Former Titan FC bantamweight title challenger Anthony Gutierrez will return to the Titan FC cage on Friday night as he will face Gabriel Solorio, who stepped up on short notice to replace an injured Benny Vinson.
When this fight card was initially announced, some people may have been surprised that Gutierrez was not fighting for the vacant bantamweight title. However, that was not the case for Gutierrez. He kind of figured with the card cancelation in December that he would not be fighting for the title and he was perfectly fine with not fighting for the title.
When it comes to the fighting career of Gutierrez (7-2), everyone is aware of what he has done in the cage. However, most people may not be aware that Gutierrez is also a coach. Every fighter that is a coach will talk about the benefits of being an active fighter and a coach. For Gutierrez, what is the biggest benefit of being an active fighter and coach?
“Coaching makes you so much better and I had always heard people saying that,” Gutierrez told The MMA Report. “But I never really believed it just because I had not experience it. What’s crazy is a couple of things. It forces you — I will be preaching fundamentals and I will preach things that I think fighters should be doing in certain situations. As I am preaching them, you start to think to yourself, ‘dang you need to be doing this yourself.’ It kind of reminds you that you are yelling at this guy to do that, but you have been kind of lackadaisical doing that.”
“It keeps you sharp and keeps you honest because you are constantly trying to help other people get better,” he continued. “It helps you look at yourself as well if you are an active fighter. Also, having a different perspective of showing people moves as opposed to trying them on your own adds a different element. One of the most important benefits is when I am not training, my work time is still on the mat doing other things MMA related. That is the biggest benefit. I never leave the mat.”
While the opponent has changed for Titan FC 37, the goal is still the same. Gutierrez will be looking for another stoppage victory and a win over Solorio could lead to a title shot in the bantamweight division or potentially a call from a bigger promotion. While he is well aware of what is on the line, another motivation for Gutierrez in this fight is the $1,000 finishing bonus that Titan FC offers.
“The stoppage is important for many reasons,” Gutierrez explained. “If you get a devastating stoppage, people can’t deny you of what you want. Whether it’s a title shot or other bigger promotions. Also, with the Titan $1,000 finish bonus is another motivation for a full time fighter. Really, there is three good reasons there why you want to get the finish. On top of that, the quicker you can get in there and the quicker you can get out injury free — the less time you spend in there, less time you can possibly get hurt. It’s good to get in there and get it done and get out. You get the same money no matter what whether you win in a 15 minute fight or whether you win in a 15 second fight. You might as well work for 15 seconds instead of 15 minutes.”