Back in March, former Combate Americas lightweight standout Erick Gonzalez was forced out of a fight with Devonte Smith due to a foot injury.
Speaking to Cageside Press in an exclusive interview recently, “Ghost Pepper” gave a little bit of insight into how the injury transpired. While sparring in the gym, “When I went up for an upkick, my foot went straight into [my opponent’s] teeth and his mouth. He was fine, and it cut the bottom of my foot really, really bad.”
The injury took Gonzalez off his feet for a solid month; even when he initially returned to training, he had a lot of pain. Surprisingly, his training partner was no worse for the wear.
“I was surprised nothing happened to him, but flesh versus teeth, versus the sharp end of the teeth, teeth will win,” noted Gonzalez. “I found out the hard way.”
Now, instead of Smith, Gonzalez (14-6) will return against Terrance McKinney at UFC Vegas 59 early next month. The match-up is one that Gonzalez is quite happy with, and he feels the UFC is testing him in pairing him up with a top prospect, after he debuted against a wily veteran in Jim Miller.
“He’s [McKinney] been on a sick win streak, right before that Drew Dober fight that he took on short notice. He’s got a lot of momentum going his way, he’s a very talented kid, very powerful with his punches,” Gonzalez said of the match-up. “So I think that this fight, the more I’ve watched him fight and the more I’ve studied his fights, it’s more a perfect fight for me.”
It’s not that Gonzalez isn’t worried about his opponent, he added. “I just know what he has to bring and what he offers to the table as far as his striking, as far as his durability, his endurance and all that. It’s all pretty much been the same. If you look at his record, a lot of his fights have been one round fights, or if they go the distance he usually loses.”
Gonzalez, meanwhile, says he knows where he stands, “and I think the UFC is testing me, considering they gave me Jim Miller for my first fight and now they’re giving me this kid. So I think that it’s gonna be a very good night for me, and it’s gonna be a very tough fight for him. But I think the line-up is perfect, it’s a really stylistic, clean match-up. I know a lot of people are probably seeing it one-sided, because in my first fight I got knocked out. And they’ve never seen any of my past fights nor will they, because that’s just how fight fans are unless they’re MMA nerds.”
“To me it doesn’t really bug me, I’m just really excited,” continued Gonzalez. “And I think taking this momentum off this kid is going to be my way of derailing the hype train and starting my own journey here of success.”
Erick Gonzalez faces Terrance McKinney at UFC Vegas 59 on August 6, 2022 at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Watch our full interview with “Ghost Pepper” above.
