Gil Martinez Blog: Chandler's Future, UFN 25, and UFC 135

Back again with another round, as it were. As you may have heard by now our camp got some bad news with Eddie Alvarez having to pull out of his title-fight against Michael Chandler at Bellator 54. Mike was completely disappointed, but, as I told him, all it means is it taking a little longer to get the belt.

Bellator is talking about late November for the fight so this gives us an extra month to get prepared, work on some stuff, and perfect some other things. Who knows, it might even be a blessing in disguise. The dates being looked at are November 19 or 26. As long as the fight happens this year that’s what matters. We don’t want to sit out until next year. We want to stay active. We were a few weeks out, he was about to peak, and now we have to pull back so he doesn’t over-train.

If Eddie is out longer, I’d rather have Mike fight again then have him sit around for 6-7 months as long as we still get the title-shot. The more active you are, the better you get.

As far as my thoughts on UFC Fight Night 25, Jason MacDonald has been in the gym a few times and is a very likable person but Alan Belcher was too strong for him. He got on top and punched him out with great ground and pound. Jonathan Brookins is not the best striker so he tried to take the fight to the ground, but Koch showed that he was the better on his feet between the two. He did what he needed to do and kept the fight standing, plus it’s always a plus to have a guy like Duke Roufus in your corner as well. Working with a guy that good is going to get Koch to the next level without a doubt. I thought Court McGee vs. Dongi Yang was a close fight in the first two rounds. Then, in the third, Court got caught and was hurt, but Yang was too tired whereas McGee showed his conditioning. People talk about Court’s fitness because he runs in high altitude based on his camp being in Utah and he showed why last Saturday night. He recovered quickly from being hurt and he finished the fight strong which broke Yang mentally. Jake Ellenberger put together an excellent fight. Is he strong or what? Great job by Mike Dolce too, very possibly the best nutritionist in MMA. Ellenberger came into the fight in great shape and didn’t have to cut much weight either. Dolce has the perfect diet for guys, and to be quite honest I love working with guys who are on the Dolce Diet. Ellenberger’s hands were very fast and in general he looked incredible as evident by the way he took out Jake Shields.

Also, one of our guys was in action too – Evan Dunham. First, I want to congratulate Evan on getting married in a few weeks. Second, I want to congratulate him on winning this past weekend. I don’t work with Evan as his striking coach is Ray Sefo who did a great job for this camp. I see Dunham at the gym every day and watch him spar. It’s clear to me he’s getting better. He’s a tough kid and there’s no doubt he’s going to keep climbing the lightweight ladder.

Looking ahead to this weekend and UFC 135, I think Josh Koscheck is constantly improving. I think he’ll be faster than Matt Hughes who is a little older. Hughes has power and is a great wrestler, but Koscheck is equally good on the mat and has faster hands. Plus, Hughes has been hurt with punches in the past, and for those reasons I think Koscheck will stop him.

In terms of the main event, Quinton Jackson has more experience but Jon Jones is not your typical 24-year old kid. The stuff that he does is not taught – it’s natural talent. I guarantee no trainer tells him to throw those spinning and jumping strikes. He’s so athletic and just fights on instinct. That type of fighter is so hard to beat! You can’t train for something like that, and so I think Jones it going to win this fight. To beat Jones you need someone just as fast as him and someone quick enough to see things coming and counter. However, right now, I don’t see too many out there who can do that.

And I would LOVE to help out “Rampage” with his boxing. It’s good and his hands are “Top 10” in MMA where striking is concerned but he could use work on his footwork, as well as punching when moving forward really and getting some speed in his hands. The power is clearly there though.

That’s it for this week. Stay tuned for future blogs. Remember, on top of reading about my adventures here, you can also find me on Twitter (@mastermitter).