Normally, Jonathan Gary would not let a difficult schedule get in the way of a good fight.
However, when surveying the calendar leading him to his Nov. 19 challenge for the Tribelate title, one could not be blamed for considering the possibility that he had met his match.
Of course, that is before you get to know him.
Seven days from today, Gary will be competing against opponents unknown for the currently vacant 155-pound Tribelate title in Yokohama, Japan. Fortunately, performing hard duty in foreign lands is nothing new for Gary.
I had a chance to get to know the challenger prior to his upcoming fight.
Gary is a damage controlman aboard the U.S. Naval guided missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG-89) stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. His duties include firefighting, flood-patching, and detection and decontamination of the ship and her personnel in the case of nuclear, biological or chemical warfare.
When at sea and not fighting these conditions, Gary spends his days training to do so. You see, unlike the soldier who fights the enemy who is trying to kill him, Gary must—in the event of a torpedo, for example—fight the 9,200 tons of concrete and steel dragging he and his shipmates to their deaths in the cold, alien depths.
That kind of resume toughens Gary mentally for handling adversity inside the ring. His schedule will also challenge him. His first crack at a title will be the very day after he returns from a four-month deployment at sea. This puts him up against several factors.
First is his schedule. Hours at sea are long; sailors generally work 12-hour shifts with added combat drills often digging into their off-time.
Gary sees only the bright side of this, saying, “Balancing training around the Navy schedule, it is hard, but it builds character because if you really want to pursue fighting, you have to be fully dedicated.”
At sea, time is not the only limited resource: gym equipment is minimal; he has no coach, no mats, and no regular training partners.
Again, Gary finds only the glory in the story, saying that it “is good to beat a guy that’s been training in the gym all the time, and I’ve been training in a 103-degree machinery space, just hitting the bag and doing push-ups and pull-ups on fuel oil pipes, and whatnot.”
Also, Gary has little control over his diet. He just has to eat what is served.
Gary talked about some of his favorite fighters. He admires Donald Cerrone’s striking and is a fan of Gray Maynard’s.
“He’s a real bully and I like his attitude,” Gary says of Maynard.
Amazingly, Gary also finds time to help those less fortunate. At a stop in Thailand, he sacrificed time that he could have been training to assemble relief packages for the Thai people who have suffered so much lately at the hands of nature.
Keep your eyes peeled for more Jonathan Gary on the horizon; he will be returning from the Navy shortly after his upcoming Tribelate victory, training full-time and looking to make it big, starting with the Ultimate Fighter tryouts this December.
Happy belated Veteran’s Day, Jonathan, and thank you for your service.
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