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GAMBURYAN TOOK THE HARD ROAD
The Daily News of Los Angeles
August 2, 2012 Thursday
VALLEY EDITION
MMA: HOLLYWOOD RESIDENT HAS FACED NOTHING BUT THE BEST IN HIS
THREE-YEAR CAREER IN RUGGED SPORT.
It spans less than three years and reads like a who's-who of
featherweight champions, challengers and contenders.
Leonard Garcia. Mike Brown. Jose Aldo. Tyson Griffin. Diego Nunes.
Not a palooka in the bunch.
And that's the way Manny Gamburyan likes it, even if his past five
fights have come with only two victories.
"Since the day I walked into the UFC, I've never had an easy guy," said
the former lightweight, who has found a more comfortable home in the
UFC's 145-pound featherweight division. "So even dropping to 145, I've
never had an easy fight. ... It's not an easy road, it's a tough road."
Gamburyan's road doesn't get any smoother with his next fight, but
at least it gets somewhat simpler.
The Hollywood resident gets the opportunity of a lifetime Saturday
when he gets to stay local and fight on the UFC on Fox 4 card at
Staples Center.
"It means a lot," Gamburyan said Monday after a training session at
Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood. "I've never fought in L.A.
It's a big opportunity for me, to fight in front of my L.A. fans, my
Armenians. It's gonna be very exciting. I can't wait to fight. Staples
Center ... I guess it doesn't get bigger than this."
Just because it's home doesn't mean Gamburyan (11-7) is getting
any home-cooking in the Octagon. His opponent is the battle-tested
Michihiro Omigawa, a Japanese mixed martial artist who has a
third-degree black belt in judo.
Gamburyan, who trains under Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell with
Team Hayastan in addition to working out at Glendale Fight Club and SK
Golden Boys Wrestling Club in Van Nuys, acknowledges Omigawa (13-11-1)
is a gamer and recognizes his judo pedigree.
One thing though - this isn't judo and no one's sporting a traditional
gi.
"It doesn't matter who's better in gi or without a gi or in judo. This
is an MMA fight," said Gamburyan, himself a second-degree judo black
belt who was a member of the 2000 judo junior world team. "I'm gonna
go out and fight. I'm gonna do my thing, he's gonna do his thing and
we'll see who's gonna get the better of it."
Unfortunately Gamburyan, 31, hasn't got the better of his past three
opponents.
He fought Aldo - the current UFC featherweight champion - for the WEC
title in September 2010 and suffered a second-round knockout. He lost
a majority decision to Griffin 13 months ago at UFC Live 4.
And then came the unanimous-decision loss to Nunes in December at
UFC 141. Gamburyan's reacted with disgust upon hearing the decision.
"I knew I won the fight. I even came back and told my corner I won the
fight," he said, shaking his head at the memory. "When they announced
it 29-28, not even a split, I was like, 'Really?"'
Helping soothe the pain somewhat was his post-fight conversation
with UFC president Dana White: "It was bad but Dana, he came up to me
and goes, 'In my book, you won the fight, you're getting a bonus. So
don't think you lost the fight, you won the fight.'
"That's what matters."
Not making life any easier is UFC 141 - along with other past UFC
cards - being shown in heavy rotation recently among some of the
Fox-owned networks.
Being on TV is a good thing, Gamburyan admits, but after tuning in
two weeks ago to watch his fight with Nunes, he still believes he won.
"His leg kicks basically, I guess, won the fight, but I still don't
agree with that," Gamburyan said. "I rocked him, I took him down,
I controlled it and I walked forward. All he did was step back and
just kick. I guess kicking wins the fights."
Gamburyan received plenty of TV time five years ago during his stint on
"The Ultimate Fighter 5." He advanced to the lightweight final against
Nate Diaz, only to suffer a dislocated shoulder while attempting a
takedown early in the second round, forcing him to tap out.
He recovered and won his first two UFC fights, but losing the next
two forced the 5-foot-5 Gamburyan to reconsider his place among the
larger 155-pounders.
Dropping down to 145 pounds meant sliding over from Zuffa's UFC to
its WEC. At the time, the UFC didn't have a featherweight division. It
has since absorbed the WEC and added bantamweight (135) and flyweight
(125) divisions too.
Gamburyan went 3-0 in less than a year in the WEC before running into
Aldo, but he appears much more comfortable at 145 pounds.
"Now, it's not an easy cut, but not a hard cut. I'm making weight
pretty good," he said. "Pounds away from making weight, less than
week before the fight, it's exciting, it's L.A. It doesn't get better
than this."
Foremost on Gamburyan's mind is beating Omigawa, while others seem
to focus on his losing streak. Few fighters have endured a four-fight
skid and stuck with the UFC.
But he doesn't see it as a do-or-die fight.
"Every fight is do or die in the UFC. Every fight is do or die. Gotta
win out there. If you lose, you're in the losing back end. You win,
you're going a step closer to a title shot," he said. "I'm still young,
I still got a couple years in me. I'm not saying it's a last chance
to go out there go for a belt run. I've still got many years to go."
In addition to the pressure to win, there's the added weight of
performing well in front of family and friends: "I gotta go out there
and leave everything in the cage, especially in front of an L.A.
crowd. I can't get booed."
There's only one thing he can't control.
"It's all over - 'Manny, you got tickets?"' he said. "I'm like,
'I don't sell tickets. Go to Ticketmaster."'
The Daily News of Los Angeles
August 2, 2012 Thursday
VALLEY EDITION
MMA: HOLLYWOOD RESIDENT HAS FACED NOTHING BUT THE BEST IN HIS
THREE-YEAR CAREER IN RUGGED SPORT.
It spans less than three years and reads like a who's-who of
featherweight champions, challengers and contenders.
Leonard Garcia. Mike Brown. Jose Aldo. Tyson Griffin. Diego Nunes.
Not a palooka in the bunch.
And that's the way Manny Gamburyan likes it, even if his past five
fights have come with only two victories.
"Since the day I walked into the UFC, I've never had an easy guy," said
the former lightweight, who has found a more comfortable home in the
UFC's 145-pound featherweight division. "So even dropping to 145, I've
never had an easy fight. ... It's not an easy road, it's a tough road."
Gamburyan's road doesn't get any smoother with his next fight, but
at least it gets somewhat simpler.
The Hollywood resident gets the opportunity of a lifetime Saturday
when he gets to stay local and fight on the UFC on Fox 4 card at
Staples Center.
"It means a lot," Gamburyan said Monday after a training session at
Hayastan MMA Academy in North Hollywood. "I've never fought in L.A.
It's a big opportunity for me, to fight in front of my L.A. fans, my
Armenians. It's gonna be very exciting. I can't wait to fight. Staples
Center ... I guess it doesn't get bigger than this."
Just because it's home doesn't mean Gamburyan (11-7) is getting
any home-cooking in the Octagon. His opponent is the battle-tested
Michihiro Omigawa, a Japanese mixed martial artist who has a
third-degree black belt in judo.
Gamburyan, who trains under Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell with
Team Hayastan in addition to working out at Glendale Fight Club and SK
Golden Boys Wrestling Club in Van Nuys, acknowledges Omigawa (13-11-1)
is a gamer and recognizes his judo pedigree.
One thing though - this isn't judo and no one's sporting a traditional
gi.
"It doesn't matter who's better in gi or without a gi or in judo. This
is an MMA fight," said Gamburyan, himself a second-degree judo black
belt who was a member of the 2000 judo junior world team. "I'm gonna
go out and fight. I'm gonna do my thing, he's gonna do his thing and
we'll see who's gonna get the better of it."
Unfortunately Gamburyan, 31, hasn't got the better of his past three
opponents.
He fought Aldo - the current UFC featherweight champion - for the WEC
title in September 2010 and suffered a second-round knockout. He lost
a majority decision to Griffin 13 months ago at UFC Live 4.
And then came the unanimous-decision loss to Nunes in December at
UFC 141. Gamburyan's reacted with disgust upon hearing the decision.
"I knew I won the fight. I even came back and told my corner I won the
fight," he said, shaking his head at the memory. "When they announced
it 29-28, not even a split, I was like, 'Really?"'
Helping soothe the pain somewhat was his post-fight conversation
with UFC president Dana White: "It was bad but Dana, he came up to me
and goes, 'In my book, you won the fight, you're getting a bonus. So
don't think you lost the fight, you won the fight.'
"That's what matters."
Not making life any easier is UFC 141 - along with other past UFC
cards - being shown in heavy rotation recently among some of the
Fox-owned networks.
Being on TV is a good thing, Gamburyan admits, but after tuning in
two weeks ago to watch his fight with Nunes, he still believes he won.
"His leg kicks basically, I guess, won the fight, but I still don't
agree with that," Gamburyan said. "I rocked him, I took him down,
I controlled it and I walked forward. All he did was step back and
just kick. I guess kicking wins the fights."
Gamburyan received plenty of TV time five years ago during his stint on
"The Ultimate Fighter 5." He advanced to the lightweight final against
Nate Diaz, only to suffer a dislocated shoulder while attempting a
takedown early in the second round, forcing him to tap out.
He recovered and won his first two UFC fights, but losing the next
two forced the 5-foot-5 Gamburyan to reconsider his place among the
larger 155-pounders.
Dropping down to 145 pounds meant sliding over from Zuffa's UFC to
its WEC. At the time, the UFC didn't have a featherweight division. It
has since absorbed the WEC and added bantamweight (135) and flyweight
(125) divisions too.
Gamburyan went 3-0 in less than a year in the WEC before running into
Aldo, but he appears much more comfortable at 145 pounds.
"Now, it's not an easy cut, but not a hard cut. I'm making weight
pretty good," he said. "Pounds away from making weight, less than
week before the fight, it's exciting, it's L.A. It doesn't get better
than this."
Foremost on Gamburyan's mind is beating Omigawa, while others seem
to focus on his losing streak. Few fighters have endured a four-fight
skid and stuck with the UFC.
But he doesn't see it as a do-or-die fight.
"Every fight is do or die in the UFC. Every fight is do or die. Gotta
win out there. If you lose, you're in the losing back end. You win,
you're going a step closer to a title shot," he said. "I'm still young,
I still got a couple years in me. I'm not saying it's a last chance
to go out there go for a belt run. I've still got many years to go."
In addition to the pressure to win, there's the added weight of
performing well in front of family and friends: "I gotta go out there
and leave everything in the cage, especially in front of an L.A.
crowd. I can't get booed."
There's only one thing he can't control.
"It's all over - 'Manny, you got tickets?"' he said. "I'm like,
'I don't sell tickets. Go to Ticketmaster."'