Athletes
Chris Gutierrez: Built On Experience
Bantamweight Chris Gutierrez Faces UFC Newcomer Quang Le On A Week’s Notice At UFC Fight Night: Tybura vs Spivac 2 In Las Vegas, Nevada
It’s been a hectic week for Chris Gutierrez, who just learned this week he’d still be competing at UFC Fight Night: Tybura vs Spivac 2 despite his original opponent, Dana White’s Contender Series alum Javid Basharat, being removed from their bout.
In comes UFC debutant Quang Le, who accepted the highest profile fight of his professional mixed martial arts career on seven days’ notice. The 32-year-old is 8-0 as a pro, is coming off back-to-back first-round finishes this calendar year and was originally slated to compete on the Contender Series in September.
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For Gutierrez, it doesn’t matter who’s stepping into the Octagon to face him as long as he’s still competing this Saturday at UFC APEX.
“You just gotta stay locked in and stay focused,” Gutierrez said. “Ultimately, I train for my sense of peace, too, so I’m going to train whether I have a fight or not. This is what I do, right? This is how we make a living. I wanted to come out and compete.”
What jumps off the page first is the disparity between their levels of experience. Gutierrez has 27 pro fights to his name, including a highlight reel first-round knockout victory over former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
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Gutierrez is most recently coming off a five-round main event against No. 8 ranked Song Yadong in December. While the 33-year-old didn’t walk away with his hand raised, he finished the fight with more significant strikes than Song (87-77) and gained 25 valuable minutes of Octagon time against one of the division’s rising contenders.
While he is undefeated, Le has fought just eight times as a pro, all outside of the UFC.
“He’s 8-0, very young in the sport,” Gutierrez said. “I’m not underestimating him at all, he’s just very inexperienced. I still gotta go out there and do a job.
“My last three or four opponents have been Top 15 guys. I’m 2-2 in that. It’s not like I went up there and got obliterated. He thinks he’s going to come out and get it done in the first round. We’ll see.”
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While Le was going to make this same walk in September for the Contender Series, it’s a different ballgame when you’re on the main card of a UFC Fight Night competing against an established UFC vet who’s right on the outside looking into the bantamweight Top 15.
“We’ll see how he handles his nerves,” Gutierrez said. “He’ll probably come out like a bat out of hell, and that’s fine, I got something for him if he does that. If he wants to come out and try to be technical, we can go that route, too.”
Despite Le’s limited experience, Gutierrez is familiar with his game and what he could bring to the Octagon when they finally square off on Saturday. Gutierrez has teammates who’ve competed on the same card as Le in other promotions, so he’s seen a bit of what Le has to offer, making it slightly easier to prepare for this matchup on such a short turnaround.
“I’ve seen him fight… he’s a fighter, he comes to fight,” Gutierrez said. “He’s got certain things that he’s good at and we’ve prepared for that, and we’ve adjusted for it.
“I believe I’m better everywhere. I’ve been in the UFC a lot longer than he has. That carries some weight to it. I think he’s very inexperienced. That’s not throwing negative blows at him, that’s just the honest truth.”
UFC Fight Night: Tybura vs Spivac 2 took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 10, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
