While a majority of the sports world is on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, fighters across the globe have flocked between Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada over the last two months to compete in the UFC.
Led by the relentless Dana White, the UFC became the first professional sport to return to action in North America.
The UFC has put on a handful of events in the last two months, and Colorado fighters have been well represented throughout the various cards.
Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez is one local fighter who made a name for himself when he secured a first-round TKO victory against Vince Morales back on May 30. He also entered the record books as he became the 10th fighter in UFC history to earn a KO victory via leg kicks.
Chris Gutierrez (@CGutierrezMMA) earns the 11th finish in UFC history stemming from leg kicks. He is the 10th fighter in UFC history to earn such a finish (Edson Barboza has done so twice). #UFCVegas pic.twitter.com/FblYA8OOmi
— UFC News (@UFCNews) May 30, 2020
The fight was El Guapo’s first since undergoing reconstructive knee surgery last fall, and it improved his professional record to 15-3-1.
Gutierrez is a product of Factory X Muay Thai MMA BJJ, which is one of the premier MMA gyms in the world.
Factory X has produced numerous top fighters on recent cards, including Gutierrez, Justin Gaethje and Alistair Overeem.
Gutierrez caught up with Joe Rico and Alex Ramirez of Mile High Sports’ The Final Word radio program to discuss his recent victory, the Colorado MMA scene and more.
“It’s a big market for MMA,” Gutierrez said. “I think the elevation is one of the biggest factors, but also because of our team commodity at Factory X. The team bonding, family bonding that we have amongst each other, amongst coaches and teammates, makes a big difference.”
Listen to the full interview with Gutierrez here, including his thoughts on who he might want to fight next.
Catch The Final Word with Rico and Ramirez every Sunday from 10a-12p on Mile High Sports Radio FM 104.7 | AM 1340 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup. Rico and Ramirez longest-running sports radio duo in Denver market.