Amidst everyday priorities, Elite MMA’s John Gorrell looking to put on a winning performance at Legacy Amateur Series 9

HOUSTON, TX, August 17, 2012 – On Saturday, August 25^th Elite MMA’s John Gorrell returns to the cage for the second time this year. He was last seen winning a split decision over Brandon Hanna at Legacy Amateur Series 7, his second win in a row in as many years. Looking to build in that, he’ll now look to score another in what should be his biggest challenge yet in Team Tooke’s Eric Garcia at Legacy Amateur Series 9.

Looking at this matchup in earnest, it pits two talented fighters against each other who for reason or another haven’t had the best of luck these past few years. Despite their talent and hard work, situations including injury to self or others have gotten in the way of both men achieving their fighting potential in the cage.

Based on feedback received from both men, this fight coming up may actually serve to do just that in driving both men to see what they might be capable of when pushed.

It’s an interesting matchup between two capable fighters, and an exciting one fans should not want to miss.

We recently caught up to John Gorrell to talk about the fight and more.

Interview – John “Gorilla” Gorrell

John, tell us a little about who you are outside of fighting.

I’m just your average working stiff. Monday through Friday I put in 10hrs a day at the plant and hit the gym till it closes. Saturday I do my best to catch up on life, but somehow I still end up in the gym for like 6 hours. Somewhere in there I find time to run my business and attend grad school. Sundays are strictly for God, family and football.

How did you get involved in MMA? Did you have any prior experience?

I did a lot of karate and Thai boxing when I was in grade school. I stepped away from it completely when I went off to college. At that time I was just wanted to lift weights and run the yard. I always missed martial arts and started searching for a new Muay Thai school and somehow found myself telling all my friends about how some little Asian guy at Elite MMA just kicked my ass in an intro using some sh-t called Jiu-Jitsu. I was completely hooked after that. (Disclaimer: Hai Nguyen is not a small man, but I was 215lbs at the time.)

How do you think you’ve improved most since you started training at Elite?

My stand-up is definitely my biggest improvement. My very first training partners were Ricardo (Talavera) and Ray (Blodget), which pretty much meant I was defending myself the entire time and sometimes just surviving. Nowadays we have a lot of fighters at various weight classes and someone’s always preparing for a fight, so it makes for a different training environment.

Describe your last fight for us. Who did you fight, how did it go, and what have you been doing since then?

My last fight was with Brandon Hanna, who at the time was on a hot streak with two back to back submission-of-the-night victories. The fight itself is a blur. I do recall gassing 90 seconds into the fight. Fatigue will break the hardest of men, but that wasn’t an option. We went 4-0 that night, two for a championship and it was Eric Williams’s birthday. No pressure right?

Everything that could have gone wrong pretty much did before that fight. I broke my ribs a month before the camp and gained a lot of weight. 2 weeks into camp I injured my shoulder, a week later I injured the other one. On top of that I had some serious personal things going on. Eric tried to pull me out of this fight repeatedly, but hey what do coaches know?

Half ass training camp coupled with a horrible weight cut and you get What you saw. Looking back it was very selfish on my part.

The biggest take-away from that fight is to never fight unprepared. It’s not that serious. There will always be other fights. Also take care of your body. When you’re young you feel invincible but as you get older like me you have to train smart.

How do you feel about this next fight with Eric Garcia on the 25^th?

Honestly, it’s the only time I’ve ever been excited about a particular matchup. I think we’re similar in a lot of ways. He’s well rounded and he fights an intelligent fight. I think we’re going to bring out the best in each other. I think we’re both going to bring our A-game. Too bad it’s not for a title.

Any predictions for this fight?

Victory. The means is irrelevant.

What’s next for you after this fight? Any immediate plans?

Semi-retirement. Fighting is a huge sacrifice and it takes its toll in many areas of your life if you let it. I have a lot on my plate over the next year and this isn’t a sport you take lightly. Just look for a bigger, badder version of me around this time next year.

Do you have any last words before Legacy Amateur Series 9?

All honors to God for waking me up every day and allowing me to do what I love. To those who support me in the good and the bad… I see you and appreciate you. To my coaches and all my 600+ teammates at Elite MMA, I love you and dedicate this victory to you.