Friday, Jun. 27, 2008

Fighting to Make a Difference

Flower Mound MMA Athlete Loves Teaching People to be Fit

By John English

Contributing Writer

When it comes to physical fitness and competition, Eric Gunn is a jack of all trades.

Making his living as a personal trainer, the former wrestler, bodybuilder and professional power lifter has recently moved into the world of mixed martial arts, where he has amassed a record of 2-1 in sanctioned fights.

The Flower Mound resident trains at Texas Elite MMA in Denton under the tutelage of professional mixed martial artist Kirk Gibson, and said personal training and mixed martial arts play different roles in his life.

"Personal training to me is the most gratifying in the sense that I can make such a bold impact on someone’s lifestyle; that they change their actions, their mentality and their way of life," Gunn said. "Just teaching them the healthy way of living is fulfilling for me. Mixed martial arts is my greatest hobby and something that I thoroughly enjoy, but personal training is what I do to change people’s lives.

"Plus, personal training has more of a shelf life than what I am doing right now with MMA. You look at some of the top fighters in the [Ultimate Fighting Championship], like Chuck Liddell, at 35 years old, he’s kind of reached his shelf life. When it comes down to it, personal training is what I do because I have a passion for it. Mixed martial arts is what I do because I enjoy the challenge and the level of intensity of the sport."

The Flower Mound personal trainer said he would love to one day fight in the UFC if the opportunity presented itself, and his most recent fight took place on May 24 in Wichita Falls in a King of the Cage event, in which he scored a first-round, 30-second victory via rear naked choke.

"I’m just a person who loves a challenge," Gunn said. "I always look for new challenges. I had a friend tell me that I should get into Brazilian Jiu Jitzu because it was a lot like wrestling ... I started coming to Kirk Gibson’s school, and he recommended I start fighting my first year."

Gunn, 26, pointed to such MMA fighters as Jens Pulver, Uriah Faber, Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre, Randy Couture and even Liddell as examples of wrestlers that successfully transitioned to the sport.

"Pretty much all the top guys in MMA right now have a wrestling background," Gunn said. "That’s what sparked my interest in MMA. I thought, 'If I can take a guy to the ground, I can learn submissions.’"

Gunn said he does have a favorite UFC fighter that he sees as being the most complete and well-rounded fighter in the world.

"I would give anything in the world to train for a solid seven days with GSP [Georges St. Pierre] in a training camp and go through the intense training that he goes through, just to see what that’s like," Gunn said. "That’s someone I really look up to in the fitness world."

Gunn said he still enjoys power lifting, but said he has to train much differently for MMA than he used to train, as he now focuses more on lower weights and higher reps than with power lifting. He said he does like to work out with heavy weights when he can.

Gunn still holds a world record for a natural dead lift of 750 pounds, a feat he accomplished at the age of 24.

A devout Christian, Gunn attends The Village Church in Highland Village, and credits his faith for all of his success.

"My faith is the most important thing that empowers me right now," Gunn said. "The talent that God has given to me is the reason I am able to do the things I do. A lot of bad and unfortunate things have happened in my life ... and my faith is my foundation and what has helped me get through difficult times."

A self-proclaimed outdoors enthusiast, Gunn said it takes effective time-management skills to be able to do all that he does, but said he has found ways to prioritize.

"It all comes down to what you are willing to sacrifice," Gunn said. "Sometimes it’s sleep, but sometimes it is certain aspects of a personal life that you choose to entertain. Really, I don’t have many other right now than mixed martial arts and my friends and my family."