Chris Gutierrez has two opponents in mind for Noche UFC in Guadalajara
Chris Gutierrez has two opponents in mind for Noche UFC in Guadalajara
Chris Gutierrez has a name and date in mind for his next UFC fight.
The veteran bantamweight wants to get matched up against Adrian Yanez or Marcus McGhee, who beat his teammate Jonathan Martinez. This callout from Gutierrez (22-5-2 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) comes after defeating John Castaneda in a split decision this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 66 in Kansas City, Mo.
"I'd like to fight next against Adrian Yanez or maybe the guy that last beat Johnny, Marcus McGhee. I'd like one of those," Gutierrez told Hablemos MMA in Spanish.
On top of having two specific names in mind, Gutierrez also has a card and date. He'd like either of those two fights to go down at this year's Noche UFC, the UFC's annual event celebrating Mexican Independence, which is slated for Sept. 13 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
"I would like to fight again in September now that the UFC is going to Guadalajara," Gutierrez said. "I'd like to fight in front of a Hispanic audience, but first I need to recover from my hand. Health is the most important, and that's what I'm focusing on."
Gutierrez suffered a hand injury in the lead-up to UFC Kansas City. He's yet to have a medical diagnosis, but if health permits, Noche UFC is his target. For Gutierrez, who's U.S. born but with Colombian and Guatemalan parents, reconnecting with the Hispanic MMA audience is important. The last time he fought outside of the U.S. was back in 2019 at a UFC Fight Night event in Uruguay.
"I want to show my face in front of a Hispanic crowd," Gutierrez explained. "That blood runs hot, and it's a different energy that us Hispanics bring. I would obviously like to fight in front of that audience, of course. All my recent fights have been in the United States. This last fight was in Kansas City, but the fights before that were at the Apex. Man, the Apex bores so much. It's not what you think. The sport was made to fight in front of an audience. It's a beautiful experience, and I want to do it again, but this time in front of a Hispanic audience."
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