LA heavyweight Chase Gormley features on the Bellator 162 card in Memphis, Tennessee on October 21st against Bobby Brents, but first the UFC vet tells FO how he’s gunning for the title; besets friends with Emanuel Newton; and misses his job at The Home Depot!
Q. How do you see the fight playing out against Brents?
A. I see Bobby Brents being a tough fight. He is going to try to make a name for himself and come out to fight. I learned my lesson about taking people lightly after the Dan Charles fight. I’m training hard and plan on finishing this fight any way possible.
Q. What are your aspirations in the Bellator cage?
A. If I finish the fight, I want a big name so I can make a run for the belt. After my bad performance in my first fight I have a lot to make up for but I’m ready and willing to fight anyone they give me.
Q. You competed in a Nogi tournament at the end of August. How else do you keep yourself fight ready outside of actual face-punching?
A. I do tournaments like that to stay competition ready. I get too comfortable if I do nothing for too long. Other than that, I just training daily and work on my weaknesses so I’m improving every fight.
Q. So is it true Vladimir Matyushenko talked you into a career in MMA?
A. During the summer time, during college break, I would go into RAW and train wrestling with Vladimir. He always asked why I was wasting my time wrestling. He told me to get into fighting. He always put it in my mind that I should be fighting. My brother was a boxer, my dad was a boxer. He would tell me to get into it while I and the sport were still young. He, Emanuel Newton and Antonio McKee all pushed me into it.
Q. You and Emanuel are real close, correct?
A. Emanuel is literally my best friend. I’m like a hermit, though. He really is my best, best friend. If I go out and do something, anything it’s with Emanuel. We have been friends since my junior year of high school, which was 2000. I remember right after his IFL fight in 2008, when he broke his hand in half after the motorcycle accident. I am the one that picked him up and drove him to the hospital every day for his treatments.
He got staph infection and I help get him through that. Back then he was telling me his life was over, then he gets the break in the IFL. He deserves to be successful. It makes me happy to see him where he is now. Even though he’s onto the God thing and the universe thing. Apparently it’s working so I tell him to do his thing.
In sparring we used to go in there and try to take each other’s heads off. Now, since we had our daughters, we’ve both settled down a bit. We have really mellowed out. He used to be pretty aggressive and he’s really calmed down. We both look more at the mental side of the game now.
Q. You spent time as a personal trainer. What was your most memorable day on the job?
A. I hated that job. I’m not really a people person so I wasn’t great at it. My most memorable moment was when I quit. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to go fight now… so, later!’ The people that work 9-5 have my respect. It takes a lot to get up every day and go to a job you don’t love.
Q. What would you be doing for a living if you weren’t involved in mixed martial arts?
A. I was already doing it. I was working construction and for The Home Depot. It was a cool job. It was 14-hour days and that’s what got me back into fighting. I was like, ‘Oh this is what I have to do for the rest of my life?’ I then did construction on top of that job. Unless you have a degree in something it’s hard to get a decent paying job. It really is. So I figure if I’m ever going to make it in this life I am going to have to fight. I don’t have the skill set to do much else. It’s hard. Fighting is my one avenue and I’m really good at it.
