Ready to Rebound
By Curtis Clontz on Oct 12, 2008
Jorge Gurgel was one of the most interesting and important parts of the very successful 2nd season of The Ultimate Fighter. He was Ace’s boy on the show, but since then Jorge’s UFC career has been one compared to a roller coaster ride. Overall Jorge is 12-4 with an impressive 9 submission victories and it’s no question that he possesses one of the top Jits games in all of MMA. His career to date can be summed up in his last fight against Cole Miller. Miller is a product of one of the best gyms in the country at the American Top Team camp. Those at ATT are not shy to jits themselves and also have some of the best in the world. The fight between Cole and Jorge was a battle, a battle that Jorge seemed promised to win. With 14 seconds left in the all but sure majority victory Jorge got caught! The up and coming Cole Miller hit one of the best triangles MMA will see this year. A few seconds later the fight was over and Gurgel was left defeated, upset, and in a place he had never been before.He had lost 2 out of his last 3 fights with his lone victory coming over John Halverson. Could this be the end for Jorge Gurgel? Often times throughout his career, he has been mentioned as the guy who can’t win the big fight, or the guy who can’t perform under pressure, similar to an A-Rod of MMA. Since joining the UFC he has a combined record of 3 and 3. All of his wins coming by unanimous decision.
Is it possible that Gurgel is one of those storied athletes that is a monster in the gym but lacks the killer instinct on fight day? We will soon find out for sure because he will step back into the cage at UFC 91. The guy known as Rich Franklin’s training partner will be facing a very game opponent in Aaron Riley. You may not have heard of Riley yet, but he is no spring chicken, he has been around awhile. Riley is 26-10-1, told you he wasn’t new to the game. Out of those wins, 12 came by submission. This IFL and Bodog veteran has a good ground game, but also has solid striking to back it up. This will not be an easy fight for Gurgel, and if he comes into this fight without being in the top mental and physical shape then he will suffer loss number 4 in the UFC.
This fight is the perfect time for a rebound. Call it the Patriots, all but picking up their Super Bowl rings, only to lose to the Giants; Gurgel has to rebound after that depressing loss to Cole Miller. Gurgel has always had the tools that could take him to the top. His standup is at least average and his jits could be top 3 in the division, if not top 2. With all of this at his disposal he should be able to make a run to the other side of the 155 pound division, the side absent of journeyman 155’ers or old guys on their way out the door. His name should be mentioned with the Joe Stevenson’s, Roger Huerta’s, and Clay Guida’s. He may not be on the level of a Ken-Flo, Sherk, or Penn, but it is time for a Jits comeback in MMA. Jorge’s game could be one more on the list of ground guys that starts to make a run using their superb submission skills. As said earlier, if Jorge comes into a fight mentally and physically prepared, he has the tools to win fights. He is better than a .500 fighter. If he loses to Riley he may not get the chance to prove it because it could be his last fight for MMA’s top organization.
