Issue 078

August 2011

Despite Randy’s retirement, life couldn’t get much busier for Xtreme Couture boxing coach Gil Martinez.

Chances are if you haven’t heard of Gil Martinez, you’re familiar with his work. The Mexican-born, California-raised boxer-turned-trainer is responsible for sharpening the pugilistic prowess of countless fighters he has worked with at Xtreme Couture, most notably Gray Maynard, Martin Kampmann, Jay Hieron, John Alessio, Vitor Belfort and, of course, Randy Couture.

That the highly regarded trainer is rarely, if ever, the subject of headlines is no coincidence. “The way I see it is it’s about the fighters and not about me,” he explains simply. “I want them to get the time and the exposure in the media that they deserve.” It’s this humble attitude that led to Martinez helping fighters prepare for fights in the first place.

After compiling an impressive 67-5 amateur record, Martinez’s pro boxing aspirations were KO’d when injuries he sustained from a serious car accident left him unable to compete. Following his recovery, the gym began beckoning Martinez back and he answered the call. “I stepped away from the sport for a while, but when you’re a fighter you’re always going to be a fighter inside and you’re going to miss it. Even though I couldn’t box any more, I started going to the gym again to hit the bag and I was soon asked to help train a few fighters. From there I thought, ‘If I can’t fight, maybe I can help these guys out.’”

Gil began to learn the sport he spent the last 10 years training in from the perspective of the other side of the mitts. Much like he did when he was a kid, tagging along with his cousins to watch them train and spar, Martinez spent countless hours observing, absorbing and asking questions from the older guys at the gym and he was eventually asked to help out with running training camps for fighters. 

After honing his coaching and training skills for a number of years in California, he took his system to Las Vegas where an associate with an interesting proposition soon approached him. “A friend of mine actually asked me to train an MMA fighter who wanted to learn how to box. He asked me if I would work with him. I’ve watched the UFC pretty much since the beginning. I’m a huge fight fan, whether it’s boxing or MMA, so I told him to let me think about it.”

Never one to hastily jump into something he wasn’t fully prepared for – a habit he picked up while training obsessively for a few years before making his amateur debut as a young teen – Gil explains that he wanted to ensure that he knew what he was getting into before committing. “I took about two or three weeks and I got a hold of every UFC tape I could and I started watching them more closely – not as a fan, but as a trainer. I figured that if I could do something to help these guys the way that I trained people that could translate into MMA, then I would do it. 

“You can’t train these guys like you would a boxer. You have to change a few things. I took a little time and I figured that if I changed a few things that I do, I could help the guys. So I called my friend back and said I would do it.“

As time went by, Martinez began training more MMA fighters and less boxers, which led to him being hired at Xtreme Couture in large part due to word of mouth, endorsements he received from some of the fighters he had worked with over the years. Although he didn’t immediately begin working with the man whose name was on the door, the improvements Martinez made to the stand-up skills of guys like Gray Maynard, Mike Pyle and Jay Hieron made it hard for Couture to ignore.

“When they asked me if I would work with him, it was an honor to be asked. I think I was able to help him out with his boxing a little bit. I really wish I could have been there with him 10 years ago because it would have made a huge difference. Unfortunately for me, I came in at the end of his career, but nevertheless it was a pleasure and an honor to work with him. He is not only a great fighter and a great athlete, he’s also a great person. I’m very lucky to be able to call him a friend. He’s one of those people who, when the chips are down, you can count on him. 

“When I heard about it (Couture retiring) I spoke to him a little bit about it, but we didn’t go into too much detail because we were busy with the camp for Machida. But the way that he sounded I felt he really wanted this to be his last fight and was ready to go out. He had been juggling so many different things the past few years along with the fighting that, although he will miss it, he’ll have so many other things that he’s involved with that will keep him busy. I think this time it’s for good and I don’t think he’ll be coming back. I think he will always be involved in MMA. He’s going to remain very involved at the gym with all of the guys there and with whoever else comes along, to help them become better fighters. That’s his passion. We’ll see him around, just not in the cage.”

Even without ‘Captain America’ to train and corner, Martinez, who pretty much has a fighter competing every weekend, has a full plate and he says he wouldn’t have it any other way. “I have so many guys who are great athletes and wonderful people as well. The gym is truly like a huge family. When you get to work with such great fighters and legends like Randy, Vitor Belfort, Ray Sefo, Mike Pyle, Jay Hieron, John Alessio, Gray Maynard – the list just goes on and on – it’s truly a dream come true for me. I love my job. I get up in the morning and I look forward to going to work,” he explains with a smile. “I love what I do. 

“Before I turned this into a full-time career I had other jobs that were very well-paying jobs, but I wasn’t truly happy. Now I can honestly say that I love what I do and it feels good to be able to work with these upcoming guys and to teach them the craft (of boxing) and to help them achieve their goals and their dreams. There are very few people in this world who are able to do what they love to do for a living. When you do what you love to do, it doesn’t get much better than that.”

COUTURE ICON ISSUE: RASHAD EVANS

“I visited with Randy right before I fought Chuck Liddell and I was like a sissy. I was nervous. Randy could see something was wrong, so he was like, ‘You’re nervous because you’re thinking about what’s going to happen to you if you get knocked out. You need to make friends with the worst outcome and understand that if you get knocked out, the sun is still going to shine tomorrow. You’re family’s still going to love you, and your friends are going to love you. You’ll still have the rest of your life’ ”