Chris Gutierrez Is Fighting Free

This isn’t the first time this has happened to Gutierrez. In fact, it also happened during his last fight in August, when he was slated to face Javid Basharat, but when Basharat withdrew due to injury, Gutierrez had to play the waiting game before receiving an opponent. 

Sometimes this is just part of the fight game, and Gutierrez understands that. 

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“I believe this past year, even into the end of last year, I've been really diving into my faith, so that's kind of helped keep me grounded. For scenarios like this, where I could have been super stressed out, I was like, it's all right,” Gutierrez said. “It's all part of it, and you've just got to enjoy it for what it is.”

Gutierrez made his professional debut back in 2013 and made his first walk to the Octagon in November 2018. Throughout that time, he has dealt with many ups and downs, and when he reflects on how he would’ve handled a situation like this over 10 years ago, he is proud of how much he has grown. 

“Man, I would have been a mess back then,” Gutierrez said. “Thinking about it now, I've definitely grown from that kid, but ultimately it has led me to here.”

Back in August, he picked up a unanimous decision win over newcomer Quang Le. Saturday night inside T-Mobile Arena, he looks to make it two in a row as he faces John Castaneda, who was supposed to compete last Saturday inside the APEX, but had his bout canceled. 

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When you get the call with your opponent on Sunday of fight week, there isn’t much time to prep and come up with a game plan, but that isn’t a problem for Gutierrez. 

“You’ve got to work on you,” Gutierrez said. “So ultimately, he's fighting me, and that's how I have to go into this fight. Just be free. Just go in there, not think and just enjoy it. Enjoy it for what it is.”

Castaneda hasn’t competed since June of last year, when he lost a unanimous decision to Daniel Marcos. Prior to that fight, Castaneda was on a two-fight win streak, picking up wins over Muin Gafurov and Kyung Ho Hang. 

Fourteen of his 21 wins have come by way of finish, and Gutierrez is excited to test himself against “Sexi Mexi.” 

“Hispanic fighter, so I got to give respect when respect is due,” Gutierrez said. “He's a strong fighter. I just feel I have the tools to beat him and I'm confident in that.”

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Since his last fight, Gutierrez has been focused on evolving his game and continuing to grow as a mixed martial artist, which includes adding new elements to his game that he didn’t have before. The biggest part of his game that he has had added is the ability to be at peace and being free, which will allow him to fight at his best. 

And after the whirlwind Gutierrez has been through over the last few weeks, picking up a win would just mean more this time around. 

“At this point in our career, every win is big,” Gutierrez said. “To me, I think it's a win for the people that are in my corner and my team, but I think the message is a lot bigger than just me or my team. It represents that you can come from immigrant parents. You can come from a bad start, but it's how you finish. I think that's the message that I'd like to relay, is that with hard work and sacrifice, you can make your dream become a reality.”