But in preparation for Saturday’s Showtime-televised fight with lightweight K.J. Noons (9-2) at “Strikeforce: Houston,” Gurgel (13-6) stayed home.
“I always had to leave to Boston to train in seclusion to get my mind ready for the fight,” said Gurgel, who credits a new business partner for easing his stress.
“(I) could never train where I teach, so I had the curse of developing great fighters and great people, but I couldn’t train there because there were always issues.”
Gurgel, a former Wright State University student, actually owns a network of 13 gyms (the West Chester facility is his flagship). And though the UFC vet’s wins don’t necessarily improve business, he does see a change with his students. Gurgel can show them firsthand how to tackle a pre-fight camp and prep for fight night.
“My goal in life is to reach people and change lives,” he said. “I do it for them because I like to stand behind my name and lead by example. I don’t like hypocrites, and there are a lot out there. But I’m not going to tell people to train a certain way if I’m not going to do it myself.”
This is an especially important fight for Gurgel, who — despite a string of exciting fights — has lost three of his past four bouts. But on Saturday at Houston’s Toyota Center, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and ground specialist meets Noons, a former EliteXC champion who also has a successful boxing career.
Noons predicts their contrast of styles will deliver for fans.
“Put us in the cage, and you are going to get fireworks,” he said. “I have respect for the main event, but we are probably going to steal the show.”
Franklin eyes return
While a broken arm suffered in a June win over Chuck Liddell initially was expected to keep him out of the cage until December, UFC light heavyweight Rich Franklin has pushed back his target return date to early 2011.
But there is some good news for Franklin, who initially was told he may need to go under the knife.
“I’m assuming at this point I won’t need surgery,” Franklin said after throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at a recent Reds-Cardinals game.
Franklin (28-5), a West Chester Twp. resident and former middleweight champ, is 4-2 in his past six fights and inching closer toward a light-heavyweight title shot.
Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, voted best media outlet in the 2008 and 2009 World MMA Awards. For the latest mixed-martial-arts news, go to www.MMAjunkie.com.
About the Author