"I wish my family could be here with me" - Gustavo Balart reveals his biggest motivation to become strawweight world champion
Third-ranked strawweight MMA contender Gustavo Balart will not just be fighting for himself in the main event of ONE Fight Night 24.
This coming August 2, 'El Gladiador' will seek to claim the interim strawweight MMA gold strap at the expense of former champion Jarred Brooks at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
While becoming an MMA world champion has always been Balart's dream, this match means so much more to him than just 26 pounds of gold.
For the Cuban warrior, the fame, prestige, and of course, riches that come from becoming a champion could help him in finally bringing his entire family to the United States.
The 37-year-old former Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:
"My dad came to the U.S. with me. My wife, my mom, and my three daughters are still in Cuba. My grandma and the rest of my family are there too. I wish my family could be here with me. That is my dream. Having them here with me would make me fully happy."
Needless to say, there's a lot on the line for Gustavo Balart on this one.
Then again, his burning desire to provide a better situation for his family makes him all that more dangerous.
Gustavo Balart will leave it all on the line at ONE Fight Night 24
Riding the momentum of a four-fight winning streak, Gustavo Balart wants to cash in on the best stretch of his career with a monumental win over the favored Brooks.
Beating 'The Monkey God', of course, will be much easier said than done. However, the American Top Team product vows to give everything he's got to make his dream a reality. He told ONE:
"What I left behind is so much. I worked really hard to be here and the time is now. There is no tomorrow. I am really happy to have this opportunity to fight. That night I am going to give it my all."
ONE Fight Night 24 will air live in US Primetime, free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.