Gaston Bolanos on Being Nasty and Whether He’d Fight Teammate Kevin Ross
Courtesy of lionfight.com - January 26th, 2015 by Frank Curreri

Gaston Bolanos, unbeaten at 2-0 and regarded as one of North America’s most dynamic young prospects, recently spoke with me about nasty elbows, next opponent Caleb Archer and the prospect of fighting teammate Kevin Ross.

You’re kind of a nasty fighter, as we saw in your stoppage of Tyler Toner. And I mean that as a compliment. Because the best fighters have that nastiness, that mean streak. Where did you get that from?

Well, you know, I was very excited to fight Tyler because I know he brings a ton of experience to the table. He’s a great fighter and I take nothing away from him.

I don’t consider myself a nasty fighter. I just saw an opportunity to throw the elbow and it just happened to land. I’ve been working on that spinning back elbow for years. But nasty is not what defines me as a fighter. I have a lot of other tools that I can use and I want to show it this year.

I’m a very dynamic fighter and I like using everything: You know, Muay Thai is the Art of Eight Limbs, so I like using all eight limbs. I like kicking, elbows, knees, fighting from the clinch. You have to use ‘em all.

Have you ever landed a spinning back elbow in a fight and caused that much damage?

No. That’s probably the most damage I’ve ever caused to someone in a fight. I think the elbow landed right in the eye socket. I saw Tyler afterward and he said he might have a fracture or something. He had surgery and he’s OK and good-to-go and that’s awesome.

I did break a guy’s nose before with that in the South American Championships.

Is there a name opponent you have your eye on? And how soon will you be ready to fight the bigger names?

I go one fight at a time. I don’t want to say names. Caleb Archer is my next opponent and I feel very lucky to face him. He’s a good fighter with international experience. After that we’ll see who’s next. I don’t look into the future that much.

What impresses you about Caleb Archer and where have you seen him encounter trouble in fights?

He’s an experienced, well-rounded fighter and has fought in Thailand before so I’m looking for a good, five-round war and that’s what I think this will turn into. He comes from a great camp and I think it will be a great fight.

Which fighters do you get compared to the most?

I don’t like comparing myself to anybody. I like making a style of my own. A person I look up to a lot is Kevin Ross, who is my main training partner. If I’m going to be like anybody I want to be like him. He’s a walking legend. This guy is definitely pound-for-pound the best American Muay Thai fighter of all time. He’s faced people no American fighter has ever faced. He’s one of the best out there and I would like to be more like him.

When you and Kevin spar, do you hold back or are some of the sessions all-out?

Some days we go harder, some days we go lighter and some days we drill. We have a good dynamic.

What are the most valuable things that Kevin Ross has taught you on a technical and mental level?

For example, look at Kevin’s last fight with “Tomahawk” (Michael Thompson). Tomahawk is a great fighter and Kevin completely out-skilled and out-classed him. Kevin did everything perfect from one to five. And that’s the kind of fighter I want to be. He had volume, he was dynamic, he landed a great flying knee at the end, great clinchwork … I mean, you can’t do it much better than that.

We don’t hear the friends fighting friends debate much in Muay Thai, as we do in MMA. But would you ever consider battling Kevin Ross in a real fight?

No. Absolutely not. He’s one of my best friends and my training partner. I would never fight Kevin Ross.

Do you have any other passions?

I like surfing and it’s been a hobby of mine since I was three or four years old. That’s my other passion. Catching a wave is relaxing and it takes my mind off things.

I also like being a DJ. But I only have time for it when I don’t have a fight coming up. When I have a fight coming up nothing else matters.

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