Chris Gutierrez says he felt immediate concern after landing nasty knee on Frankie Edgar at UFC 281: “As soon as I saw him stiffen and fall”

Chris Gutierrez is saying he felt immediate concern after landing a nasty knee on Frankie Edgar at UFC 281.

It was just last Saturday, November 12th that saw Chris Gutiierrez (19-3 MMA) vs Frankie Edgar (23-11 MMA) in a bantamweight bout. The outcome was a victory for Gutierrez at 2:01 of Round 1. ‘El Guapo’ landed a devastating KO knee on the former UFC lightweight champion Edgar.

Speaking on ‘The MMA Hour’ Gutierrez reflected on last Saturday’s fight (h/t MMAFighting):

“As soon as I saw him stiffen and fall, the first thing that went through my mind was, ‘S***, I hope he’s OK. That’s instantly the first thing that went through my mind. That’s why I didn’t even really celebrate at first. The genuine person in me was, like, I just want him to be OK. I didn’t really care to celebrate. Even though my team, we had our own emotions going into the fight, especially the stuff that coach was dealing with, it was a big emotional rollercoaster ride.”

Continuing the 31-year-old said:

“But yeah, I saw him fall, the first thing that went through my mind was, ‘I hope he’s OK.’ … It was almost scary because when I walked out, the boos echoed and the floor was just rumbling. You can feel the electricity, like, ‘Man, they don’t like me here.’ Respectfully so, they have all the right to feel that way, I’m fighting against the Jersey legend. So I knew I was going to have to earn my respect there.”

This was the second knockout win in a row for Chris Gutierrez, the previous one coming against Batgerel Danaa (12-4 MMA) in March of this year.

Gutierrez when asked if he expected that outcome, replied:

“I believe in my skill set and obviously I throw knees, but to think it was going to just play out like that?. If I said, ‘Yes,’ I’d be lying.”

The match-up was considered to be the 41 year old Edgar’s retirement fight. Gutierrez was eager to be selected to meet up with Edgar in the Octagon for his final adeau.

Concluding Chris Gutierrez shared:

“I didn’t think it was going to be me. Maybe my coaches behind the scenes they did, but as far as me, I didn’t have no idea. I just got the phone call, ‘This is who you’re fighting.’ I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it.”

“I guess (the retirement) just made it a little bigger. It’s his final ride. You want to see the legend go out on top. So I didn’t look at it like that, I’m the guy that gets to kind of spoil it. It was very bittersweet, it definitely was.”

At the end of the fight, Gutierrez shared what he told Edgar:

“‘You’re a legend and it’s an honor to share this cage with you.”

Were you watching UFC 281 Edgar vs Gutierrez? Who would you like to see the Texan get in the cage with next?

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