|
GILBERT ALDANA
Severe Storm Warning
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges On February 4, 2006, five of the nine fights on UFC 57’s card will be heavyweight bouts, and will include some of the biggest hitters in the game, such as Paul Buentello and Justin Eilers. Now stepping up to the UFC base is heavy-hitter extraordinaire, Gilbert Aldana, whose Rage in the Cage (RITC) record reads like a rampaging, tow-truck driver’s smash report:
April 30, 2004
Round one KO against Herb Garcia (30
seconds)
May 15, 2004
Round one KO against Karl Perkins
(1.55)
September 9, 2004
Round one KO against Tim McMullen (15
seconds)
June 11, 2005
Round one KO against Melville Calabaca
(30 seconds)
September 30, 2005
Round one TKO against Chad Armstrong
(1.00)
Fighting out of the Bravsa Academy in Arizona, Gilbert is coached by RITC promoter Roland Sarria, and fellow Bravsa instructors Ivica Kresovljak, Richard D Jones, and Mark Senior. It was through attending an RITC event that Gilbert decided to take up mixed martial arts. "About two years ago, I went to a local show called Rage in the Cage (RITC) with a couple of my buddies. We were watching the show, and they didn’t believe it when I told them I could beat all the guys up there," says Aldana. "I don’t want to sound too cocky, but the guys in the cage didn’t impress me too much. And ever since, it felt good fighting because I’d played football in college and was in a football league, and everyone always said I should have been doing that kinda fighting a long time ago. I don’t know why they would say that because I was always a good guy. I never got into any trouble," laughs Aldana. For the last six years, Gilbert has been working as a sales manager for the security company Valley Protective Services, which originally consisted of just Gilbert and it’s owners. The business has since grown to being one of the biggest security companies in Arizona, looking after nearly 300 properties and employing around 200 staff. "Everyone around here has always been bugging me to fight. But it’s been hard for me to get serious about fighting, because I make a very good living from my job. Then when UFC came along…That was one of the reasons I got into fighting – to get into UFC. And you can’t pass that up." Footage of Gilbert’s fighting quests can be viewed by visiting Roland Sarria’s site www.rageinthecage.com. For these bouts, Aldana’s fighting style is listed as street fighting, and Gilbert says it was a natural thing for kids to learn to defend themselves at an early age in his neighbourhood. "Well, when I was growing up, I didn’t grow up in one of the nicest areas, so our family was one where you learnt to fight before you learned to read or write. My dad’s always taught us how to protect ourselves. Then I wrestled at high school, so I have the wrestling background."
Gilbert, do you do a lot of weights? "Yeah, but I haven’t touched a weight in probably five weeks now. I’ve put on a good six pounds of muscle from not touching weights. You know what boxing coaches are like: ‘You’ve got to stay away from the weights.’ I’m a believer in them, but the way Roland trains me, we do so much training with medicine balls, pull ups, push ups…I’m getting my strength from there. Some of those workouts are harder than any workout I’ve ever done with weights." Of your five RITC wins, have they been stand-up victories, or have they gone to the ground? "My first four were all standing-up knockouts. My last one, I knocked him to the ground and pounded him until the referee had to stop the fight." What’s your fighting style? "I tend to go right at it and impose myself on them: It’s hard to think when you’re backing up and getting punched." Hobbies? "Actually just spending time with my family. I have two boys: a six-year-old and an eighteen-month-old." How do you feel making your Octagon debut at the biggest UFC in history? "I’m just so happy that I’m on the card, and I’m very, very excited. You know, I’ve seen so many of those heavyweights: They go in there; they get their shot; and they don’t put it all on the table. When I fight, I’m going to leave everything I have in there. "I got interviewed a while ago and it was, ‘Oh, aren’t you nervous?’ People are people – nothing special. They breathe the same air. They’re not robots. So if you hit them enough times, they’re going to fall. I still have that outlook. That’s the way I was taught. No one’s The Terminator, so they’re going to fall."
Do you expect Paul Buentello to want to slug it out with you? "Oh, definitely. That’s why they call him the ‘Head Hunter.’ But yeah, that’s what I expect him to want to do." So it’s unlikely fans will read after the fight that Gilbert or Paul won the bout by leg lock, then? "Exactly. There won’t be any toe locks in this fight." What is your main fighting strategy? "The way I fight, I love to close the distance. And it’s hard to get hurt when you’re two inches from them. But if it’s a boxing thing – that’s what Paul likes to do – I’m not going to stand and box with him. Like I said, I like to close the distance and smother people. "The taller guys, they have the power, but once you take away their reach, they’ve got no power. The last guy I just fought was like 6’7", and once I closed the distance, he had nothing and went down." Do you expect it to be a quick fight? "You never know: He likes to bring it. I like to bring it. I don’t expect it to go three rounds. I don’t expect there to be a decision - I can tell you that. Let the cards unfold from there." All your fights have been quick victories. If this should go a couple of rounds, it won’t be a problem to you stamina-wise, will it? "No. The way I train right now, my trainer breaks me down so bad – physically, he wears my arms out so bad…before I even start sparring. So every time I go on to my sparring sessions, I’m broken down already. I’m working just on heart, and I like that. Two weeks ago, he didn’t do that. He just let me go onto my sparring sessions fresh, and I just felt bad for all my sparring partners. So I’m ready. I’m conditioned." How are you going to win this fight? "I don’t like to do too much talking. I’m just going to go until someone falls." Is there anything you’d like to add? "It’s going to be an exciting fight. I’m excited to be in UFC. Not taking anything away from Paul…I think Paul’s a good fighter. But it’s a good test for me – whether I should be in UFC or not. But I’m sick of training and I’m ready to fight." Your sponsors? "Full Contact Fighter, Valley Protective Services, and LGE building designs."
For more on Gilbert Aldana: www.rageinthecage.com
|
