UFC 281's Chris Gutierrez Details ‘Nasty Custody Battle’ over his Son

Chris Gutierrez may be preparing for the highest-profile fight of his career, but it has nothing on the battle he has been waging outside the cage for years.

Gutierrez (18-4-2, 7-1-1 UFC) is scheduled to take on former UFC lightweight champ and future hall-of-famer Frankie Edgar in a bantamweight clash at UFC 281. The spotlight could not be much brighter: facing one of the most beloved fighters in the sport, in Madison Square Garden on the pay-per-view card of one of the biggest events of the year. In addition, Edgar has announced that this will be his retirement fight after a legendary, nearly two-decade career.

Gutierrez has earned this moment. Since losing his promotional debut to Raoni Barcelos via submission, he has piled up seven victories interrupted only by a unanimous draw with Cody Durden in August, culminating in bonus-worthy knockout of Batgerel Danaa in March. All the while, he has been fighting for custody of his young son; that "Performance of the Night" check went primarily to his attorney. Ahead of his clash with Edgar, Gutierrez revealed that he hasn’t seen his son in years and has no news about him.

“I don't get to see my son. He lives an hour away, and I don't get to see him. It is what it is, you know? It's definitely a touchy subject, but I guess it's something that needs to be brought to light. I don't get to enjoy my money, believe it or not. It’s always a pain in the a**, but it is what it is. I don't dwell on it. I'm, I'm thankful, and I’m happy to be in the position I'm in. Just keep doing it. I haven't seen my son in like three years, three and a half years. I don't know anything about my son, sadly. I don't know anything. I ask how he's doing, I get nothing, so, you know, it is what it is.”

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(00:00) Intro
(00:23) His morning training session
(01:14) Preparing for Edgar
(01:51) Training at Factory X
(02:21) Expecting the best version of Edgar
(03:07) Finishing Danaa
(04:23) Earning his first ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus
(04:47) Spending his money to pay his attorney
(05:06) The nasty custody battle he’s going through
(07:14) Picking Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira
(08:22) Not forcing anything against Edgar
(10:01) Commenting on Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw
(11:44) Walking out to ‘Bandolero’ by Don Omar ft. Tego Calderon
(13:19) Outro