Former LFA featherweight champion Justin Gonzales is ready to add another win to his 13-1 record at Bellator 287.
PHOTO COURTESY: Bellator
*This article originally appeared in FanSided after my interview with Justin Gonzales*
On Saturday, Oct. 29, Bellator will head to the Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, Italy, for Bellator 287: Adam Piccolotti vs. Mansour Barnaoui. To open the main card, former Legacy Fighting Alliance featherweight champ and Dana White’s Contender Series alumni Justin Gonzales will face British veteran Andrew Fisher (19-8) to climb the rankings further.
Gonzales, Bellator’s No. 8-ranked featherweight, spoke to me about his preparation for the upcoming bout with Fisher, his aspirations after the fight, and how his degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion works in tandem with his fighter lifestyle.
“We come in the fight and take everybody seriously,” Gonzales said. “There are slight changes in preparing for a certain individual, but for the most part, not much has changed. I’m still doing similar things in my weight room. I’m still doing similar things in the practice room. But overall, we’re guiding things more specifically toward Andrew Fisher so that whenever the time comes, we step in that cage: Hey man, he’s going down.”
Justin Gonzales is prepared to beat Andrew Fisher by any means necessary at Bellator 287 in Milan, Italy
Gonzales’ last fight was against UFC veteran Kai Kamaka III at Bellator 279 in Hawaii, where Gonzales won via decision to advance his record to an impressive 13-1. His only career loss was in Nov. 2021 against No. 4-ranked featherweight Aaron Pico at Bellator 271.
“I try to focus on me. I’m trying to grow as a fighter, learn, and be open-minded in every fight. But, you know, I have the things that I do well, and we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. So the things I do well, we’re just trying to get better at and then branch off on small things that we think [Fisher] does, that can prepare me for him specifically.”
Gonzales attended the University of Northern Colorado on a wrestling scholarship, where he was teammates with former UFC interim champion Justin Gaethje. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from Colorado State University-Pueblo.
“I think [my education] helps me understand more about why I’m doing the things I’m doing and how I can improve it. Ultimately, listening to my body, my nutrition, and things like that … Everybody can go into the gym and push some weight around, but having a reason behind it and doing it a certain way could make it better, especially whenever you’re fighting nagging injuries, overcoming some obstacles, and trying to prepare your body right. So, I think it does help me a lot.”
Gonzales has shown great promise as a featherweight, consistently showing excellent resilience by dragging his opponents to three and five-round distances in nine of his 14 professional fights. At Bellator 287, he plans on getting his 14th win.
“14-1 is not an easy thing to do. I feel like I deserve to get paid. I’m thrilled with Bellator; I don’t imagine them not resigning me. But hey, like I said, money talks. I’m trying to retire early. I’m trying to change some lives and do some cool things. But, ultimately, I want to take on the best. Whenever I’m ready to hang up my gloves, I want to leave a legacy; I want the world to know who I am. And whenever it’s time to hang them up, I want to be able to do that and not be trying to find one more fight, one more fight, which you see some people do. So, I’m being open-minded and waiting for the opportunity. And hey, when that time comes, we’ll handle it.”
Bellator 287: Adam Piccolotti vs. Mansour Barnaoui takes place on Saturday, Oct. 29, live from the Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, Italy.