Standing 5-foot-9, Cal Poly wine and viticulture senior Mike Gahan may have thought he was too small for football in college — his first passion — but that didn’t mean he was too small for the ring.
A natural athlete in high school, Gahan wanted to continue participating in sports after graduation. However, at his stature he said he figured he was too small for the college football world, so instead, he began kickboxing training at The Pit in Arroyo Grande.
With football put aside, Gahan took his athletic skill to the cages of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and nearly three months after his professional debut — in Mott Gym at “Fight for Wrestling” — he will continue his professional career at the second installment of the charity event taking place on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield at the Icardo Center on Aug. 14.
Cal Poly hosted “Fight for Wrestling” on May 22 in an effort to help fund the Cal Poly wrestling team. With some success in its first ever event, the goal being to raise $75,000 for the wrestling program, according to the “Fight for Wrestling” website, the event has now moved to Cal State Bakersfield to aid its wrestling program.
Although Gahan fought his way to a win in his first fight, he hasn’t let his success get the best of him. He said he has been working hard to keep his undefeated record at the event.
Gahan’s second professional bout was originally scheduled for Jul. 31 against Vince Pichell, but was later cancelled. This could be an annoyance to other fighters but it could turn out being a blessing in disguise for Gahan.
“I started preparing two months ago, and I am in better cardio condition (than the first fight),” Gahan said.
In his preparation, Gahan — a fighter who is very skilled in the kickboxing aspect of MMA — ended up learning a few more skills to add to his arsenal.
“I picked up a lot of knowledge in the wrestling aspect,” he said.
In mid-August Gahan will square off against Johnny Goh.
Goh is a fighter with four professional matches under his belt, who will have his work cut out for him when he faces Gahan. Although Gahan may only have participated in one professional fight, he has competed in nine amateur fights — something he and his trainer, John Hackleman said will help him in his professional career.
“He has improved a lot. He has this natural ability. He’s gone from no fights to pro in a pretty short amount of time,” Hackleman said.
Antonio Banuelos, one of Gahan’s training partners at The Pit, reemphasized how skilled Gahan is at mixed martial arts explaining that he is multi-faceted, with strength on the floor and on his feet.
“He is a tough guy, he hits really hard,” Banuelos said.
Striking – a technique in MMA fighting, including punches, kicks and knees– is something that Gahan excels at in the ring, and when it comes time to fight in August, he plans to use this skill to the fullest.
“I spend most of my time training in striking, and I just plan to sticking to what I know,” he said.
Gahan said that if he keeps his composure and does not let the nerves or the fans get to him, he will be fine.
“My goal is to get a win and have a nice, solid, impressive performance,” he said.
Hackleman has faith in Gahan’s ability, saying that overall his strength is superb. Banuelos agreed, also noting that Gahan’s stamina has improved immensely, and that he is capable of being powerful even as the rounds go by.
“He’s that good,” Hackleman said. “He’s unlimited in how far he goes.”