Tommy Gantt spoke to Fighters Only’s Paul Browne about his whirlwind rise from wrestling standout to UFC newcomer, reflecting on his crash-course approach to MMA, the lessons learned along the way, and how inspiration from Daniel Cormier keeps him chasing success despite getting a late start in the sport.
Making Waves on DWCS
Tommy Gantt is figuring things out as he goes.
Gantt (11-0) made waves on the most recent episode of Dana White’s Contender Series with an impressive submission win over Adam Livingston. His dominant performance — capped off by a slick finish — was enough to convince UFC President Dana White to offer the Raleigh native a contract on the spot.
The NCAA All-American wrestler bulldozed his opponent for nearly three minutes before sinking in a guillotine choke, earning the 10th finish of an 11-fight professional career that began just 17 months ago.
Since deciding to pursue a career inside the cage, Gantt has competed a staggering 16 times (between the amateur and professional ranks) in less than two and a half years — a demanding schedule that seems to have paid off as he prepares to make his mark on the sport’s biggest stage.
A Different Path Than Bo Nickal
That path stands in sharp contrast to fellow wrestling standout Bo Nickal (7-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), who fought just twice as an amateur and once as a professional before making his DWCS debut in 2022.
“Bo's one of my really good friends, and I respect how he has done things with his career so far,” Gantt says when asked about comparisons between his situation and Nickal’s. “Obviously, things don't pan out like you want them to all the time, but I think he's had a really good career thus far, and I think he's going to do amazing things going forward.
“But as far as me, I think my mentality is a little different in that respect. My first coach kind of pushed me to get as much experience as I could because he knew this would happen fast and that I'm relatively new to the sport. So he's like, ‘Man, you almost got to take a crash course and just kind of roll with the punches.’”
Learning on the Job
That crash-course approach has come with plenty of lessons inside the cage.
“I remember my third amateur fight in Flex Fights. This dude was just rolling underneath me. He just kept inverting for straight ankle locks, which were legal in the amateurs, but you couldn't strike on the ground, and I had no clue what was going on! And my coach was like, ‘Dude, I was about to throw in the towel because I thought he was going to break your ankle or your leg!’ And I was like, ‘Huh?’
“Now I go back and watch it, and I'm like, ‘Oh, that's crazy!’ I was just letting this dude invert under me. And now I realize there's so much danger in doing that.
“But that's just kind of how it's worked since I began this journey, taking all of these fights. It's just like I'll do something wrong, we'll go address it, I'll be fighting the next week, I'll do something wrong and I will go address it again. So I just kind of really been learning in there, man. I’ve been taking the feedback I've been getting better from it step by step.”
Gantt admits the grind has left him in peak physical form.
“And that was the best shape of my life. And I know I hear guys say that all the time on like interviews and stuff like that, but that was— I truly believe that was the best shape of my life. And I've been through college grinds and pre-seasons and all of that type of stuff, but it was right on par with all of that.”
Racing Against Time
Gantt’s urgency to round out his skill set at such a breakneck pace isn’t just fueled by his relentless work ethic. At 32 years old, time isn’t on his side, and he knows the clock is ticking if he wants to make his mark in the UFC lightweight division.
While many fighters his age might have already given up on the dream of reaching the UFC, Gantt has drawn inspiration from a mentor at the Academy in Gilroy, California — former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier.
“DC” made his UFC debut at 34 years old before going on to become one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of the sport.
“He's a real inspiration for me, because when I first started fighting, I was like, ‘Ah, it's kind of late’ you know, because I was already over 30,” Gantt says when asked about the influence Cormier has had on his career. “And not to say I was negative about it, but I was being real about it. But the things he achieved in his career have made it obvious to me that you can go all the way to the top even if you did start a little later.
“I was like man, you know what? It is what it is. I'm going to control what I control, and that's me working hard and fighting as much as I can and proving to them that I'm ready. And here we are today.”
