Redemption Found in the Sanctuary of a Cage

By: Jonathan King The Clinch Report

Photos By: John Walsh and Bob Fisher

Growing up on La Brea between Hollywood and Inglewood, Chase Gibson (4-2 MMA) wandered for much of his youth, pulled between the two worlds his parents separately inhabited. Somewhere in the middle, Gibson began a downward spiral, where he danced with many demons that would ruin most of his teenage years. The story seemed destined for a bad ending, when a mirror image opened a rather odd door to redemption.

That image was both literal and figurative. Cooper Gibson (6-2 MMA), Chase’s identical twin brother ended up finding a path that kept him out of trouble, and soon led him to gaining quite the name in the sport of mixed martial arts. “Cooper cleaned up his life before I did”, Gibson said. “Watching his success in the sport inspired me to start seriously training. “Not surprisingly, like his twin brother, Chase quickly took to the sport as a natural, but then old injuries and old demons came knocking again! “Early on in my training I had some previous injuries that came back, and I sort of used that as an excuse to start messing up again”, Gibson said. Quickly Gibson was able to right the ship, and as soon as the injuries subsided he was back on course.

The long road to redemption for Chase Gibson may have started somewhere near mid city, however oddly enough, he would finally satisfy that search locked in a cage. Facing some rather stiff competition, Gibson cruised through the amateur mixed martial arts ranks with a stellar 5-0 record. Undefeated as an amateur, Gibson made his pro debut and true to form he continued hs winning ways, finishing his opponent in the very first round by rear-naked choke. At this point Chase Gibson appeared to be on cruise control, but then the wheels fell off.

First a split decision loss to Andrew Natividad under the King of the Cage banner spoiled his undefeated streak, then a razor thin unanimous decision loss to Derion Chapman followed. Gibson quickly found himself on the wrong side of .500 for the first time in his career. “That was a tough place to be”, Gibson said. “Especially since I think I won both of those fights.” As unfamiliar as losing was, it certainly was not enough to let those demons back in. “It was a very rough time, but as rough as it was at no point in time did I say f&ck it! I just got back in the gym, and made some adjustments”.

One of those adjustments was learning how to cut weight properly. After the two losses, Gibson noticed a weakness in his game that he correlated to his weight cutting procedures. So he fixed the wheel. “I actually sought out people who do this for a living, and it turns out I was doing it all wrong” Gibson said. The results were obvious.

In his first bout under the CXF banner, Gibson needed only 1:05 seconds to lock up a Brabo choke over a very tough AJ Bryant. In his next bout Gibson picked up perhaps his most notorious win, when he knocked out Far Mohammed with a highlight reel head kick that quickly went viral on the internet. In his next bout Gibson outworked a very game Adam Calderon cruising to a unanimous decision victory.

The impressive win streak has earned Gibson a seat at perhaps the most prestigious table of his career. Standing across from him will be a very violent Serob Minasyan (6-8 MMA), between them the CXF Featherweight Title will await the winner. With so much at stake you can bet the CMMA team and Chase Gibson have been doing their homework. “He’s a tough strong wrestler”, Gibson said. “He has a decent shot, and he throws heavy, but I don’t think he has ever fought anyone like me.”

Even though a title hangs in the balance, for Gibson there is a lot more at stake than a shiny gold belt. Recently married, Gibson also found out he will soon be a father. “We found on my birthday.” Gibson said. With a child on the way, the win means more than any other before. And although it may add some anxiety, that uncertainty gets crushed by the motivation to feed his family.

For Chase Gibson, a win and a CXF title would certainly bring him some validation. “I think CXF is one of the best regional shows in the country by far, the challenges they put up are amazing, they have some great fighters here, and a win really means something.” However it would also go a long way to justify the faith this young man has put in himself.

Redemption can be quite elusive for the lost. Constantly searching to find yourself can often lead down a very dark path. The luckiest of us emerge in the light on the other side. Finding the path to the light is never guaranteed, and what works for some may not for others. For years Chase Gibson chased his redemption, only when he stopped running did he find it within.