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By Eduardo Alonso 
Darrel Gholar [pictured beating on Johil de Oliveira at IVC 5] has won his share of NHB fights in recent years, one of his accomplishments was winning a WVC eight-man tournament in Brazil, fighting under the traditional NHB rules. In addition to his achievements in the ring, the veteran wrestler has also helped train some of the best fighters in the world -- most recently the Brazilian Top Team. The improvement in those fighters' games has been quite evident, and much of that is due to Gholar's experience and wrestling skills. FCF had the opportunity to catch up with Darrel Gholar just before the last MECA event in Curitiba, and briefly interviewed him to learn a bit more about his views on the game and his role in the BTT's success. Gholar also shared his view on the much awaited, and once again postponed, fight between Vitor Belfort and Tito Ortiz, and he was very honest in voicing his opinion. Learn more about the man behind many of the top Brazilian fighters' recent improvements... FCF: You fought in and won the WVC 13 tournament in Recife, Brazil. How do you compare WVC and MECA? How do you analyze the differences in the organization of both events? DG: The only real big difference that I see, because I have seen a lot of the same fighters here, well not a lot of the same fighters... I think I maybe have seen one of the same fighters here that I saw there [at the WVC], but a lot of the same people are here. But Recife has a beach... FCF: So I see that you like beaches [Laughs]... DG: [Laughs] I mean that's the only big difference, they're both well run. I guess there were a few more names in Recife, but it's pretty much the same. FCF: Yeah, I meant more on the organization side of it... DG: Oh yeah, that's what I was saying, I mean, organization-wise it's pretty much the same. They treated me well while I was there [at the WVC], and I've been here [at MECA] not fighting, but they're treating me well here. The fighters care more about the facilities, and they've been good. Everybody has been fed and stuff. I fought in the WVC and it was good... they paid me on time, and that's the most important thing. FCF: Right now you have been focusing more on training fighters and helping people, teaching them wrestling. Do you ever consider the chance of fighting again in an NHB event? DG: You know, if the money is right, I'll fight; but if it's not, I'll just continue to train fighters. After this I'm going to go back to California, and probably going to start my own team. FCF: When are you going back to California? DG: Right after Vitor Belfort's fight. [The interview was conducted on January 31st, before MECA 6, prior to Tito's injury that prevented him from facing Belfort at UFC 36] FCF: The NHB game nowadays is so complex that people have to learn all aspects of the game. I understand that you have been helping and training some Brazilian Top Team members, including Vitor Belfort -- who is not exactly on the team anymore. Considering all the rivalry between wrestling and BJJ that existed in the past, was it tough for you to take this on? ...Coming to Brazil to teach BJJ fighters the art of wrestling? DG: No, it wasn't tough. I mean, in the beginning I was kind of finding my own way, finding... I've wrestled for 26 years, you can't teach someone wrestling, I don't care if they're from Luta-Livre, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you can't teach them all wrestling in the amount of time that I've been here. But what I had to do is to think about the certain things that they could use in the ring. FCF: Like the fundamentals of the sport? DG: Well, the fundamentals... Some things will work and some things won't work here. So it was like coming up with the things that will work in no holds barred fighting, and taking those and teaching those to the guys every day; those couple of few things. I don't think just any wrestler can come here and teach and train no-holds-barred fighters. I've had over 12 fights, so it's like I have been in the ring before, I have been in the cage. You've got to take that into consideration. In wrestling, if you go out of bounds, they stop it and put you back in. So my thing is to use the ring and the cage to your advantage! What I try to do is basically not so much teach them how to wrestle, but how to control. I don't even call it wrestling; I just call it controlling the fight! Like having more control, more keeping the fight in control. FCF: And with that you help the fighter to use his best abilities in the fight, I mean, even if he's a ground fighter or a stand-up fighter, he can keep the fight where he wants... DG: Right, exactly! That is what I was thinking. That's why I don't think I teach Brazilian guys wrestling, [more like] I teach them control! It's all about controlling that aspect of the game. There's a boxing game, there's a ground game and there's that grappling game. Basically you're on your feet, and you want one of two things; you want to keep staying on your feet so you can punch, or you want to take him down so you can use your jiu-jitsu skills, or take him down so you can punch there. And that's what it is for the most part; it's not so much wrestling. I can't teach that much wrestling in the short amount of time that I have been here. I just teach them how to control that aspect of the game. FCF: By the way, during the interview you mentioned the cage, and you mentioned the ring. Do you see a big difference between fighting in a cage and fighting in a ring? You've fought in both environments and also cornered people that fought in the ring and in the cage. What do you think is the biggest difference between the two? DG: One thing about the ring is that, if you take your opponent down, he has the opportunity to escape. He can get out of the ring if he really wants to. If you let him, he can get out. In the cage, he can't! In the cage I think that the "takedown fighter" -- the fighter that has good takedowns -- has more of an advantage. FCF: In an interview in the November 2001 issue of FCF, you said that you feel Vitor Belfort is one of the most talented fighters you ever trained. How do you analyze Vitor's chances against Tito, and how has his "wrestling" -- or control for instance -- improved during the period of time that you have been training with him? DG: I think Vitor has a slight advantage over Tito. Vitor is a much better boxer, as we all know; he's got quick, fast hands! He's strong and he's young. More so than anything is that, if you look at the Top Team guys, and Vitor -- I mean, all the top guys... like Murilo, Vitor even though he's no longer with the Top Team, Ze Mario, you know, the top guys -- It's so funny like they're smart! And you know they're smart because, all the guys, the second tier guys don't speak English! And the top guys, that I mentioned, all speak fluent English! FCF: It's funny that you mention that, I was going to ask you if the language was some sort of a barrier when you first got here to train them... DG: No, because I was just showing and all you do is imitate! Those guys, like I said, they are good fighters mostly because they're more intelligent beings! When I show them something, they can pick it up! FCF: To fight smart, you've got to be somewhat smart... DG: I mean, those guys are actually geniuses in the game! Vitor Belfort is a very smart and intelligent individual! You say what you want to say about the kid, but he's very intelligent! If you ever talk to him... I mean, he is on every TV show in Brazil -- not so much because he is a good-looking kid, but because he's very smart and outspoken! And people on TV like people like that. He's intelligent, so it's the same way in the fight game. He's not so much a good boxer, wrestler, and jiu-jitsu guy because he's a natural or he's done it all... it's because he's smart! He is an intelligent human being. FCF: Vitor told me that he was looking to unload against Tito and let his fists fly like the Belfort of old. There's so much expectation about the fight that I can't even translate into words. I mean, the NHB fans in the USA are waiting for this fight, the Brazilian fans are waiting for this fight, and maybe the injury that Belfort suffered that forced the fight to be postponed even added more interest for the fight. Since you're a big part of Vitor's training, and you also know all aspects of Tito's game, how do you think this fight will unfold? DG: I think Vitor is going to come out throwing blows, throwing punches. Tito is not going to be able to stand with him, so he is going to try to tie him up, and he's going to find out when he ties up with Vitor that Vitor is a lot better wrestler than he probably is; he is going to find out that Vitor is a lot stronger than he is, and at that point, after that, he's going to find himself on the ground! Then he's got to deal with Vitor's jiu-jitsu. I mean, Vitor is a good athlete, and I just think that right now he is a better boxer than Tito. I have seen Tito wrestle, and he's a better wrestler than Tito... I'll go further and say that he knows how to control the tie up! I think he's a better wrestler and I think he's better on the ground! I know he is better on the ground! I think that what is going to happen is that Vitor is going to force Tito to do something drastic... like go to the ground, and when they get there, he's going to find out that he is really like going to a hammer fight without a hammer! He isn't going to have the tools to deal with Vitor Belfort. FCF: So you believe that Tito is going to face a much tougher fight than he believes he will? DG: Yeah, I think so! I mean, that's my honest opinion! FCF: Thanks a lot Darrel; it was a huge pleasure to interview you! DG: "Obrigado" [Thank you in Portuguese], it was good! |
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