Mando Gutierrez and Raul both have a 69.0 inch reach
I might take Mando Gutierrez +140
https://mmauk.net/2022/08/26/mando-...ican-versus-mexican-contender-series-matchup/
From YouTube:
"I know exactly who he is, and I know he's tough. He's obviously here for a reason. They didn't give him this opportunity just because of his age, so I'm not underestimating him or his ability whatsoever. I know he's tough. I know he's game, but I truly don't care who it is.
I'd fight a 12 year old in there to get my contract. It don't matter to me. If anything, all this talk and everything, I think that's on him. All that type of stuff falls on him. That's his narrative, not mine. My narrative is I'm going to go out there and get my contract because I've paid my dues, I've done the work, and it's time to collect............... I didn't realize it was going to be as big of a deal as it was. I knew his age from the time I accepted the fight, but I didn't think it was going to get blown way out of proportion like that. I didn't realize so many people were going to talk about it and care about it, but I mean, the more eyeballs on it, the better. I'll gladly spoil the party."
YouTube video subtitles:
all right it is Mando Gutierrez coming to us from his barber shop by the way we'll just go ahead and throw that out there but getting ready for a Dana White's Contender series opportunity man uh just talk to me what the feel is like knowing that you know that's kind of just what's a few weeks away at this point um it feels amazing honestly uh but I'm I'm one of those people that's really big on the power of visualization and manifestation so I think I've lived this moment so many times in my life that I'm almost I feel like this is what's supposed to happen you know so it's just like any other day preparing getting ready if anything just anxious for the day to get here like I just I can't wait to get in there and perform in front of everybody you know it's like it's been a long time coming so I'm ready to bring in some fruition what's what's the preparation like man I mean you say like you've you know kind of thought about getting here you've visualized it but I mean now that it's here do you do you up the intensity do you dial it back to keep yourself healthy I mean like what's the balance um for me my big thing has always been on that's like what I take the most pride in when it comes to my my uh like approach towards fighting is that I got everything I got I got off of hard work so I train every single day like I'm in fight Camp there's no difference ever so nothing ever really changes if anything it's the diet you know the diet's the biggest part for me so I definitely have to cut back the cut back the calories a little bit but other than that everything is the same the preparation is the same I'm just sharpening my sword and getting ready for battle so when the day comes you know the hard work's gonna show and it hasn't failed me yet so it won't it won't that night either I love it man obviously uh last fight in February uh you know some scheduling changes and of course you signed for this opportunity so I guess uh you know is it good that you've had some time away to kind of rest or you wish maybe you would have been a little more active what's what's this year been like for you um honestly I've had uh ever since my fight in February I never really got a break after that I was halfway through fat week and I got a potential call to go up like for a short notice fill in for the UFC so I cut all the weight again cut 22 pounds in 24 hours and just just for them to tell me that they ended up going with somebody else so it was a little false alarm but it's okay I went through a roller coaster emotions that weekend and I was like huh well maybe the call is going to come sometime soon so time to stay ready so then I was right back in the gym didn't take any time off whatsoever you know and started preparing for my next fight and then I had the first injury of my entire career which was a speed bump in its own something I never really dealt with but I didn't really let it sideline me you know I still controlled what I can control and got better at the things that didn't bother my elbow that was injured so I just I still kept getting better instead like you know Finding ways to improve aside from using my elbow and then I hopped right back into this I I was gonna take a original fight against a tough opponent to bounce like not miss a step and just get right back right right back to work and 30 seconds no exaggeration 30 seconds after I announced my fight my my manager the tab pulls up at the top right there saying Raul Rose is September 20th just I hadn't even locked my phone I had just posted it and that's when that happened so that's how I uh down that's hilarious man all right so it's September 20th Raul Rose's Jr we'll talk about his age in a second obviously but a Mexico versus Mexico matchup I mean you got you got the Jersey on right now man you know uh so talk to you I mean I just wonder what you're taking is on it because right on the one hand it's a cool thing right I mean the sport is growing in Mexico and you guys are kind of leading this next generation and so it's cool on the other hand I think back to like the days where like you know the Brazilians didn't want to fight other Brazilians because they didn't want their countrymen to be kind of down or whatever so I don't know I guess there's a a positive way to look at it and negative way to look at it so what's your take on it I don't really think there is a negative way to look at it I mean at the end of the day the sport is only growing it's going to keep growing and it's going to keep getting better if anything it's pretty cool that it's to the point now where you're not just trying to take care of every single you know Foreigner that's trying to make it in so they can work their way up to the UFC you know now it's competitive there's a lot of people out there that are trying to take this spot so I'd rather it be me than him so I'm gonna go out there I'm gonna put some pressure on them and I'm gonna get my contract God willing everything will go as planned but I mean I don't think there is a negative side you know at the end of the day the kid's 17 years old you know he's going to make he's no doubt he's gonna he's Gonna Go Far he's gonna do big things he has a bright future ahead of him but um September 20th is going to be my night everything like I plan for everything to go my way I don't I don't know what he's talking about but I'm gonna go out there and take care of business and get my contract to something that I've worked so hard for for a long time and I think that's just the way it's going to go you know I am proud that it's too uh like a fellow Countryman that I'm going against but at the same time you know business is busy business we got to do what we got to do this doesn't matter if it was here or a regional show it's like it is what it is it wouldn't matter there so it shouldn't matter here we're gonna go out there we're gonna throw down just like Max like all Mexican Warriors do you know with the Heart of a Lion we're gonna go out there we're gonna fight and we're the better man's gonna get his hand raised so you mentioned it you know the age the 17 year old I mean uh the story is leading into it it's already some discussion but I'm sure as we get closer it's going to be all the talk that he's the kid I mean are you are you okay with that do you feel like it's stealing your shine a little bit that he's gonna be getting all the attention or is it like cool let him deal with all the pressure and all that whatever he's gonna have to deal with like what's your take on that absolutely I think uh it's one of those things where like I I I've known who these this guy is for a while because I mean I like training in Vegas at the gym that he trains that so I've heard of him before and I know he's on the scene he fights out a lot of Mexican promotions so I know who he is I know exactly who he is and I know he's tough you know he's obviously here for a reason they didn't give him this opportunity just because of his age so I'm not underestimating him or his ability whatsoever I know I know he's tough I know he's game but I I truly don't care who it is I fight a 12 year old in there to get my contract it don't matter to me you know if anything all this talk and everything I think that's on him that's all that type of stuff falls on him it's it's that's his narrative not mine my narrative is I'm gonna go out there and get my contract because I've paid my dues I've done the work and it's time to collect you know but um going back to the the age thing you know I I didn't realize it was going to be as big of a deal as it was I knew his age from the time I accepted the fight but I didn't think it was going to get blown way out of proportion like that I didn't realize so many people were gonna talk about it care about it but the I mean the more eyeballs on it the better I I'd gladly spoil the party I love it so you know of him did you guys ever get any roles in together uh actually no I think it's just the weird way of the universe working itself out you know I mean somehow whenever I was there I didn't really see him but I knew he was in the scene I know he he trains with a lot of the guys that I typically train with when I'm out there and all my homies out there know him so um yeah I mean he's been in the scene but never seen him personally so it is what it is the first time we get the we get to see what each other's about is in the cage which that's the best way to do it looking forward to it well it should be an exciting fight now here's the funny thing you guys really both known for you know solid grappling games so do you do you go out there and you you fist bump and and sit down and go from there [Laughter] obviously uh with all due respect I feel like that's that's his game plan he's hopefully trying to suck me into a grappling fight but that's that's not my intention whatsoever this is MMA you know I'm I don't mind where the fight go takes place if it's on the feet if it's on if it's on the ground I'm okay wherever I feel like I've I've been doing this longer I feel like I'm more experienced and I'm more well-rounded than he is in my humble opinion and uh I think I just have more tools to win this fight so my job is to go out there and dictate the pace dictate where the fight takes place and do all the right things and try to put on a Flawless performance dominant performance and you know get my contract I know what he's coming with I know what he's good at and I'm no dummy I don't want to be I don't want to be down there any longer than I have to but I feel like he has to worry about my grappling just as much I have great grappling too I'll snatch that knock up quick just like he will so I feel like it's gonna be it's gonna be an entertaining fight you know when two guys share the same expertise I feel like it always makes for the most beautiful fights you know and that's exactly that's exactly what I'm preparing for I'm preparing for three rounds of balls to the wall going crazy hard Pace hard-nosed type of fight I know the kids got got no quit in them I know I know he's tough I know he's young and naive and has never felt a loss so I know he's coming Hungry For the Win obviously so I'm gonna go out there and do everything in my power to make sure that's not the case I want to make I love it man it's a big opportunity you visualize a lot so what happens on September 20th by the way you get the win you get the contract uh does the barber shop remain do you step away from that to focus on the USC career absolutely look at this man I built this from ground up man this has been this has been what I've been doing since I was 12 years old and it's I feel like it's a well-oiled machine if it ain't broke don't fix it you know if it wasn't for this I would have never been fighting in the first place this gave me the financial freedom and then just the time freedom in general to be able to go and Venture off and go to Vegas and train go to Mexico and train take time off of work to go like fight or whatever like if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have been able to do this you know to the level that I've been doing it and I'll always be thankful for it and this this is my first love I've been doing this since I was little like I said I I don't think I could ever not do it if anything's Gonna Change it's going to be the clientele I'm gonna go from cutting up everybody to cutting up a whole lot of UFC fighters is going to be the difference I wouldn't mind being all over the place wherever the UFC takes me to go people's hair out love that I love it hey and listen not for nothing it's a pretty damn cool background for your interviews here man it's like a podcast face or something like that check it look I made that mural right there I made that by myself right there you got hold on right there you got this picture of me cutting up my coach and then right here you got a picture of me where Herb Dean as when I was an amateur right here look at that man see yeah see it's a cool little spot for sure I dig it man I dig it hey you know the USC might travel somewhere around to cut people's hair I mean who doesn't want to get a little trim right before their fight you know exactly that's what I'm saying I think um God willing I go out there and I get my contract I can guarantee you that I'll be the best barber in the entire UFC absolutely I think there's a space that I mean look the women they get their hair braided because obviously they got to get it all pulled back why shouldn't they have somebody around to cut the dudes up right before the fight absolutely and if you haven't seen it you need to look at it because I promise you there's that's it I'm a great fighter but I'm also a great Barber so if you look at my stuff the work speaks for itself check it out Mondo cut it on Instagram you'll see it and you'll see that I mean I love it the time will show the the haircuts will show not one but two UFC contracts coming up you're getting the fight contract and the barber contract man starting on September 20th that's the goal man I need it all of it I love it man we're looking forward to it on paper it looks like to be a fantastic fight and uh man just looking forward to the opportunity and we'll see you on September 20th at the Apex yes sir we'll see you there
