“The Gladiator” Brandon Gaitor returns October 29th to pursue first pro title
Memphis native Brandon Gaitor looks to take home his first professional title in no other place than his hometown when he squares off against Solo Hatley Jr at Attitude MMA Fights 25 October 29th.
“The Gladiator” Gaitor says his passion for mixed martial arts began when he was a young child, stating, “Growing up I was always a fan of mixed martial arts, I loved watching Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies. Then later I got to see the first UFC on a cassette tape my father had that he played when we had some guests over. It was like the movies I loved but it was real. I was in awe of the respect and attention it commanded of the people in the room. That’s when I’d say the seed was initially planted.”
Though born in Memphis, Gaitor would go on to spend a lot of his childhood moving around due to the fact his stepfather – who played a pivotal role in his life and love for martial arts- was in the military. His stepfather had martial arts training as well and would entertain Gaitor’s curiosity about it, training with him often. This was something that would prove to be beneficial when he moved back to Memphis as a preteen, “Even though I was born here, and my family is from here when I moved back, I was still viewed as the new kid. I ended up getting into a lot of fights to prove myself. Plus growing up in Memphis you just find yourself in confrontational situations. We have a whole different spirit here, if you’re not ready you better get ready because if not it’ll consume you,” Gaitor elaborated.
While the fights he got into worried his mother it did have the benefit of grabbing Ridgeway High wrestling coach Ronnie Bray’s attention who then recruited Gaitor to join his wrestling team. Unfortunately, his mother didn’t approve of the idea. Throughout his high school years Coach Bray would continue to encourage him to try to change his mother’s mind about it. Which he finally did after three years and ended up wrestling his senior year.
He loved the sport right away, explaining, “I had played several other sports throughout most of my life and enjoyed them but never experienced the level of passion that I had for wrestling. I ended up going to state. It was the most grueling athletic I had ever done, and I relished that. After one of my matches during the season a man came up to me and asked if I was interested in cage fighting. I was of course but I was a kid at the time that didn’t have any money. He offered to let me train at his gym if I cleaned the mats, which I did until I left for college. That was what initially opened my eyes to the fact that pursuing a cage fighting career was a possibility. Then in Knoxville I continued training MMA and actually took unsanctioned fights during my time there.”
Gaitor would go on to attend the University of Tennessee – Knoxville where he double majored in Aerospace Engineering and Political Science with a minor in Business Administration. After graduating in 2011 he returned to Memphis where he threw himself into several high-scale social justice roles both in and outside of the city. All in all, Gaitor has secured or helped to finance hundreds of millions of dollars to the city he calls home, including being a lead of a $90 million dollar grant award that he had to go to D.C. to pursue on behalf of North Memphis.
Among other things he’s a founding member of Incarcerated Youth Speaking Out for Change (Nationally acclaimed reformative justice group, highlighted by the U.S Department of Justice, National Juvenile Justice Network), served on the Board of Directors for the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, discovered state legislation that allowed for the creation of a Land Reutilization Corporation in Memphis (Land Bank) which would later be called the Blight Authority of Memphis and successfully drafted and lobbied for the expansion of the Neighborhood Preservation Act at the Tennessee General Assembly.
In 2016 he was the Memphis Business Journal’s top 40 under 40 award winner and was a keynote speaker for the 2016 Gandhi King Conference for social justice. He’s also a passionate holistic health enthusiast, self-proclaimed bio hacker and proud Muslim.
Though these days he works for himself as a day trader, Gaitor is still heavily involved in some of the most impactful work being done in Memphis with no plans to slow down in the years to come. He has a special passion for environmentalism, making sure no child goes hungry, helping orphaned children, as well as equity regarding affordable and safe housing. He hopes that the positive impact he can have on the world grows with his fight career, stating, “Eventually I think it would be cool if I could have a QR code or something on my shirt that I wear in the octagon that people who feel inclined to can scan and use it to donate to or get involved with causes I’m passionate about.”
“The Gladiator” proudly fights out of Law School MMA, currently the only fight team within the Memphis city limits. Undefeated since joining the team, Gaitor feels having new coach Brian “The Law” Hall alongside coach Jason Aldridge has given him a key puzzle piece that had previously been missing and has taken his talents to a whole new level. While passion for the sport never runs low for the spirited professional featherweight, he says his new home and teammates have helped to add even more fuel to the fire, claiming “Law School is a team and I know everyone says this, but we really are a family. When I step in the cage I do it for them too, they’re always with me. I want them to see all the hard work we do in our gym – that has no air, no heat because we like it that way- the dungeon that is Law School MMA is for a reason. I want to add another belt to that wall (alluding to the collection of belts that hang from the gym’s walls won from former and current champions on the team).”
Equally passionate about representing his hometown Gaitor went on to articulate, “Fighting for and in Memphis means everything to me. It’s a city that’s been through so much and gets talked about in such a negative light. One out of every two kids born here is born in poverty and of course people talk about the crime. As a Memphian every time I climb into a cage it’s without fear because what else can you do? There’s nothing you can do to me that any worse that what I’ve already been through and experienced. There’s also a lot of potential and extraordinary talent here that I hope to inspire. I want to be a light bearer that lights the way for the next generations. When we say Memphis vs everybody it’s for a reason, because when one of us makes it we all do. My hope is that when I win Memphis feels like it has won too.”
Gaitor went on to express his gratitude to his support system, stating, “It’s viewed as a solo sport but it’s not just me fueling this dream. I have a huge support system that I’m incredibly grateful for. And a special thank you to my wife. She fills all the gaps that training and fight camps leave. Fighter wives/ significant others are a different breed. They deal with a lot of shit and a lot of us wouldn’t be here doing nearly as well without them. Also, a special thank you to my sponsors Manduu and Ounce of Hope for their support this camp.”
He also wanted to express gratitude towards the important role his faith (Islam) has played in his life, training and overall well-being.
Catch Brandon Gaitor’s return to the cage Saturday October 29th for Attitude MMA at The Memphis Music Room. Doors open at 5pm and fights start at 6pm. Reserved seating can be purchased via Ticketmaster and for fans that can’t make it in person fight night a live stream can be purchased via Spectation Sports.
