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Es increible q este tipo aun tenga q trabajar a tiempo completo, q solo entrene 3 dias a la semana y tenga este nivel (y el cuerpo de un tio de 68, segun dice, de lo catigado q esta)
Vancouver's Kultar Gill (Pictures) went into his K-1 Hero's 154 pound tournament quarterfinal rematch against Hideo Tokoro (Pictures) as the decided underdog, no matter that he knocked his Japanese opponent silly the last time they met in 2006.
And just like last time, Gill, or rather his "Black Mamba" persona that the Japanese adore so much, once again stepped out of the ring with the victory.
He weathered an early scare as Tokoro dangerously got a hold of his heel, but escaped and then almost immediately took Tokoro's back. Gill then locked in a tight body triangle, took side control and began dropping down punches and hammer fists until the referee stopped the fight at the 4:07 mark of the first.
The 28-year old told Sherdog.com that although he is primarily known as a striker, his ground skills shouldn't surprise anyone.
"A lot of people don't think I can't wrestle," said Gill. "But I won the BC Provincial wrestling title in high school."
He may have been a wrestling champ in his earlier days but it is the kick-boxing that has put him where he is on the MMA map. It is also what has taxed his body, at times, to the point of debilitation.
"The only thing is that after 14 years of kickboxing, which is so hard on your body, my body's broken down right now and it's hard for me to do submissions in wrestling," commented Gill. "I've been fighting since I was 14-years-old, and I have the body of a 68-year-old. Sometimes I can't train and I can't go to sleep because it hurts too much."
What makes his accomplishments even more noteworthy is that Gill, like many fighters -- but unlike many at this skill level -- still maintains a full time job. His career as a correctional officer, combined with a 4-month-old daughter, only allows him to train three times-per-week.
"So for this fight I worked once-a-week on kickboxing, and twice-a-week on wrestling." He allowed. "My skills are not bad, but Bibiano [Fernandez] just tweaked them a little bit. We knew Tokoro would take me down somehow, or try to, which he did."
Gill confided that he's still not sure what Tokoro did to get him down, but said that he just listened to his corner and they talked him through it, what to do and what not to do.
Amongst a sea of brash and cocky young bucks, Gill still keeps the very respectful demeanor that he's had since a child, refusing to ever gloat over a downed opponent.
"Tokoro's a tough fighter. I beat him twice, but he could have beaten me. I have respect for anybody that fights at this level," said a magnanimous Gill. "You train hard, and two gladiators fight but only one will win. Sure I won, but I could lose again. My head will still be held up in defeat and I'll still be humble in victory."
Not only is he humble, but modest as well, as he attributes all of his success to his coaches and teammates at Vancouver's Revolution Fight Team.
"Without the Revolution Fight Team, who I consider the best fight team in the world, without them I'm nothing," he said.
So the next big night for Kultar is Sep. 17 as he'll conclude the tournament with the three other remaining fighters -- Caol Uno (Pictures), Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, and JZ Calvancanti.
The winners will have to fight twice in one night, and Gill confessed how he'd like to see things go.
"JZ is my friend and I don't want to fight him, but if we fight, we fight. He's a good guy, and I'd rather fight him in the final."
fuente: sherdog
Vancouver's Kultar Gill (Pictures) went into his K-1 Hero's 154 pound tournament quarterfinal rematch against Hideo Tokoro (Pictures) as the decided underdog, no matter that he knocked his Japanese opponent silly the last time they met in 2006.
And just like last time, Gill, or rather his "Black Mamba" persona that the Japanese adore so much, once again stepped out of the ring with the victory.
He weathered an early scare as Tokoro dangerously got a hold of his heel, but escaped and then almost immediately took Tokoro's back. Gill then locked in a tight body triangle, took side control and began dropping down punches and hammer fists until the referee stopped the fight at the 4:07 mark of the first.
The 28-year old told Sherdog.com that although he is primarily known as a striker, his ground skills shouldn't surprise anyone.
"A lot of people don't think I can't wrestle," said Gill. "But I won the BC Provincial wrestling title in high school."
He may have been a wrestling champ in his earlier days but it is the kick-boxing that has put him where he is on the MMA map. It is also what has taxed his body, at times, to the point of debilitation.
"The only thing is that after 14 years of kickboxing, which is so hard on your body, my body's broken down right now and it's hard for me to do submissions in wrestling," commented Gill. "I've been fighting since I was 14-years-old, and I have the body of a 68-year-old. Sometimes I can't train and I can't go to sleep because it hurts too much."
What makes his accomplishments even more noteworthy is that Gill, like many fighters -- but unlike many at this skill level -- still maintains a full time job. His career as a correctional officer, combined with a 4-month-old daughter, only allows him to train three times-per-week.
"So for this fight I worked once-a-week on kickboxing, and twice-a-week on wrestling." He allowed. "My skills are not bad, but Bibiano [Fernandez] just tweaked them a little bit. We knew Tokoro would take me down somehow, or try to, which he did."
Gill confided that he's still not sure what Tokoro did to get him down, but said that he just listened to his corner and they talked him through it, what to do and what not to do.
Amongst a sea of brash and cocky young bucks, Gill still keeps the very respectful demeanor that he's had since a child, refusing to ever gloat over a downed opponent.
"Tokoro's a tough fighter. I beat him twice, but he could have beaten me. I have respect for anybody that fights at this level," said a magnanimous Gill. "You train hard, and two gladiators fight but only one will win. Sure I won, but I could lose again. My head will still be held up in defeat and I'll still be humble in victory."
Not only is he humble, but modest as well, as he attributes all of his success to his coaches and teammates at Vancouver's Revolution Fight Team.
"Without the Revolution Fight Team, who I consider the best fight team in the world, without them I'm nothing," he said.
So the next big night for Kultar is Sep. 17 as he'll conclude the tournament with the three other remaining fighters -- Caol Uno (Pictures), Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, and JZ Calvancanti.
The winners will have to fight twice in one night, and Gill confessed how he'd like to see things go.
"JZ is my friend and I don't want to fight him, but if we fight, we fight. He's a good guy, and I'd rather fight him in the final."
fuente: sherdog
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