Gardner grapples with new ring experience
By LYNN DEBRUIN
February 13, 2005
Tears were streaming down Rulon Gardner’s cheeks in August as he untied his shoes and placed them at center mat, a symbolic goodbye to an Olympics sport that had brought him fame and respect worldwide.
Little did he realize he would be back competing four months later – this time in a mixed martial arts fight that would test his bravado as much as his brawn.
But instead of tears, there would be only fears as he stood before a record sellout crowd New Year’s Eve at Tokyo.
“It is too late to back out? “Gardner wondered as he stared at Hidehiko Yoshida, a world-class mixed martial arts fighter many predicted would pummel him into submission. “I was scared.”
His panic only increased as he met Yoshida, a 1992 Olympics judo champ and crowd favorite, at center ring.
“I’m like, ‘Are you freakin’ kidding me?’ I turned around thinking, ‘Can I quit now?’ I didn’t want to get hurt, “Gardner admitted.
As even a novice such as Gardner knew, in mixed martial arts, almost anything goes.
Sure, there is no eye-gouging, head-butting, biting or attacks to the groin.
But this would not be Greco-Roman wrestling, where Gardner had pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Olympics history by shocking three-time champion Aleksandr Karelin of Russia in 2000 to win gold.
In this venue, he could be punched and kicked, bloodied and broken.
The thought of hitting someone else also weighed on his massive shoulders.
“I’m a Christian. I believe in God. I had to ask myself if it was OK to hurt my fellow man, “Gardner said.
During six weeks of training last year, Gardner rationalized this, like wrestling, was just another sporting competition, with a controlled environment, rules and officials.
“I’ve never been in a physical altercation, “Gardner said. “I have no desire to beat somebody up, but I wanted to learn self-defense. There was no better way to do that than train for this type of fight.”
In the Saitama Super Arena at Tokyo, his strategy was simple: Stay on his feet and keep Yoshida at bay with his newly developed left jab.
“He pummeled Yoshida with that straight left jab the entire fight, “said Randy Couture, a celebrated mixed martial arts champ who helped train Gardner for the fight. “He has long arms and a lot of power. He controlled the tempo.”
That’s not to say Yoshida didn’t get in a few good shots.
But Couture said Gardner responded as any fighter would.
“He growled at him and tried to club (him) back, “he said.
Growled?
“Until you get hit in the head, it may be a little (hard) to understand why you would growl, “explained Couture, a former Greco-Roman champ.
When the 20-minute fight (three rounds of 10, 5 and 5 minutes) was over, Gardner had pulled off another upset.
“I could have (not fought). But I took it as a challenge to try something new, “said Gardner, who reportedly earned about $200,000 for the fight. “My goal was to go out there and learn about myself.”
Though Gardner’s contract with the Pride organization calls for up to three fights, those who know him were not expecting any more.
“My feeling was, he experienced it, he enjoyed it and liked the notoriety, but he won’t do it again, “said Couture, who believes Gardner took some heat from his family.
Gardner, a newlywed with a home at Cascade, Colo., admitted the violence in the sport is a concern.
“Society has become so sensitive about violence, “said Gardner, who prefers motivational speaking and his new job as broadcaster on Real Pro Wrestling.
“If you look at where we’re at with America nowadays, look at the world we live in, the Persian Gulf, look at the people who are still killing people barbarically . . . “he said.
“I wanted to learn how to defend myself. Now I know how to defend myself.”
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