By Tom Palmer January 14, 2011
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When I got the assignment to interview Jorge Gurgel, it was pretty tough to hide my enthusiasm. I’ve been a fan of this charismatic Brazilian since he was firing water bottles on “The Ultimate Fighter”. Fighting at a weight class above his natural weight and with a knee being held together with baling wire and strong prayer, Gurgel’s white hot desire to compete was quite evident early on.
In the first couple seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter”, fight picks were determined by physical competitions. After one particularly grueling drill called “scarecrow”, Coach Rich Franklin strategically forfeited the competition to save his fighter for the actual fight which almost sent the hyper-competitive Gurgel into convulsions. Franklin eventually had to call him aside and talk him down off the ledge. In short, Gurgel likes losing the way Cleveland likes LeBron.
With his best friend Franklin getting ready for a fight against the always dangerous Forrest Griffin on Feb. 5th and his own Strikeforce fight coming up March 5th, Gurgel is pulling double duty but he graciously carved out some time for MNL so we could find out what makes him go. We’re pretty confident you’ll like his answers.
MNL: Jorge, what the hell are you doing in Cincinnati?
Gurgel: Oh my…are you serious? If you ask me why I don’t use more jiu-jitsu in my fights next, I’m going to tell you to s- -t in your hand. (Interviewer scratches out next question). I came here as an exchange student and started teaching English and working for a businessman translating but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to follow my dream to become a fighter, which at first my parents didn’t support it. They told me “You’ve got a degree and a job, now you look like a monkey with all those muscles around your neck, what are you doing? You don’t need muscles around your neck.” I told them I got a scholarship here, but it was a huge lie. I just wanted to pursue my dreams of becoming a fighter and opening up a school and teaching.
MNL: Are you a Bengals fan?
Gurgel: No, not at all. I love football but I think the Bengals work ethic as a team is very poor (The Bengals, coming off a playoff appearance last year, finished a disappointing 4-12 this year). The game I love to watch each year no matter what, is the Colts and the Patriots because it’s Peyton Manning head-to-head with Tom Brady and both those guys are such professionals at the top of their game.
MNL: How many scarecrow revolutions were you prepared to do?
Gurgel: As many as it took, as long as it was one more than Joe. My dictionary doesn’t have the word “quit” in it. I don’t care if I had to hang on his back for two days, I was going to beat them.
MNL: Jorge, you’ve been fighting and doing Jiu Jitsu for over half your life. What’s the biggest difference in mixed martial arts from 10 years ago to today?
Gurgel: Well, of course it’s completely different. There are just so many shows going on that even though I make my living in the business, I couldn’t tell you who’s in the next main event for the UFC. I know when my best friends like Marcus Davis, Dustin Hazelett, and Rich are fighting and I know when my fiancee’ Zoila Frausto (current Bellator Fighting Championships women’s 115 lb. world champion) is fighting but other than that I don’t go to forums, I don’t read what people say about me. The first time I got paid to fight it was 50 bucks, before that I fought for free because I just wanted to fight.
Also, everyone thinks they’re a fighter. People are like “Oh, you fight too? My sister’s friend’s boyfriend is a fighter.” The values and principles of what martial arts really mean are being lost. Be a true martial artist, respect the sport but also respect each discipline: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, thai boxing, judo, wrestling, all of them.
People come into my school and say “Ok, I want to sign up and fight” and to me they’re barking up the wrong tree. I’m not just going to throw someone in there. They have to take at least 6 months of thai boxing and be at least a blue belt in BJJ, then I’ll put you in the pro sparring and if you’ve got the heart to survive that after taking a beating and getting bloody, then maybe we’ll consider a fight for you.
MNL: Do you watch “The Ultimate Fighter”?
Gurgel: No, I actually despise that show. They don’t choose who the best fighters are, they choose who the best characters are. You’ve got guys peeing and jerking off in each other’s food, what is that? Where I come from you don’t throw chairs into the wall, that costs money and if my teacher saw me doing these things on tv I would be disgracing and disrespecting his name. That’s not the way I do things. If one of my students acts that way, they won’t step foot in my gym ever again.
MNL: Jorge, who did you look up to and who do you credit for your development in the sport of MMA and Jiu Jitsu?
Gurgel: My teacher in Brazil was Marcus Aurelio and we are still very close. When I moved to the United States I trained in New York with Renzo Gracie. Renzo is still my hero to this day. I’ve never seen that man in a bad mood or not smiling ever. Even when Sakuraba broke his arm the guy is smiling after the fight. I was lucky enough to learn from Marcus when I lived in Brazil and when I moved to the United States I was blessed to learn from guys like Renzo, Saulo Ribeiro, Rodrigo Gracie, and Relson Gracie. I credit all these guys not just for showing me Jiu Jitsu but teaching me about life also.
MNL: Are all fighters born or can they be made also?
Gurgel: Good question. An MMA fighter can be made but the mentality of a true warrior cannot be created. A guy can make a living as a fighter if he’s a good athlete, has good power, but the true warrior spirit cannot be taught. You’re either born with it or you’re not.
MNL: How good does it feel to go back to Brazil and have strangers come up and tell you how big a fan they are of you?
Gurgel: It’s great. I mean, there’s no better feeling in this world than being appreciated for doing your job. My dad tells me that people come up to him and ask “Are you Jorge Gurgel’s dad? We’re huge fans of his!” That’s better than money, better than sex. I just can’t describe it how good it feels to be appreciated. I consider myself so fortunate to be able to live my dream.
MNL: Who’s going to win the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament?
Gurgel: (Laughs) Oh man. I think Fedor is going to take it, that dude is just incredible. I know he just lost but everyone has to lose at some point and Werdum is such a good submission guy. He just got caught.
MNL: Jorge, what’s your favorite movie of all time?
Gurgel: My favorite movie of all time is “The Last of the Mohicans”, my mom and I watched it together when I was young. When the one brother touches the other brother on the shoulder and he knows he’s going to go save the girl without saying a word, my mom turned to me and said “See Jorge, when a family is tight and love each other, there’s no need for words for them to communicate.” I’ll never forget that moment.
MNL: Is there anyone you want to recognize or give a shout out to?
Gurgel: First and foremost, my students. My students have been my family, my support, my friends for the last 12 years. They are my motivation and my drive to get up each morning and seize the day and try as hard as I can possibly try to lead by example. My manager Matt and my fiancee’ also.
One day my body is not going to let me fight anymore and when that time comes, I’m going to start the next chapter of my life which will be creating champions and trust me, I know how to make world champions.
