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NW Fightscene Interview with John Gunderson - May 5th, 2009

Interview by Steve "Spaniard" Valentine, photos by Mike Renouard


30 year old Lightweight, John "Guns" Gunderson, takes on Bryan Travers this Friday, May 8th at PFC 13: Validation in Lemoore, California. Steve "Spaniard" Valentine spoke with John earlier in the week about the fight and more...


NW Fightscene: John, you got a fight coming up on Friday against Bryan Travers.

How's your training camp going for this?
Good. It's over with now and now I'm just cutting weight.

 

Is this at 170 or 155?
It's 155. My last fight was at 170, the fight before that was 155.


Are you going to stay at 155 then?
Yeah, I just moved up to 170 at the last second. Fight I took on two weeks notice, I didn't want to cut weight.


You had a year off for surgery right? Tell us about that.
Actually was training for the Ryan Schultz fight and blew my ACL. So I blew the ACL and I fought him. Then two weeks after the fight I went and got surgery.


So you fought while it was torn the whole time?
Yep. Yeah I had no ACL, no MCL, the inner lateral ligament was torn, and so was my meniscus. So actually through that whole fight, even though it went five rounds, I had terrible cardio because I wasn't able to run at all.

So you had surgery, you healed. Your first fight back you fought Alexander Crispim at the PFC. How'd you feel?
I felt a little rusty because I'm one of those guy's who likes to fight a lot, I was always fighting a lot. I wasn't supposed to fight until now so I kind of went against my doctor's wishes. I wanted to get in there and fight. I didn't feel 100 percent but I felt good enough. I feel like he didn't engage the fight. He wasn't really there to fight, he was there to just try to squeak out a win and not really fight. And you know I got the decision. 

Yeah, you won that and got the decision, and then I was shocked to see you had grabbed another win on April 17th over Eric Regan by submission [at Rage in the Cage 125]. Tell us about it because I haven't been able to find the video.
It was just in Arizona. Basically just came out, I put him into a guillotine and he was able to get out of that. And then I kind of just ground & pounded him through the first round. The second round went out and hit him with a big shot... I didn't know I had dropped him... but he fell down, and I just hopped on top and passed the guard and put him in a kimura and finished him. 

So you felt way better at this fight then your first one back?
Yeah, yeah. Exactly, the funny thing leading to that fight, my kids were sick and I was really sick but I wasn't going to pull out of it, but I still felt good enough to fight. But this [upcoming] fight everything is clicking right, there hasn't been anything that's gone wrong.

Tell us what's that like as a fighter, training a long time and then all of sudden a couple days before the fight you get sick. 
Well you just have to push through it. I was really sick, I had like a hundred three temperature. I wasn't feeling good. I was puking. But you know, I just wanted to go out there and fight and I just kind of pushed through it and went out there and got the job done. 

How does that work with the PFC... they're pretty lenient letting you get other fights?

Uh, no. (laughs) They weren't too happy about it but I won so it didn't affect anything. You need to give like a 45 day notice.

So your fight with Travis coming up, tell us a little bit about your game plan?
He's formerly a real big guy, he used to weight about 240. So he' dropped a lot of weight. He's a good wrestler and he likes to stand up a little bit now. I don't think he'll be able to hang with me. I've been feeling really good in the gym with all my training partners. This is the best I've ever felt for any training camp. Kickboxing has really come together really well. You know I'm not even looking to go out there and knock him out. I'm not looking to go out there and settle him. I'm looking to go out there and outwork him, and if something comes then I'll take it. I'm not looking for anything, but if something comes along, I'll take it. I'm definitely going to be the aggressor and I'm going to push the pace, its only a 9 minute fight. I'm going to get to work right away and not let him get into his rhythm. 

So in your mind, what's new for you in the next year and a half. 
I'm looking at Strikeforce so... that's where the talks are right now so hopefully I'm on my way to Strikeforce.


Has the PFC talked about any Championship bouts with you getting in there?
No. Its probably my last fight with the PFC, this one. This one will be.  Yeah, more than likely. They pay really well, they're a great organization, they got great fighters, but I'd just rather fight on TV. That's where you get the notoriety is fighting on TV. You get your face out there and that's where the money is at, fighting on TV and not in the middle of nowhere on the internet. 

You still got those Elvis chops?
Nope, I cut them.


They're gone. What prompted you to get rid of the chops?
I always switch it up.


So what are you rocking now?
Nothing, just regular hair. 

What do you do when you're not fighting?
Well mostly I just spend it with the kids, that's about it. All I do is train and I train people and then I spend it with my kids.

Are you able to train full time and fight full time? How is that for you with having a family and still being real busy with Xtreme Couture and all that?
I just have my work schedule all down. I have everything down scheduled where I'm able to train and luckily the work that I do is that I train... I train other fighters, and I train personal trainers, so it works out well. I'm able to do both. 

Who in your mind that you're working with and training is going to be a guy who's going to come up and just tear everything up?
No one right now. I don't really work with fighters, I work with people mostly looking to get into shape, its a mix of stuff like that. I don't spend my time with fighters. I don't think I ever will to be honest with you. Its just too much work and 
too much ups and downs, and I don't have the patience for it. Fighters are all over the place and fighters ain't got no money. 

 

I know you have a lot of family and friends and the general public here in the NW pulling for you. Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans or sponsors.
No, just to everyone who's helped me out, I say thanks a lot. 

So your fight is being streamed for free Friday
On Sherdog.


Thanks we appreciate the interview.
All right buddy.

 


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