Andres Quintana’s long term investment ahead of Combate Americas
Andres Quintana: “Besides, it’s to qualify for the $100,000 tournament. So, I look at this fight, and all the work, as an investment in myself. I just have to get past this fight.”
On September 28, rising featherweight Andres Quintana (14-2) will take on Erick Gonzalez (7-2) in a one-round fight in Long Beach, California. That fight will serve as a qualifier for Combate Americas’ Copa Combate tournament.
In the Copa Combate format, the winning fighter will compete and win several times in one night for a prize of $100,000. So, there are a lot of moving parts going on right now for Quintana and some of his fellow Combate Americas featherweights.
Before they can move on to the privilege of fighting multiple men in one night, however, guys like Quintana have their strange one-round contests later this month. When I ask the young New Mexico slugger if he’s ever had a one-round fight before, he responds that it depends on how you look at it.
No, I’ve never had fight scheduled for just one round, before. I have finished fights in under one round, though, he laughs.
Four times in his professional career thus far, to be exact. Quintana insists that he isn’t sweating the short scheduled time he has to prove his mettle against Gonzalez.
Not too much. I feel like I’m a better fighter, all-around. I only have one round to prove it, this time, he continues.
Some fights you can have a bad round. Maybe you didn’t have a good warm up, or whatever. I prefer having three rounds. But we’re just adapting to what Combate is doing.
Quintana sounds like a guy who plans on finishing all his fights, quickly, in any case. He can’t help but not be happy about what he says is a drastic pay cut to fight in this scheduled one-round contest, however, and I don’t blame him.
The fight being a one-rounder affects the pay a lot, he admits.
I’m getting paid a small percentage of what I normally get. It’s kind of s***ty. I’m sure these lower-level guys might be getting paid more than they usually do, but for me it’s a pay cut.
What’s important for people who call themselves fight fans to understand is that most of a fighter’s work comes in the weeks and months leading up to a fight, during training camp. Quintana and his Luttrell-Yee MMA team can’t responsibly do a third of the work and preparation they normally do simply because of a promotional quirk making their next contest a one-round fight.
Exactly, he confirms.
We do a little bit of adjustment but it’s still a full-on training camp. We’re working just as hard as we always do, just as hard as if it were a three-round main event. It’s still a main event, but it’s just one round.
Still, Quintana is excited when he takes a long view. He’s confident he can win on Sep. 28, and the same goes for the subsequent Copa Combate one-night tournament.
I’m kind of upset about it but there’s nothing much I can do, he allows.
Besides, it’s to qualify for the $100,000 tournament. So, I look at this fight, and all the work, as an investment in myself. I just have to get past this fight.
If that all weren’t enough motivation for the confident Quintana to stay sharp and focused, he never needs reminding that a fight is always a fight, and he never likes losing those. Yeah, I don’t want to get my ass whooped in front of all these people, he laughs.
My last fight was viewed something like 550,000 times online so that gives us an idea of how much exposure I’m getting and how many people are seeing me fight.
About the author:
Elias Cepeda is a host of Sports Illustrated’s Extra Rounds Podcast, a staff writer at FloCombat, and has a regular column for The UG Blog.
