I’m pretty sure that the mustache gives John Gunther (1-0) super powers.
After being put on his back and clearly losing the first round to Xavier Nash in his pro debut in March, Gunther harnessed the mustache power and proceeded to win the following two rounds, en route to taking home a clear-cut 29-28 unanimous decision on all three judges’ scorecards.
After opening up a nasty cut on Nash in the second round, he put the fight away in the third frame, using a grinding style to finish three takedowns despite some questionable standups from the referee.
Gunther will get a chance to stay unbeaten on Saturday, when he returns to his hometown of Mansfield, Ohio for the first time in a year and a half as he is set to take on Chris Tucker (1-2) in the co-main event at RFO: Big Guns 17 – The Exorcism.
Tucker was 5-2 as an amateur and has a victory over Caleb Fickert as a pro, but he’s looking to make it back to the .500 mark with what would be an upset over Gunther.
“I am super excited to be fighting in Mansfield again with all my old teammates and a bunch of new ones!,” Gunther told BluegrassMMA.com. “It’s just a bummer that Cody [Stevens] got hurt. It’s like a family reunion. The boys are back in town!”
The boys are back in town indeed, as Gunther’s former Fight Farm teammate Josh Longood will be in the main event against Kendale Young in a fight that should produce fireworks. Now training with the Strong Style Fight Team near Cleveland, Gunther will have multiple teammates on the card, including RJ Buck, Aleksa Camur, and more.
Gunther did look like a different fighter in his pro debut. Despite an 11-2 amateur record, there wasn’t a ton of hype surrounding his pro debut. He had already made the transition to Strong Style, though, and even decided to drop down to the 155-pound lightweight division after starting his career as a 205-pound light heavyweight.
Strong Style also includes the likes of UFC heavyweight contender Stipe Miocic and bantamweight star Jessica Eye, as well as veterans like Stevens, John Hawk, and others.
“Training at Strong Style has really improved my striking, wrestling, and made me a more complete fighter,” Gunther said.
Gunther had always been seen as perhaps more of a gutty than talented fighter, but now training alongside some of the best fighters in the world, he is improving leaps and bounds every day.
When pressed for a prediction for the fight, Gunther only had this to say: “I predict that the man with the most facial hair and heart will take the win.”