But to simply walk away -- barefooted or not -- from something you devoted nearly 15 years of his life to? In the case of Gardner, the notion of full-fledged retirement seems related more to his state of employment than mind. Yes, he's committed to refrain from competitive wrestle, but, as he would soon find out, there were other options for wrestlers.
Seeing guys like Randy Couture and Dan Henderson enjoy success (as well as a nice payday), the wrestling community has come to embrace mixed martial arts as a viable second career. When Henderson approached Gardner about fighting in PRIDE, the two-time Olympic medallist, who says he's never been in a fight in his life, didn't immediately dismiss the idea outright.
"I never really truly thought about [fighting]," said the Greco-Roman wrestler, "but [Henderson] brought up a couple of points that intrigued me about the sport, learning a new style of, I guess, offensive self-defense."
"There have been some wrestlers that have done it but haven't done that well," he continued. "I think if a wrestler really dedicates himself just like in the sport of wrestling, and gives himself the time and effort to learn the techniques and strategies, there's nothing a wrestler can't learn."
On New Years Eve in Tokyo, Japan, Gardner, the best known American wrestler of the past two Olympic games, will come to know exactly what he can or cannot do, as the next chapter of his competitive life begins against fellow gold medallist, Hidehiko Yoshida.
"Anyway you look at it, he's a very good fighter," Gardner said of Yoshida, a veteran of several fights during his short stint in the ring. "You look at him anytime he's done, the first thing he did when he hurt (Don) Frye he got up and asked of he was OK. Because he's concerned and he's a good human being. And that's important. Sportsmen and athletes at this level, you're not here to hurt your opponent. You're here to respect them and take that."
It's that sort of attitude that prompted Gardner's former University of Nebraska and Olympic teammate Matt Lindland to openly question whether "punching somebody in the face fits his personality." By Gardner's own admission, he's never been in a fight. In fact, he remembers when on those occasions growing up one of his friends got into a street feet, he was "scared of them."
"I've never punched anyone before," he said. "You have to actually have some type of anger, some type of motivation to strike an individual who is [in front of you] and doesn't really want to hurt you. If you take it and put it in that perspective you have to be willing to defend yourself, otherwise you may not survive. For me, that's something we've taken really serious."
The question remains: Can Gardner muster the sort of motivation needed to fight another man?
"I question myself," he said. "Religious beliefs and Christianity and all that. You don't want to hurt your fellow man. But sometimes situations come about and this way it's in a controlled environment and if you want to quit, you can quit. But if you think you're physically able to go and compete and defeat your opponent, you continue to fight. And right now, I want to be better than my opponent and I will do whatever it takes to be successful."
To that end, Gardner began preparing for Yoshida in mid-November, training with Henderson and other Team Quest members in California. Judging by his second-to-last training session prior to leaving for Japan, the near-300-pound nimble-footed wrestler is a mighty quick study.
"It's just like wrestling," he said. "You can jump on the wrestling mat and see a million things coming at you, or you can break it down in its components and work one situation, one position at a time. And it's the same thing in this, you have to break the things down to their components."
Surprisingly agile for a man of his size, Gardner's wrestling, obviously, is in a class of its own. But it was his ability to throw a punch that caught the eye of kickboxing trainer Lorenzo Rodriguez, who tutored Gardner for his December 31 bout.
Keep it simple was the mantra. Soon, a crisp right straight followed by a powerful lead hook to the head rendered many a sparring partner wincing in pain. "Now it's fun because I'm actually starting to see openings in my opponents," he said, clearly not speaking on behalf of his training partners.
Generally, it's been the ground game that's capsized the uninitiated wrestler. Get in the guard, give up an arm, tapout. So Gardner worked with Dean Lister, Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture and Henderson to familiarize himself with positions that, in a previous life, hardly meant danger.
What's been the most difficult aspect?
"Fifty-fifty between getting down there and getting used the submissions, getting used to the guard, getting used to those positions, but also the punching," he answered. "To learn every situation and be as well-versed and well-rounded as we can. I think that's going to be one of the keys to being successful."
And then there's that other thing -- actually fighting.
Smartly billed by PRIDE, which signed Gardner to a potential three-fight agreement worth close to $600,000, as a battle of Olympic champions, Gardner vs. Yoshida is the first mixed martial arts bout if its kind. "Having an Olympic athlete out there is very impressive," Gardner said, "and it just lets me know that this guy is not a pushover. He's a very talented athlete."
"I realize we're both Olympic gold medallists," he continued. "But he is now more in depth than just a judo Olympic athlete, a judo Olympic champion. And that's where you make evolution. It's absolutely awesome to think he's been the best in the world, just as I was. To see him at that level and see me at that level, I look at it now as, hey, he was there but now he's even that much better. He's much more wiser, much smarter. I think he's healthy, so his physical ability should be the same or even better because he knows more. So, when I watch the tape it's like, OK, he's good, but now he's even better. And I think that will really push me.
"Hearing Yoshida's credentials really impressed me ... it kind of scared me a little bit because he's such a great athlete who's capable of many different submissions, chokes, offense moves ... but it made me realize that if you're gonna do it, you better do it at 100 percent. Come down and train with the best, be your best and give 100 percent."
PRIDE has made a serious effort to sign Olympic athletes, and people like Henderson appreciate the direction taken by the Japanese promotion.
"I think it's great," Henderson said. "It's a different thing. It kind of gives their organization a little bit more of bringing in the true athletes who have competed in the Olympics that people have seen on the international level and are internationally known for competing at that high level. Kind of like if they brought in an Oscar de la Hoya or somebody who's got a medal in boxing. They're well known in that field. I think it gives them an edge marketing wise. They can appeal to a little bit different crowd that way."
With Gardner, that appears to be exactly what PRIDE has planned. Rumors persist of their first U.S. card sometime in 2005, and Gardner seems a perfect fit to headline such an effort. There's no guarantee that Gardner will fight again, however. A lot more will be known about that after the thirty-first.
"My first and foremost goal is get through Yoshida," Gardner said. "He's the man that stands in front of me. I wouldn't event think about sidestepping looking past him because he'll hit you with a right hook, he'll come around, take you down, tap you out and hurt you."
Two Olympic champions squaring off in the least-encumbered sport in the world ... perhaps Gardner has higher peaks to climb.
"He's got potential to be one of the top heavyweights in the world in this sport," Henderson said. "Quickly."