By Jonathan King The Clinch Report
Video By: Bob Fisher and Alex Linares
Manny Gamburyan burst on the scene as a contestant on the ultimate fighter early in the genesis of that reality incarnation. At first he was known for his grappling, being the cousin of Karo Parisyan, Gamburyan possessed a slick judo game but his striking was always an issue. However at only 5’5 inches tall, the vertically challenged Gamburyan was constantly at a size disadvantage, and usually ended up losing most of his power as he reached for his opponents. His punches landing past their peak power.
Still he was able to maintain a pretty good record, and eventually when the UFC began to take on the lighter weight classes, Gamburyan began to test the waters. At 145 lbs, Gamburyan made it all the way to the number 1 contender spot, earning a shot against WEC champion Jose Aldo, when he was ale to knock out divisional stalwart Mike Brown. Since that win Gamburyan has gone 2-4 with 1 no contest.
After Gamburyan lost a 3 round decision to Nick Lentz, dietician guru Mike Dolce joined him in the cage and told him it was time to try 135 lbs. Under Dolce’s guidance Gamburyan rearranged his training and diet in order to drop the weight. Gamburyan is now set to make his mark in a division that is full of young hungry lions frothing for a title shot. Gamburyan’s power and pure judo automatically make him a dangerous opponent for anyone in the division.
For “The Anvel”, the new division is not an excuse to just hang around. In his eyes, this is his last shot at making a legitimate run for a title. It doesn’t matter who or when, Gamburyan is ready. The question remains, is the division?
Manny Gamburyan trains at The Glendale Fighting Club under the watchful eye of head coach Edmond Tarverdyan. Make sure to tune in to the UFC 178 preliminary card to see Manny take on Cody Gibson.
THE CLINCH REPORT 