When Mando Gutierrez isn’t fighting, he’s behind a barber’s chair, a second career that helps him stay balanced while chasing one of the hardest dreams in combat sports.
Gutierrez says cutting hair gives him the “yin and yang” he needs to stay grounded. After growing up wrestling through middle and high school, he eventually transitioned into MMA, finding his way to Murcielago MMA in Lansing.
His coach, Joaquin “Murcielago” Rodriguez, says Gutierrez moved from Chicago “on a prayer,” looking for a fresh start. Rodriguez has coached elite fighters including UFC Hall of Famer Rashad Evans and current UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley, but he says Gutierrez brought something different: an all-in desperation.
“When there’s no Plan B, that’s when you know somebody is for real,” Rodriguez said.
After seven amateur fights, Gutierrez turned pro and soon got his first big call, the LFA, a top feeder league into the UFC. He describes it as a key step in climbing the ladder of MMA.
Staying active led to a gamble. After booking a fight, Gutierrez got another call just 30 minutes later for Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC’s proving ground. His opponent was 17-year-old phenom Raul Rosas Jr.
Gutierrez says the matchup felt unwinnable. Win and you beat a kid, lose and you lost to a kid. It became the most viewed Contender Series fight ever, but Gutierrez walked away with a loss and an emotional toll fans did not see.
He took another fight less than a month later to “pull the thorn out” and won, but the next major opportunity wasn’t far off. The call came for The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC’s long-running reality series where fighters live together, compete and chase a contract.
Gutierrez was Conor McGregor’s number one pick. He says McGregor taught him the mental side of fighting and even got a haircut from him during filming.
Although he did not win his TUF bout, Gutierrez stayed active in elite jiu-jitsu tournaments. Eventually, another opportunity arrived: the Professional Fighters League, known for its one-million-dollar tournament format.
A run to the semifinals ended his title hopes, but Gutierrez says money is not what drives him.
“All I know is the rush that I feel,” he said. “It’s the craziest drug in the world.”
Rodriguez says watching Gutierrez grow has been meaningful.
“If I had to sum it up, it has been beautiful,” Rodriguez said.
Watch Mando's story below.
