At the King of Kombat MMA event at the Crockett Center tonight, rising talent Chilo Gonzalez comes into the main event with Phillip Preece as the paper favorite. But the Team Toolshed veteran isn’t counting the San Antonio man out, not least because what he’s looking for is a real challenge. “If I’m not fighting the best,” said Gonzalez, “I’m not proving I’m the best, so what would be the point?”
The former wrestler, with his mix of Jiu Jitsu and Muy Thai, has been on the same card as Preece before, but never fought him. But he was still confident about his chances. “I’m bigger than him, and I have as much experience as him, and my striking style is a lot more aggressive than most people can deal with.”
If the Colorado middleweight sounds confident, he may have grounds. Coming to the card 26-8, he’s gained momentum this year, and acquired a new maturity. “I used to fight with a lot of adrenaline,” he said, “and I’m a lot more patient now.” He put this down in no small part to becoming not just a more rounded fighter, but a more rounded member of the fight community.
Crediting his trainers with calming him down, he now trains fighters himself. “I see the mistakes they’re making, and I can correct them. It really improves your own game. I’d heard that before, but I’d never realized how much it improves it. You have to break down each and every move, because I can’t teach you a move if I don’t know how to do it myself.”
The aggressive streak, and the psychological tactics haven’t disappeared. At the weigh-in, Gonzalez admitted to trying to psyche Preece out a bit. “I’m known as a guy who likes to get into my opponent and get into their head, but he’s just too nice of a guy to do that to, so that broke up that party.” But the confident Gonzalez wasn’t depending on the head games, and looks to make his record 27-8. “It’s another day of the job, man. I’ll be out of there in two or three minutes, talking to the fans. I’m gonna give ’em what they came for.”
This article appears in November 2 • 2007.
