By Monta Wiley of US Combat Sports
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Ripping his way through the competition circuit throughout the Midwest is Hawkeye Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt John Gutta.
A prize young prospect with deep ambitions to achieve great heights in the sport through his many achievements combined with his class act semblance of gamesmanship in combat, John exhibits the true traits of not only a future star in the grappling world but also a champion in life.
In this interview US Combat Sports speaks with the rising star as we get an in-depth look at Gutta and his undeniable love for the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Everyone has their spark that got them interested in partaking in BJJ. What was your interest in practicing this popular discipline?
John Gutta: Like a lot of people, my first exposure to BJJ came through the UFC. I remember being a junior in high school watching the first series of the ultimate fighter and saying to myself "man that looks like fun".
I grew up in rural Iowa, and at that time there were no places to train within an hour and a half of my hometown. I decided to focus on losing weight and getting in shape for a while so that when I graduated high school and moved off to college I could jump right in. At the time I was hovering around 300-pounds with over 50-percent body fat, and outside of one season of football in seventh grade I had never played a sport in my life.
Over the next year, I lost over 130lbs. In August of 2006, I attended my first BJJ class on the first day of my freshman year of college with the University of Iowa's BJJ club Hawkeye BJJ. I liked it even more than I thought I would and have been at it ever since.
Some people who take up BJJ end up quitting. When it comes to your journey what is it about your participation in BJJ that has driven you to point where you are now?
John Gutta: When most freshmen are scrambling to make friends in their dorms or downtown at the bars, I was making friends at practice. Within a year, almost all of my friends were from the club and going to practice was just as much about BJJ as it was getting to hang out with my friends. I took a leadership role in the club just after my first year, and from that point on it was my responsibility to be at practice. I almost always wanted to train, but even if I didn't I still had to show up.
Of course there had to be times when this sport has not been too kind to you. What is one of the most difficult hurdles you've encountered and how did you overcome the situation?
John Gutta: To be honest, outside of a nagging knee injury that puts me on the self for a month or two when it flares up, jiu jitsu has been pretty much all rainbows and sunshine for me, haha.
Switching to the competition you've been generating quite a stream of success throughout the Midwest as of late. Putting all gold medals and championships titles aside, how has competing helped you from a growing standpoint in life on and off the mat?
John Gutta: On the mat, competing gives me purpose and direction. I don't like losing, but more than not losing the motivating factor for me is the desire to perform up to my ability when I compete. When a competition is approaching it gives me an extra reason to drill out those extra reps, roll those extra rounds, and run that extra mile. Every time I compete I make mistakes, and they are usually caught on tape. Breaking down my matches and the mistakes I make helps me fill in the holes in my game and gives me direction as to which parts of my game I need to work on.
Off the mat, competing has given me the opportunity to meet new people and make friends with BJJ guys and girls all over the country. I love the people on the BJJ scene and usually send out half a dozen friend requests on Facebook after every competition, haha.
What has been the best competition experience you've had thus far in your career?
John Gutta: I've had some good runs at US Grappling and the IBJJF Chicago Opens, but for me winning the under 170lbs absolute at Corner Combat 9 was probably the biggest accomplishment of my BJJ career so far. The division was stacked with high-level competitors. I remember watching Jon Friedland and Jon Tutaj compete when I was a whitebelt. It was honor just to be able to compete against guys like that!
What are some of your future goals and how do you plan tackle the long venture to attain them?
John Gutta: I am graduating from the University of Iowa in a few weeks; I plan to keep teaching, training, competing, and growing the Hawkeye BJJ/ Pejor BJJ affiliation with my coach Pedro Silveira. On the competition horizon, I am looking to towards the IBJJF World Championships in June and the ADCC North American Trials in August. I have been teaching BJJ at Miletich Fighting Systems for the past three years. I am interested in competing in MMA, but grappling has my full attention for the immediate future.
Finally, if you could sum up yourself to the viewers who is John Gutta?
John Gutta: I'm a guy that loves to train, compete, and help my students and myself get better.
Any shout outs before we wrap up ?
John Gutta: Big thanks to my coaches Pedro Silveira, Rodrigo Uzeda and Pat Miletich, all my teammates and students at Hawkeye BJJ and Miletich Fighting Systems, Mark Vives and all the guys at New Breed Chicago for opening their doors and being my home away from home, and my sponsor Subculture Kimonos.
Video of Gutta vs Friedland at Combat Corner 9