Chris Gutierrez is honored to be Frankie Edgar’s retirement fight at UFC 281.
Edgar is making the walk to the Octagon for the final time against Gutierrez at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. It’s a big moment for Edgar but is also a big moment for Gutierrez who finally gets the chance to fight a big name he has wanted.
“Yeah, it kind of did (surprise me),” Gutierrez said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “But, just like anything you stay ready and prepared so when opportunities do present themselves it makes it a little easier.”
When the fight was announced, many thought it was a step down in competition for Edgar. As well, they thought it was a way for the UFC to hope the former champ ends his career with a win. If that is the case, Gutierrez is confident he can prove everyone wrong but is looking forward to the scrap.
“That has been my whole life, I’ve been the underdog in everything growing up. I’ve always been the one getting shit on. To me it’s nothing, to me it’s normal, I’ve always been the underdog,” Gutierrez said. “When people say they are giving Frankie an easy fight, cool, we will find out on November 12 if that is really what it is… The fans are going to be in for a good fight.”
Why Chris Gutierrez is so confident heading into the fight is due to the fact he believes he and Frankie Edgar are very similar. However, the big difference is their age and speed which he thinks he will be the difference-maker and could even lead to a stoppage win.
“I think I match up well. I’m younger, more explosive, more dynamic, and got a gas tank on me too,” Gutierrez said. “Wherever the fight goes my job is to be ready and prepared for anything… You never want to hear it could have gone one way or another. I always want to finish the fight, you are fighting top-level opponents who aren’t just going to fall down. To get a stoppage would be phenomenal. I’m always trying to get the finish, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t.”
If Gutierrez does get a stoppage win over Edgar, he knows it would be massive for his career. The hope for Gutierrez is to start fighting the top 10 of the division next time out.
“Listen, whether I win this fight knockout, submission or decision, the point is to win. A win is a win to me. A win over Frankie is just going to keep pushing me to the top,” Gutierrez concluded.