Comments on: UFC 82: Gurgel Sells Tickets, Still Has Much To Prove as a Fighter

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:26:04 +0000

I believe when a fighter is so entrenched in teaching and coaching he really limits himself and streches himself too thin as a fighter who should be growing and learning new things in his trade, George
should be out there learning from mentors with fresh perspectives and new approaches and training.

By: DrBdan

DrBdan — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:45:36 +0000

#4 John, I agree that he needs to learn to adapt his game plan. The problem as I see it is that he only has one strength (his jiu jitsu) so he doesn’t have much of a plan B to fall back on.

As far as the business side goes, he’s a pretty good draw. Either he pulls off an exciting submission early or he gets beaten up for 15 minutes. I’d rather watch that than 15 minutes of lay’n'pray.

By: Eric Shapiro

Eric Shapiro — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:34:39 +0000

Personally, I’ve never liked Gurgel that much and I don’t really think he can hack it in the UFC long term. However I do agree that he deserves his shot to prove us doubters wrong, since he obviously has enough talent and courage to survive against decent competition. Gurgel may enjoy some further success in the UFC, but ultimately I think we’ll probably find him back in the smaller promotions where he can reign in a more big fish- small pond atmosphere.

By: Vampslayr

Vampslayr — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:54:19 +0000

I thought I read something earlier this year that the UFC was looking at a card in Chicago in 2008. I would hope Arlovski is resigned and on any card they may have there.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:05:53 +0000

Joyce,

UFC isn’t coming soon enough to the windy city. I’ve heard rumors, but they have events planned into March, but nothing in Chicago.

By: Joyce

Joyce — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:44:41 +0000

When is UFC coming to Chicago, IL?

By: Leland Roling

Leland Roling — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:15:33 +0000

His fights interest me alot because he absolutely crushed his early competition much in the same way he went after Alvin Robinson. He goes out there in the first round and tries to overwhelm his opponent with a quick submission. Robinson had the strength to outlast the onslaught and then the bug that has hindered Gurgel in the past came about his endurance and cardio. I think that fight showed a lot about Robinson that most people haven’t seen. Imanari exposed the weakness in being a recklessly aggressive fighter, and I think at times, Gurgel remembers that. It was a fight that I think to the untrained eye looked like a beatdown, but to people paying attention, showed a lot from both fighters.

One of the main things I find with Gurgel in training fighters of bigger size and stature as himself are that his trainings may not aid his own fighters as much as a lenghty ju-jitsu expert. I always found it odd how Franklin continued to train with guys that seemed to be unlike his opponents. It seemed to succeed until Anderson Silva.

I do agree with Scotchy, his heart is big and he can withstand great punishment, but I think Gurgel needs to rethink a gameplan where he doesn’t sustain such debilitating injuries.

As for the questions Eric presented, I think the UFC as a brand is on the rise, but I wish they would move over to promoting MMA as a sport. I do see their business positive out of promoting the UFC brand though. Obviously, they want people seeing MMA as the UFC. Unfortunately for the casual MMA fans who don’t follow MMA religiously or the UFC fan who loves MMA but doesn’t know where else to find MMA, they will miss out on some spectacular stuff.

By: hoppy

hoppy — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:24:00 +0000

I think it would be a good idea for him to go fight in wec,as he may sell tickets for ufc events but it shows they could only put hom against second rate opposition and fans will start to ask more questions,he cannot keep taking major beatings like he did his last two fights,i agree with will

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:03:25 +0000

Good points on the business of UFC. The question remains is are we witnessing the rise of MMA, or the rise of UFC as a brand? Is there a large population that recognizes UFC names because they catch an commerical on Spike, or are people looking at MMA differently?

By: John Balfe

John Balfe — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:00:20 +0000

I agree with a lot of this article. Gurgel is an entertaining guy and has exceptional jiu jitsu. But having said that there are some obvious holes in his game, one of which is his stand-up but more importantly I think he lacks the ability to change a gameplan during a fight and adapt to how it’s progressing. Mentally, he can be his own worst enemy.

I don’t think he’s particularly suited to Mixed Martial Arts, and I actually think he’s in somewhat of a similar situation to Eddie Bravo, who never really competed in mixed martial arts and understands that his limitations who inhibit any aspirations that he may have to succeed in the UFC.

But hey, I hope Gurgel proves me wrong. As I said, I do find him very entertaining.