when a fighter needs people close to them who are looking out for their interest first to help them walk away at the right time.
Right now is not the time for Barry to retire. Not when he has just made his return to the sport he loves.
Content Provided by : Benjamin Hotchman, Denver Post
The boxer’s story is seldom told. Not Mike Alvarado; his story has been splattered on these pages for years — a local boy makes good, and Saturday night he will fight for millions in Inglewood, Calif.
But for every “Mile High Mike,” there’s an anonymous gritty face with gritted teeth, punching a dusty bag, over and over and over, but for what?
For this boxer, the fight isn’t inside the ropes — the fight is to get inside the ropes in the first place. This boxer is winless, yet she’s a winner. You probably know “Mile High Mike.” Now, meet “The Warrior Princess.”
Cecelia Martinez was heading into another freshman year. She was involved with drugs. Teachers had seen this before, a lost girl, failing and flailing and falling behind. Life was lapping her.
“I was like, ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ ” she recalled Friday. “I’m going to be in the same spot, always a freshman. I’m not going anywhere.”
Sports save. For all of the stories about sports propelling people, taking the good and making them great, sports also are saviors for folks on the fringe. Sports give chances, and darn it if Cece didn’t take a chance.
“I got to box!” she recalls telling her dad.
“It’s not for girls,” he told her.
“I don’t care if it’s not for girls,” she replied. “I’m going to make it for girls.”
In the middle of her teen years, Martinez discovered the Grudge Training Center in Arvada. It would become her second home.
“I’ve known Cece and her family since they came in, back when she was still in her trouble with school, trying to find her way,” said Leann Perez, who’s involved with Grudge in numerous capacities. “But a lot of the credit is to Trevor (Wittman), telling her she can’t train until you get your grades up. We want to see progress reports, report cards. And eventually, Cece is such a lovable girl, she worked with everybody in the gym, and really won over all of our hearts.”
The Warrior Princess (Cecelia Martinez)
This is what is so heartwarming about these stories — that inside so many trodden bodies are beautiful souls. It’s also what is heart-wrenching about these stories — for every Martinez, there’s someone else, forever a freshman.
“They’ve seen me at my lowest, when I was ready to give up,” Martinez said of her family and her family at the gym, “and then they saw I was able to build up my own self- esteem.
“They tell me I can’t win a fight if I don’t try, it’s not just going to come to me. They made me realize that nothing will land in my lap. I have to fight for everything I want.”
She goes to the gym every day but Sunday, sparring and sprinting on the treadmill, working on footwork and combinations and, well, you know, as long as she’s doing something, anything in that gym, it’s better than the alternative.
She has blossomed there. She’s fought four times, never winning. Who cares? She won just by showing up. Most important, she’s graduating from Hidden Lake High School on Wednesday. She can’t believe it. Cece. A graduate. It’s happening. She’s going to Front Range Community College “to get a lot of my core classes done,” she said. “Then I’ll be off to bigger or better things.”
She wants to work in medicine, hopefully with young babies.
“She’s enriching her life by doing everything that’s positive,” Perez said. “Everyone in the gym is super-excited for her to give her graduation gifts and see her become this better person. It’s been an honor to see her grow, it really has.
“You see it all the time, young boys coming into the gym, fighting too much on the street, and they want something to look forward to. Boxing is a really good outlet for kids to come in and better their lives — I’ve seen my own husband do it. And it’s such a sad thing to hear boxing is a dying sport, because of what it can do to kids all over the place.”
