Gilbert Yvel: "This Will Be the Best Gilbert Yvel That People Have Ever Seen"

To be certain, Gilbert Yvel, a mixed martial artist with more than 50 professional matches on his resume, isn’t the type of man to back down from a fight.

While Yvel has made a living off the fight game for more than a decade, the former UFC heavyweight contender insists that he has been a fighter since well before he ever entered a ring.

“I got into a lot of fights in my younger years,” Yvel said with a laugh. “I realized that I was born to fight when I was in my mama’s belly—I was boxing and kicking [laughs]. When I walked out of there, I was fighting the nurses—I was fighting everybody. I was born to fight.”

Some 15 years ago, Yvel discovered mixed martial arts and, since that fateful day, is yet to look back.

Since making his professional debut in early-1997, Yvel has registered 36 professional victories—including wins over Semmy Schilt, Gary Goodridge, Cheick Kongo, and Pedro Rizzo—and is regarded by many as one of the most exciting heavyweights in the sport.

After being signed by the UFC in late-2009, Yvel subsequently lost his first three—and at this point his only three—matches in the Octagon, a fact that doesn’t sit well with “The Hurricane.”

“Everyone loses, but losses are very tough to deal with in this sport,” Yvel said. “I hate to lose—I seriously hate to lose. I wasn’t made to lose, so I can’t believe that I lost three in a row.”

After his most recent match—a first-round loss to Jon Madsen at UFC 121—Yvel, citing personal reasons he prefers not to discuss, took a brief hiatus from professional competition. It didn’t take too long, however, for Yvel to return to the gym.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t really do anything during my time off from the sport,” Yvel said with a laugh. “I sat on the couch playing video games and watching movies until I got the urge to go to the gym again.”

“I was done with it for a moment. It’s hard to explain, but fighting is my life. I started to itch, again. I can’t sit on the couch all day—I mean, it’s pretty good to sit on the couch all day—but I just love going into the gym, sparring, and beating people up. That’s what I love. I realized that fighting is what I want to do,” Yvel said. “Fighting is what I do. This is my passion and I love it.”

Since returning to his academy, Yvel’s passion for mixed martial arts has been re-ignited and, after dropping over 30 pounds from his heavyweight-frame, is eyeing a run as a light-heavyweight.

“I’ve done a lot of cardio, I’m eating healthy. I’m down to 230. In two weeks I’ll be down to 220 and then I hope to get to 215 and, from there, cut down to 205 and destroy all of the light-heavyweights,” Yvel said. “I’m very excited to get back to action.”

Moving forward, Yvel has his sights set on making a serious run in the UFC’s light-heavyweight division—a prospect that only excites the 35 year old mixed martial artist.

“This will be the best Gilbert Yvel that people have ever seen,” said Yvel, who claimed he was tentatively scheduled to fight a yet-to-be-determined opponent in early-December. “I’ve got a few more good years in me and I want to go out with a bang. I want to be back in the UFC. I want the opportunity to show the world what’s up.”

“A UFC championship would be the best thing ever,” Yvel said. “I would cry—I would definitely shed a lot of tears. I would cry like a little girl. I watch these guys on TV and they cry when they win and I’m like, ‘C’mon, man,’ but I would cry like a little baby.”

Regardless of what he accomplishes in the sport—Yvel half-joked that he would be more than happy with earning fifty million dollars in mixed martial arts pay days—the fact that “The Hurricane” is back in the game at all is enough to satisfy the former Pride FC heavyweight at this point.

“I can’t look back on my career in five or 10 years and think that I didn’t give it everything that I had. I can still do way more,” Yvel said from his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. “If I wasn’t going to come back to the sport, I would always be wondering, ‘What if I did that?’ or ‘What if I did this?’ I need to do it right now and then in five or 10 years look back on my career and smile and be happy.”

“I’m happy now.”

Ed Kapp is an Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.