Gil Martinez Blog: Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving was great. I had Turducken for the first time. I’m not sure how it’s cooked or anything but it was really good. I probably put on between five to ten pounds. One girl cooked the most amazing pumpkin pie I’ve ever had. All the girls were trying to get the recipe. To be honest I probably had more pieces than I should have.

It’s gotta be a tough time to train for fighters because you have your family around and everyone is looking forward to eating and you’re the only one who can’t have much.

I’m sure Michael Chandler had a great Thanksgiving. I’ve been lucky enough to be around his family and they are all terrific. It’s amazing how much love and support they have for Mike. I’m sure it was great at his house.

Ulysses Gomez is fighting tonight in California at Tachi Palace Fights 11 which you can check out for free online. He’s moving up in weight, going to 135. Most guys move down but he wanted to try and move up and see how he does and he was offered the title fight right away. He was the champion at 125 at one point and he’s really up for this fight. He’s been looking good and we’re ready. His opponent, Cody Gibson, is gonna be tough and he has reach on Ulysses but we got that covered.

Ulysses is a Denver Broncos fan and since I’m an Oakland Raiders fan, we need to get a bet on who wins the division. He actually owes me from the first week of the season when the Raiders won. He still hasn’t paid up. I have to collect.

I’ve been so busy with the holidays and getting Ulysses ready that I still haven’t had a chance to watch UFC 139. It’s definitely on my “to do” list though.

I’m hoping to make it to the TUF 14 Finale this weekend and I would like to see Michael Bisping kinda get his ass kicked. I’ve never really been a fan and even during the show I wasn’t impressed with how he handles himself. Everyone knows that Jason Miller is a character but I’ve met him and have held mitts for him and he’s a great guy. If you get to know you’ll understand that he’s just a fun loving guy who loves life and I wish him the best of luck this weekend.

The World MMA Awards were on Wednesday and Chandler was one of the presenters, which was awesome because I still don’t think he’s gotten enough credit for his victory over Eddie Alvarez who is one of the Top 3-5 lightweights in the world. I’m very excited for Mike because not only do the Bellator fans know who he is but so will the rest of the MMA world. I think it’s great for him.

That’s it for this week. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving yourself. Until next time, as always, make sure to keep up with me on Twitter (@mastermitter).