A UFC veteran father and Bellator world champion stepmom give Bellator 232’s Lance Gibson Jr. an edge any time he fights.
Uncasville, CT — Lance Gibson Jr. comes from a fighting family — and that’s a good thing. Father Lance fought in the early days of MMA, competing at UFC 24 and 29 after starting his career in the 90s in SuperBrawl. His stepmom, meanwhile, is Julia Budd, Bellator women’s featherweight champion.
You might say Lance Gibson Jr. was born to be a fighter, and you wouldn’t be far off. His father, he claims, began training him when he was two years old. Speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press following his promotional debut win at Bellator 232 (a first-round TKO against Dominic Jones), Gibson was elated.
“It feels fantastic. I was able to go in and secure my victory,” he said, before turning his focus to family. “We’ve got Julia Budd, the four time world champion coming up on January 25 at the Forum. Her job is to go in and beat Cyborg and become the five time world champion.”
“My dad Lance Gibson Sr has taught me since I was two years old,” he continued. “We’ve got a team that’s solid. And it’s going to be back and forth. Julia’s going to go in and retain her title, and then I’m going to go in shortly after that, feel great, and have my next fight as well.”
Bellator likes to book family members side by side when they can. Brothers Tyree and Tyrell Fortune have shared a card. So have father-son duos Hail and Aviv Gozali, and Antonio and A.J. McKee. Asked if he’d consider appearing on Bellator’s L.A. card on January 25, where Budd defends her title against Cris Cyborg, Gibson balked at the idea.
“That is the biggest fight in potentially MMA history. I can’t do that. I’m here to help her out,” Gibson Jr answered. “I’m one of her coaches. She’s got to be ready to go in there and beat Cyborg. That’s what it’s all about.”
Family first. And that family, said Gibson, has “been the greatest examples a young man could ask for. I’m able to go in there and do what I’m capable of in front of the world, and have these two by my side. Honestly, there’s nothing better, really. You’ve got your family in your corner, you know you have an extra edge against your opponent, no matter who it is.”
Watch the full Bellator 232 post-fight press scrum with Lance Gibson Jr. above!
