Although he’s ascended quickly up the regional ladder and at a relatively young age, Gunnison didn’t get started in MMA until a little later than a lot of his contemporaries. However, he did already have somewhat of a base prior to MMA training.

“I used to box in the streets with my brothers and stuff,” Gunnison said with a laugh. “I didn’t start training until I was 19-years old. It looks like I’ve been doing this a long time because I’m fairly good at it, but I’ve put in a lot of work in these last few years to get to where I’m at.”

While some parents might be a little hesitant watching their kids mix it up in the streets with boxing gloves on, Gunnison’s mother was nothing but supportive of his martial arts journey.

“She’s just always been so supportive, man,” he said. “She had four kids and was a single mom growing up. Watching her struggle and watching her do everything we need – I want to be able to give back.”

Gunnison knows with a second big title over his shoulder, opportunities like the Contender Series can’t be that far away. Being able to sign a contract with the UFC would help him reach his ultimate goal, which is to pay his mom back for some of that everlasting support.

“The first thing that got me started is that I really want to get my mom a house through this. It’s something that I’m actually pretty good at – I think I’ve shown that a little bit,” Gunnison said. “I do believe that I could do that and I would love to give back to my family through mixed martial arts.”

He’ll look to take that next step Friday as he takes on Zulkarnaiyn Kamchybekov for the CFFC 155lbs title. That fight will serve as the main event and will be aired on UFC Fight Pass.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:04.

The post CFFC 117’s Cedric Gunnison: Looking to Repay with MMA appeared first on Cageside Press.

Cedric Gunnison Interview (2:04)

Kicking off the show this week, we are joined by ROC lightweight champion and CFFC lightweight contender, Cedric Gunnison. Gunnison discusses the opportunity to move over to CFFC after being disrespected with his prior organization. Plus, he tells how he came to the sport from a background of boxing his brothers in the street and how he hopes one day to use martial arts to buy his mother a home.

Combat Countdown: PFL Season Predictions (15:14)

We return with another of our favorite segments, the Combat Countdown. This week, we’re looking at all the divisions in PFL and picking a season winner out of them. Anything can happen in these crazy rundowns, but the guys do their best to pull you out a winner or two. Plus, they chat a little about this weekend’s upcoming PFL 1 event, which includes a banger between Thaigo Santos and Rob Wilkinson.

Ty Flores Interview (23:33)

Next on the docket, we’re joined by PFL light heavyweight Ty Flores. Flores fights at PFL 1 this weekend against Delan Monte. With a loaded light heavyweight roster, some people might be looking ahead to what’s to come. However, Flores has no fears or preferences. Afterall, if you’re used to getting grappled by Curtis Blaydes and Devin Clark, you might not be too worried about what coming up next.

Patrick Brady Interview (34:28)

Closing out the show, we chat with PFL heavyweight, Patrick Brady. Despite being a professional for less than a year and a half, Brady finds himself in the thick of the million dollar PFL season. He discusses what that’s like and how he got into the sport a little later than most. In addition, we also discuss his fight next weekend at PFL 2. He’ll be taking on Michał Andryszak while looking to take his first steps towards life changing money.

The post TTP Ep. 371 with Cedric Gunnison, Ty Flores, and Patrick Brady appeared first on Cageside Press.