Rednose wins cruiserweight titles, prepares to step back in MMA cage
AND NEW! - Gabe Rednose, third from left, is pictured with his newest championship belts after winning his most recent MMA fight in California. He’s pictured with, from left, striking coach Luis Iniguez, head coach Joe Stevenson and UFC legend Dan Hende
Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.
And this time…he’ll make sure he’s even more ready.
Kingfisher’s Gabe Rednose will be stepping back into the mixed martial arts cage later this month to - in part - defend one of the titles he just won.
Rednose is the new cruiserweight champion of the California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization (CAMO) as well as the Hendo’s Fight Night organization.
He won the belts Aug. 19 when he submitted the previously-undefeated Trae Cusac in the second round of their bout in Temecula, Calif.
It was Rednose’s first fight since June 2022 and since he’d had a knee surgery.
While Rednose said his training for the fight was spot on in the months leading up to the fight, his own preparations in the hours before it might have been lacking.
“I didn’t eat properly leading up to the fight, so I was out of my head during the fight,” said Rednose, a 2016 Kingfisher High School graduate.
Due in part to that and, he admits, his own nerves, Rednose said he didn’t completely feel “himself” inside the cage.
Still, Rednose was able to drop Cusac with a jab in the first round.
However, Cusac was able to survive the round, pushing Rednose to the second round for the first time in his career.
“I should have capitalized then and I let a lot of other dominant positions that I had secured get by,” Rednose said.
In the second round, Cusac had Rednose against the cage, but the former KHS wrestler maneuvered him into a kimura (a shoulder lock in which the arm is pinned behind the back).
Cusac had no choice but to “tap out,” or submit.
However, he did wait too long. The hold tore Cusac’s labrum, AC joint and rotator cuff, injuries that require reconstructive surgery.
“I definitely didn’t want to do that and it wasn’t my intention because he’s a dad and works a full-time job as well,” Rednose said.
The win was the best of Rednose’s amateur career as Cusac entered the fight ranked No. 1 in his region.
“He was tough and durable and gave me my toughest fight yet,” Rednose said.
“But I trained way too hard and had too much riding on that fight to let the victory slip by. At the end of the day, I just bit down on my mouth piece and dug deep and got it done…God willing.”
Before the fight, Rednose said he hoped a win would launch him to a professional career.
However, that’s going to have to wait at least one more fight.
Rednose was approached by the head of California Mixed Martial Arts.
He wanted Rednose to defend his California state title Sept. 28 in Los Angeles.
Rednose readily accepted.
Also on the line will be the Up Next Fighting promotion’s cruiserweight championship.
“I don’t know much about my opponent,” Rednose said. “I just know they said he’s one of the toughest and top prospects coming out of California.”
If he wins, Rednose will have seven championship belts on his resume.
On top of the two he just won, Rednose also has claimed two heavyweight championships in Oklahoma and another in Arkansas.
Rednose is already in training camp for the fight with his team of coaches. And now he knows the importance of his nutrition on the day of the fight as well.
“It’saquickturnaround,” he said of the time between his two fights. “But you stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.”