“I have not slept since the fight,” says Jorge Gurgel. “A little bit here and there but mostly not.”
The fight the Strikeforce lightweight is talking about occurred Aug. 21 in Houston vs. K.J. Noons, who scored a second-round KO (:19) over Gurgel, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
The two exchanged powerful punches in the first and Gurgel landed several leg kicks, but it was a powerful and controversial blow from Noons a split second after the sound of the closing bell that proved to be the difference.
Noons (10-2) came out swinging in the second. A combination sent Gurgel (13-7) flying to the canvas. He followed it up with punches on the ground — and a knee — but the fight was clearly over as Gurgel could not recover.
“Did the punch change everything?” Yes,” says Gurgel.
As Round 1 wound down, Gurgel says he heard the 10-second warning. When he heard the bell signifying the end of the round, he says he relaxed his mind and put his arms down.
“Then boom,” he says. “I got nailed with a hard shot, and I do not remember the second round.”
Gurgel could not say if Noons was at fault.
“I don’t have that power,” he says. “Should the ref have stopped the fight? What can I say, man?”
Many people have suggested that he hire a lawyer or appeal because of the way the fight transpired.
“I can’t do that,” says Gurgel. “I lead by example. I fell and have no excuses. I showed up, I gave it my all and I have no regrets. People expect me to come up with excuses, but I don’t have one.”
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Interested in advertising online or in print?
