HONOLULU – Justin Gonzales comes into Bellator 279 with a sour taste in his mouth, but one he’s ready to wash out as soon as possible.
For the first time in his professional career, Gonzales (12-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) enters a fight coming off a loss, a unanimous decision defeat to Aaron Pico at Bellator 271 in November. Defeat stung.
“I took that loss pretty personal,” Gonzales told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference. “It was the first one of my career. Obviously, I take it personal. I didn’t like it. I hate losing. It doesn’t matter if it’s chess. It’s doesn’t matter if it’s cards. It doesn’t matter if it’s a race. It doesn’t matter if it’s a fight. I hate that sh*t. I hate losing.”
At Bellator 279, Gonzales has a chance to restart his momentum when he fights King (11-4 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) in lightweight prelim bout. While a loss is a loss, Gonzales thinks he accurately identified and adjusted the necessary fixes.
“I took it personal, took some time, reanalyzed some things, focused on some things, and we weren’t too far off. I’m better than ever. (I’ve) evolved, grown, ready to handle some business.”
Gonzales, a former LFA champion, now has a chance to further put the loss behind him when he fights former UFC fighter Kai Kamaka (9-4-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), a home-state fighter, on the Bellator 279 prelims.
“If I’ve got to beat this dude up on the feet, then so be it. I’ll beat him up on the feet. If I’ve got to wrestle him (or) break him down, then that’s what’s going to happen. Kai is tough. He’s a gamer. He’s going to bring the fight. I know that. Especially being here in Hawaii, he wants to put on a show. But in my eyes, I’m just all-around better than him – so I’m going to f*ck him up.”
Bellator 279 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Center with the main card airing on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
