Grudge Training Center seems to have so many endless fighters with championship potential, (both amateur and professional) that it’s difficult to keep up with all of them. The first one of these young stars to win a belt may be Justin Gaithje, who is exactly a month away from fighting for his first title. That fight will be held in Hollywood, Florida on January 18th and will be on national TV NBC Sports, the world series of fighting. Justin exudes confidence talking about any upcoming fight and says that win or lose he’s going to have a ton of fun in his first chance at a belt. He appears very calm and is full of confidence when talking about this huge fight but without any of the cockiness so many athletes seem to revel in and there is a huge difference between the two words.

Justin is twenty-five years old and has been fighting professionally for two years after three years as an undefeated amateur. Both wiry and muscular Justin weighs in at one-hundred & sixty eight lbs. and stands five feet ten and one half inches, he just looks like he knows how to fight. He fights at 155 lbs, and has a few pounds he will easily drop through his grueling training regime. Anyone who’s worked out with Justin or watched him workout knows his athleticism is off the charts; one of my favorites is to watch him work on his tornado kicks. He starts out some thirty feet from the speed bag, rushes in and pulls off a 360 degree spin, before kicking the speed bag (usually a minimum of a foot above his head) with exploding force, and before long Trevor Wittman (T). will need to buy a new speed bag. Seeing him perform a couple of these tornado kicks will tell you all you need to know about Justin’s athletic ability. He promises to use one of these tornado kicks in the ring someday.

Justin grew up in rural Arizona, close to the New Mexico state line and just north of Mexico. Justin talks with fondness about being raised by his Grandmother, who spoke only Spanish. Justin is extremely proud of his Hispanic heritage, something a lot of people don’t know about him. He feels his Hispanic heritage and upbringing has been a huge advantage for him both inside the ring and outside it. Gaithje is a German name and Justin is equally proud of his German genealogy. Justin is also very close to his twin brother Marcus, who serves as third in his corner. His home was mountainous, different from Colorado but every bit as beautiful.

Justin has been fighting since he was four years old and has always known he would end up inside the ring. He has an amazing twenty-one years of fighting experience and feels confident that no one he ever faces will have more experience than he’s had. Justin reached the state finals four times in four years of high school, twice winning first place and twice taking second. While in College, Justin set a record at UNC by being the first All-American in school history, this record will stand forever. Justin humbly downplays the record saying UNC wasn’t always a division one school but regardless, he was the first All-American at a school that produced Tampa wide out, Vincent Jackson. An accolade that can never be broken and none-the-less one he can be proud of.
I was able to sit down and talk with Justin last week and this is what he had to say.

Mk-Justin, your last fight in Florida was a pleasure to watch, you totally annihilated your opponent so there were a lot of positives for you. You also displayed a spinning crab like move on a couple kicks that seemed to wow everyone, congratulations.

JG-Thanks, that was a fun one for me, he was a tough matchup as well as having a tough guy reputation, and I enjoy fighting those hardnosed types. That move you are talking about is one I just learned from T. and was one I totally adlibbed, it’s called the spinning elbow.

Mk-So Justin, after an exciting and highly successful wrestling career, when did you learn Martial Arts and kickboxing?

JG-Later in my college career one of our coaches brought in a bunch of MMA guys to work out with the UNC wrestlers and that’s where it all started for me, it’s also the natural progression of things since there is no Pro wrestling after college, MMA or boxing are your only choices other than the Olympics, so I sort of knew I’d be going that way.

Mk-What did you study at UNC?

JG-I took Criminal Justice for two years before realizing I didn’t want to prosecute or persecute people for something I may have done myself, and maybe ten times over. After two years I switched to Human services which is more along the lines of rehabilitation, I’d like to help people, particularly at risk young people.

Mk-How did you find Grudge gym?

JG-Grudge was recommended to me by one of my old coaches. I was so impressed by T., Jake Ramos and all the positivity, that I have been here ever since and I will stay with T., Jake, and Grudge gym for the duration of my career. We are a perfect match; I know those guys give me 100%, so I have to give the same back to them. My first two fights I hadn’t even trained or anything, I relied solely on my wrestling skills and experience and was fortunate to have won them both. After that I got with T. and he’s been my coach since that first day.

JG- T. and Jake compliment and work well with each other. Both are extremely positive people and both are really good at pushing me. I am just like everyone else and can get lazy at times but these guys push me at just the right time and in just the right way. I always try my hardest to give my coaches 100%, I try to give them my undivided attention and hope they know and appreciate my devotion. I know those guys have had to be consumed with fight training like I am consumed by fighting. If you really want to be the best at something it will have to consume you, and that
is what it takes to reach the top.

Mk-How do they match up with your College coaches?

JG-It’s not really possible to compare the two. In college, your coach is more like your boss. With T. it’s more like family, T. obviously has his own family but he really does treat his fighters like they are part of his family so you just can’t compare the two. When you are on scholarship at a division one school it’s more of an employer employee relationship and is so different you just can’t compare them.

Mk-In my time here I have heard several fighters, coaches, ex fighters, pros and amateurs alike say that Trevor Wittman is one of the top five, or three, or even top two trainers in the world, meaning he’s right up there with Freddie Roach. Agree or disagree?

JG-Oh I agree! He’s right up there with the top two or three most definitely. He gets a little more out of me than I thought I had, I always want to please him, and he has so much knowledge. He has trained so many great fighters and has learned from each one so that he has this vast reservoir of knowledge to draw on, no matter what situation comes up. Both T. and Jake are super positive people and their positivity can’t help but wear off on whoever’s around them. It’s really contagious.

Mk-I was surprised to hear how many fighters were victims of bullying at one point in their lives, were you ever bullied?

JG-I can’t say I was bullied, I may have been a little bit of a bully at times but it was more like punching your buddies in the shoulder, stuff like that. If I didn’t clown around with you, we weren’t likely friends.

Mk-T. and I have talked about this quite often and his theory is that it’s all about attitude, looking people in the eye when you talk to them, stance, little things like that. He said he’s never known of one of his fighters ever being in a street fight and gives credit to attitude.

JG-Exactly, bullies don’t want a challenge.

Mk-Yes, bullies want the easy victory and will sniff out the weaker ones or the ones who lack self-confidence.

JG-Believe me, I want them to pick on me instead of the weak, I wish they’d pick on me but they don’t. I am sure T. is right about street fighting, I know I have never been in a street fight.

Mk-Can you tell us about your workouts and what your work week is like?

JG-Sure, I workout six days a week, heavy sparring on Tuesdays, technical sparring on Thursdays, we have a technical Martial Arts class Monday through Friday as well. It comes out to about 2-2&1/2hrs. a day, six days a week. If I am having a super intense workout I may just go two hours but usually it’s closer to three hours. This doesn’t count my roadwork and for my January 18th fight with Luis Gonzalez I’ve been putting in a lot of roadwork to get my legs stronger. This one will be a five rounder and that’s a very long time. We all know the legs are the first to go, so I am working extremely hard on building my legs.

Mk-Is Sunday a day of rest for you?

JG-Not exactly, T. has been taking me on runs to Red Rocks and Mother Cabrini Shrine on Sunday mornings as well as two weekday runs for a total of three a week. I’m feeling great and am confident that as long as I’m healthy and 100% physically and mentally there won’t be anything to worry about come January 18th.

Mk-As we age we begin to realize the importance of a healthy diet and proper nutrition, do you have a nutritionist on your team?

JG-No I don’t have a nutritionist per se but I work with a firm out of Longmont Colorado called Max Muscle and they give me easy to read dietary lists that tell me how many meals I need and what to eat for carbs and protein. They also give me a variety of supplements. I didn’t always eat healthy but I am pretty good about it now. I eat a lot of fish, steaks, and chicken and healthy foods. I have a little processor that lets me juice my fruits though I haven’t juiced my vegetables yet, just fruits.

Mk-I don’t know if you remember this, but a few months ago I talked with you about scouting opponents and how important it was to learn all you can about an opponent and maybe alter a game plan based on an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Your response surprised me, you said one needed to be careful with that or you could lose from worrying and adjusting too much, or changing styles by getting away from your own strengths. Do you remember that conversation?

JG-Yes, my game plan is the same for every fight, attack, overwhelm, and win. Truthfully it’s all about not losing for me. I like to know if my opponent is a righty or a lefty what pace he will set and that’s about it. I feel it is more important to fight to your strengths and not their weaknesses. I’ve had this same game plan since I was four years old and am going to stick with it.

Mk-I have heard many coaches say after a fighter lost a fight that this guy or that guy needed to lose a fight for a myriad of reasons. So he won’t fear losing so much, he’s too cocky, he doesn’t work as hard as he used to, etc. etc. How can you learn these valuable lessons when you’re an undefeated fighter, both as an amateur (7-0) and as a Pro (10-0)?

JG-Mark, I have lost some 60 to 70 fights in my career. I’ve been fighting for 21 years and have had that lesson painfully driven home too many times and it is the absolute worst. Losing is dismal; I had to admit the other guy was better than me on that day, in that place. I suffered through some really difficult times when I doubted my abilities and I did it some 60-70 different occasions. The guys who need to learn from losing are guys who haven’t lost yet. Trust me, I have learned that lesson well.

JG-When you play team sports it’s very different when you lose. You might have played well and your team lost, you might say this guy or that guy blew a layup or whatever. When you lose a fight it’s on you and you alone. You have to face the defeat and suffer through that pain on your own and it is the toughest part of fighting. When you win it feels great but even then you know how important and how much credit your corner and coaches deserve. It is always a team victory but the defeat feels like it’s yours and yours alone and losing is terrible but it can be a motivator.

Mk-Where do you see yourself after your fighting career is over?
JG-I want to use whatever fame and credibility I have from being an MMA fighter to reach at risk kids. I want to use my college degree as well but I know how kids look up to fighters, in fact I have already been able to help a couple of them and it really felt good to me. That’s the plan, the better my career is the more kids I can reach. That is a huge motivational factor for me, helping kids.

Mk-Will MMA or fighting be a part of your future?

JG-No, other than improving my chances of reaching at risk kids I’m not looking to be a coach or anything like that. I want to help kids, particularly troubled ones and that is my dream after my fighting career ends. My education will enable me to come up with my own way or program but my fighting fame is what I think will help me reach out to them.

Spending forty minutes listening to Justin was an enlightening as well as a humbling experience for me. Justin is mature beyond his years yet still has enough little kid in him to be a real joy to hang around. Justin has numerous friends and admirers from Grudge and many other places and is popular among his fellow fighters. He can be both playful and deadly serious. He will outwork the most diligent and is extremely grounded when it comes to his future and present life plan. He spreads credit among his team, reminiscent of a humble Manny Perez. I hope everyone reading remembers to mark the calendar for January 18th, Hollywood Florida and the World Series of Fighting MMA Title Fight, undefeated Justin Gaithje vs. Luis Gonzalez. Also Justin’s fight wear and T shirts are available at Grudge gym gift shop at 59th and Sheridan, or through www.grudgewear.com on line, remember purchasing these products shows your support of Justin and Grudge and let’s your friends know who you are rooting for. As always write me with any questions or comments, ringwrap56@gmail.com. Mark D. Kilburn