Gaethje looks to even score for KO in sparring
Justin Gaethje and Edgewood resident Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone have fought before, but neither for money nor in front of an audience. This time, it’s different. In 2012, Gaethje says, Cerrone knocked him out in a sparring session. The two lightweights (155 pounds) meet for real Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia, in the main event of UFC Fight Night 158.
The sparring session in question reportedly took place in New Mexico. Cerrone trained for years in Albuquerque at JacksonWink but now trains at his own BMF Ranch in the East Mountains.
Gaethje has never been listed as fighting out of Jackson-Wink or any New Mexico gym. But he did train in the past at Grudge Training Center, a Colorado gym operated by Trevor Wittman, a longtime associate of Albuquerque’s Greg Jackson — one half with Mike Winkeljohn of the Jackson-Wink leadership.
Several current and former Jackson-Wink fighters, including UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, are listed online has having spent time at Grudge. Among them: Nate Marquardt, Rashad Evans, Melvin Guillard, Brendan Schaub, Georges St-Pierre and Cerrone.
It makes sense, then, that Gaethje might well have spent some time at Jackson-Wink.
“Yeah, he knocked me out . ... He dropped me in sparring,” Gaethje said in a widely circulated video.
But, he added, that was then and this is now.
“I was a kid then and a man now, and I’m excited to get in there and give him back that one,” Gaethje said.
Cerrone, for his part, considers Gaethje a friend — but has no problem beating up on friend or foe.
“He’s my buddy,” Cerrone told MMA journalist James Lynch. “... He’s my friend, we trained a lot together. Obviously, we’ve grown apart training-wise, and he trains somewhere different ... but it should be fun.”
Gaethje (20-2), at age 30 six years younger than Cerrone (36-12), is a 2-1 betting favorite. Gaethje now trains at Wittman’s Genesis Training Center in Arvada, Colorado.
UFC President Dana White has decided
to reward the winner of his UFC 244 main event on Nov. 2 — Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz — the organization’s first BMF title belt. (If you don’t know what BMF stands for, use your imagination and perhaps your own life experience.)
In so doing, White is coopting the name of Cerrone’s gym. But the New Mexico resident says he has no problem with it.
“That’s cool though, good for them,” Cerrone told reporters Wednesday in Vancouver. “I don’t have any hate or anything silly toward them. Good for them.”
Cerrone has lost to Diaz (by unanimous decision in March 2016) and to Masvidal (by second-round TKO in January 2017).
White decided to award the BMF title belt after a hopedfor UFC 244 main event — a welterweight title fight between champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Colby Covington — fell through.
WATERSON-JEDRZEJCZYK: Albuquerque MMA strawweight Michelle Waterson’s Oct. 12 fight against former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is a UFC title eliminator, Josh Gomez, Waterson’s husband, told the Journal.
Jedrzejczyk said in a recent interview that her contract for the fight states that she’ll get a shot at champion Weili Zhang if she defeats Waterson. Gomez said that, while he could not confirm the language in Waterson’s contract, he and his wife have been told she’ll get a title shot if she beats Jedrzejczyk.
“I’ve never had an issue (with the UFC) as far as once we’ve talked about something, it happens,” he said.
Waterson (17-6) is an early 5-2 underdog against Jedrzejczyk (15-3). Gomez, however, likes Waterson’s chances.
“I think it’s a really good matchup (for Waterson), actually,” said Gomez, a former amateur and professional boxer.
“The more film I see on Joanna, the more confidence I get and the more openings I see for Michelle to be able to exploit.”