Rivalries: Justin Gonzales

Featherweight prospect Justin Gonzales has skillfully leveraged a wrestling prowess honed on the mats of Northridge High School to the demanding nature of mixed martial arts, having rapidly risen through the ranks of Bellator MMA.

A notable competitor from the University of Northern Colorado, Gonzales now trains at the Top Notch MMA facility and has competed across various local promotions and even on Dana White’s Contender Series. Ahead of his Professional Fighters League clash against Gabriel Braga at PFL 3 this Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, a look at some of the rivalries that have shaped Gonzales into such a formidable competitor:

Enrique Gonzalez

“J-Train” embarked on his MMA journey competing in the amateur circuit and compiling a solid 7-0 record before turning professional in July 2016. He compiled a solid 3-0 record under the Sparta Combat League banner before locking horns with Gonzalez at SCL-AVM 8 “A Warrior’s Glory”. Much like Gonzales, “Baby Bull” had rattled off three straight victories since his professional debut around the same time frame with two finishes. When the pair finally squared off, it was “J-Train” who emerged victorious via unanimous decision.

Jake Childers

Gonzales compiled a 9-0 record under the SCL banner and went on to try his luck at securing a UFC contract through its feeder program, Dana White’s Contender Series. Even though he secured a unanimous decision victory over Zach Zane, he failed to secure a contract and went on to compete against Jake Childers inside the Legacy Fighting Alliance. Headlining the LFA 84 card alongside Childers, who was on an eight-fight undefeated streak, Gonzales delivered a resounding statement, securing a technical knockout victory via body kick and punches at the 45-second mark of the fourth round. With the win, he improved to 11-0 and signed with Bellator MMA soon after.

Kai Kamaka III

“J-Train” bounced back from his first professional loss to Aaron Pico with a split decision victory over Kamaka at Bellator 279. Kamaka, a former UFC competitor, was coming off an emphatic unanimous decision victory over John de Jesus in his Bellator debut. Gonzales engaged in a competitive battle with his opponent ahead of a split decision victory.

Andrew Fisher

Gonzales is a hard man to put away. The Colorado native is currently on a two-fight losing skid, part of his only three professional losses, all of which have come by unanimous decisions. Before the rough patch, he engaged in a three-round encounter against Fisher at Bellator 287.. Leading up to the bout, Fisher was undefeated in six fights, with five wins and one no-contest. However, he could not leverage the momentum in the clash against Gonzales, losing a decision by scores of 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.