MMANews Exclusive: Manny Gamburyan Is Ready To Return
Special guest Interviewer Jon Gorajski, with intro by Sid Needelman …
Manny Gamburyan, someone the MMA community has been curious to see again since his last outing in the UFC did not go as planned. On June 23rd of 2007, Manny lost by shoulder injury to Nate Diaz. Not only was it a loss, but it was the finals of the Ultimate Fighter reality series. MMANews.com guest interviewer Jon Gorajski got to speak with Manny as he plans for his comeback bout. His next fight is only weeks away on December 29th at UFC 79 in Las Vegas against Nate Mohr. Here is what he had to say…
MMANews.com: You recently had a name change, before you were “the pitbull”?
Manny Gamburyan: Well, when I was rolling with Marlon Sims and Brian Geraghty during The Ultimate Fighter, they would ask me “Hey how much you weigh?” I would say “hey I’m here with you man, 155-160.” They called me an “Anvil,” I asked “What’s an Anvil, what’s that?” I never heard of that before. I thought it was a joke but I guess it was a compliment. They kept calling me an Anvil. Andrei Arlovski has the Pitbull name so I just took the name “Anvil.”
MMANews.com: So now you go by the name of …
Manny Gamburyan: … Manvel “The Anvil” Gamburyan!
MMANews.com: How is training going for you right now?
Manny Gamburyan: I do eleven workouts throughout the whole week. I’m working on boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, everything. It doesn’t matter if it's rain or snow, my training is going as planned so I can bring fireworks for my next fight.
MMANews.com: Where are you training?
Manny Gamburyan: Gokor Studio in North Hollywood. Boxing at Main Event in Glendale and wrestling in North Hollywood. Everything is about 15 minutes away from each other.
MMANews.com: How is your shoulder reacting to everything?
Manny Gamburyan: My training is going exactly the way it is suppose to be with hard work-outs. I do what I have to do. I rehab my shoulder every single day. I do everything possible to keep my shoulder better.
MMANews.com: Do you still train with your cousin Karo Parisyan?
Gamburyan fights Mohr at UFC 79 on 12/29 …
Manny Gamburyan: Yeah, of course. Tuesday's and Thursday's, then on Saturday's we have private training, we work on striking and grappling. Fixing the little things. I can’t complain — he helps me out a lot.
MMANews.com: Who is your next opponent?
Manny Gamburyan: I’m fighting Nate Mohr [on] December 29th at UFC 79 in Las Vegas.
MMANews.com: Have you been told yet if you will be on the main card?
Manny Gamburyan: Joe Silva has not told me. He told me there could be changes. Honestly I don’t care, I’m just happy to be fighting. I was told if the fight is good and it’s not on TV, they will put it on TV.
MMANews.com: How was your experience during The Ultimate Fighter reality show?
Manny Gamburyan: A lot of people went to the show because it’s a huge show, but I went to sign up to win the whole thing. I knew it would be the hardest thing in my whole life. I did not go on to be on TV, I went on to win.
MMANews.com: What are your thoughts on your fights?
Manny Gamburyan: In my first fight I chose Noah Thomas because he thought he was the shit, he had the most experience and he started to shove people around. Then I picked Matt Wiman because I did not like his attitude, though I will say he was tough. That guy is very tough. Then I chose the fight with [Joe] Lauzon because he was the crowd favorite.
MMANews.com: You made it to the finals during The Ultimate Fighter, you lost to Nate Diaz because of your separated shoulder. My question is – has the UFC approached you about a possible rematch?
Manny Gamburyan: Not only do you wanna see it, the whole world wants to see it. I’d rather not talk about it. I’m just gonna work my ass hard and work up to get a rematch. That’s my goal. To see who really should have won The Ultimate Fighter.
MMANews.com: Do you keep in contact with any of the fighters from the show?
Manny Gamburyan: I keep in touch with Cole Miller, Brandon Melendez, Joe Lauzon and Corey Hill.
MMANews.com: What about Nate Diaz?
Manny Gamburyan: No, I don’t think I want to talk to him. I respect him as a fighter. He's a good fighter, hard worker but I don’t wanna talk to him ever in my life. I would like to get to him as soon as possible.
MMANews.com: Are there any fighters you would like to fight after this upcoming fight?
Manny Gamburyan: I would like to eventually fight Sean Sherk because I lost to him when I was 19. It does not matter if he has the belt or not I’d still like to fight him. We went three rounds and they gave him the decision.
MMANews.com: Give me a prediction when you fight Nate Mohr later this month?
Manny Gamburyan: I respect every fighter. If I know you're gonna fight me I know you have a heart. He’s a good striker; he knows what he is doing. He’s a tough kid. I’m looking forward to doing my thing. I’m not gonna fight his game, I’m gonna force him to play mine.
MMANews.com: Any sponsors you want mention?
Manny Gamburyan: Sprawl.
MMANews.com: Ok, thanks for your time. Good luck on your next fight and your bright future with the UFC.
Manny Gamburyan: Thanks Jon and thanks MMANews.com! Talk to you later.
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