After two straight wins to cap off his 2016, middleweight Gabriel Checco has been sitting on the sidelines for nearly two years waiting to get a fight.
According to Checco, the lack of activity didn’t diminish his desire to fight. If anything, he’s even more pumped now to return to action.
“It’s been almost two years, not because I wanted, but because I had no calls, no options to move forward,” Checco told MMAWeekly.com. “I got the call last year for (Dana White’s) Contender Series, but unfortunately I couldn’t fight for medical issues.
“It was something that really frustrated me, but it just motivates me to come back into the cage.”
Checco has used his time off to his advantage by not only focusing on developing his overall game, but especially paying attention to his stand-up game.
“I’ve been training all the time and never laid off training; just laid off fighting,” said Checco. “I was just getting better in every aspect; not just my Jiu-Jitsu, but my striking and wrestling; I just want to get better every time and be a better fighter.
“I know my weakness is my striking. That’s what I’ve been working on the gym. I’m getting better. My coach is helping with my hands. I have good training partners that not only spar with me, but correct me to make me better.”
Friday night in Vail, Colorado, Checco (10-2) will return to the cage for the first time since 2016 when he faces Ian Heinisch (9-1) in the interim 185-pound championship main event at LFA 39.
This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com
