Vinny Gonzales’ return to mixed martial arts fighting this past weekend marked the end of a nine-year hiatus for the 2013 Windsor High School graduate and younger brother of Justin Gonzales, a pro MMA fighter.
On Saturday night, the younger Gonzales faced Gerardo Pinon in a 185-pound match. Gonzales won by unanimous decision.
His fight was one of nine at Sparta 105: NOCO Showdown at the Island Grove Event Center, 421 N 15th Ave., put on by Sparta Sports and Entertainment. The showdown also featured a few boxing matches and pro bare-knuckle fights.
In the nine years before his successful return to the sport, Gonzales notched some important personal victories. He became a young father, graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and started a job as a coach on the Windsor High School wrestling team.
He also shed off the weight he gained after developing what he said was more than a “dad bod.” Last July, Gonzales weighed nearly 300 pounds.
“It’s a little surreal,” Gonzales said before his fight. “I’m nervous, but I think it’s more anxious. It’s been a long time coming. It was something I never planned to do again. I just said, ‘You lost the weight. You’re feeling great, but are you actually physically healthy?’ So I said, ‘Let’s do a fight, and once I get out there, it’ll be like riding a bike.’ So I’m excited for that.”
After high school, Gonzales wrestled on scholarship at Colorado State University-Pueblo for a year. He said he had difficulties adjusting to student-athlete life, so he returned to Greeley. Even though his college wrestling career lasted only one year, it was the start of his MMA career.
While in Pueblo, Gonzales booked an MMA fight with Sparta Sports and Entertainment. That fight led to a nearly three-year MMA career. His record was 3-3 during that span.
When his son was born in December 2015, he hung up his gloves.
“I just became a dad,” Gonzales said. “I said, ‘He needs his dad in his life. He needs a father figure.’ So I put my goals on the shelf.”
Balancing all the responsibilities he took on during this period, however, led to him gain 100 pounds. Calling it a “dad bod” would be putting it lightly, he said.
“It was bad, man. I didn’t take care of myself,” Gonzales said. “I was stressed. I put other things before my health.”
When Gonzales got engaged last July, he was inspired to get in better shape for his future wife. He took inspiration from social media to begin his weight-loss journey.
From counting calories to drinking a gallon of water daily, Gonzales marched through Thanksgiving and Christmas without breaking his diet. It was tough to say no to tamales and other holiday eats, but he had to trust the process.
“It was a lot of emotions, I’ll tell you that much,” Justin said about seeing his little brother during those nine years. “It was a little scary, but I knew Vinny could handle it.”
Vinny Gonzales, left, stands with his older brother, Justin Gonzales, Friday May 30, 2025, at the Sparta 105: NOCO Showdown weigh-in in Loveland. The brothers had decorated prep wrestling careers and wrestled in college. Both have fought in MMA over the past 15 years. (Courtesy/Vern Earwood)In February, Justin and the 2008 Northridge High School wrestling team were a part of the school’s inaugural hall of fame class. Justin was a junior on the team and won his first of two state titles. The team was the first in school history to win a team championship.
After Northridge, Justin wrestled at UNC before pursuing a professional MMA career.
Justin was in the corner for his little brother’s fight. Justin has fought in numerous fights during his career that spans over a decade. He has had matches in Hawaii and overseas, but being his brother’s coach had him feeling more nervous than he has felt in any of his own fights.
“I’m way more nervous for him, man,” Justin said before the fight. “It’s not even comparable. I’ve seen him go out there and dominate and look great. I’ve seen him on the other end, where he got knocked out right in front of me. As a big brother, man, that’s very hard to go through.”
Justin said watching his brother fight and being limited to just talking to him throughout it is the hardest part of being in his corner. As a coach, Justin can’t control anything that happens in the octagon.
Despite the nerves he had for his younger brother ahead of the match, Justin knew all the hard work Vinny put into preparing for the fight would pay off.
“It’s Vin’s time to shine,” Justin said.
Gonzales trained at Trials Martial Arts Gym in Fort Collins. Gonzales said his fiancée and his brother pushed him to do more than the minimum training, especially taking part in team practices. Those practices involve sparring with fighters prepping for their fights, too.
Gonzales worked with Kohlman Scribner and Chaz Polson, both professional MMA fighters.
“They notoriously do not go easy on you,” Gonzales said.
Vinny Gonzales celebrates Saturday, May 31, 2025, after winning his MMA fight against Gerardo Pinon at Sparta 105: NOCO Showdown at the Island Grove Event Center in Greeley. Gonzales won by unanimous decision. This was the first fight for Gonzales, a Windsor High School graduate, in nine years. (Courtesy/Vinny Gonzales)The punches and moves Scribner and Polson put on Gonzales during those training sessions served him well, as Gonzales said with confidence that Pinon was not going to hit as hard or attack him as hard as those two did.
Justin was supposed to be on Saturday night’s card, but that plan fell through. The Gonzales brothers have fought on the same card a few times during their careers.
Justin’s last fight was last summer. He said he’s on a fighting “skid,” but he’s looking forward to changing that soon. That fight last summer left a gash on his forehead, leaving a scar. After taking time off to assess his career, he anticipates having a match in July in California.
Vern Earwood, Sparta director of fight operations and matchmaking, said another fight night could be back in Greeley in the fall. Earwood said the Denver-based promotion was happy to be back in the community after a nearly seven-year hiatus. Before that hiatus, Sparta used to host two to three events in Greeley.
Sparta is considering booking more events in Greeley, Earwood said.
Vinny Gonzales said he is leaving all doors open when it comes to fighting again. In a perfect world, his next match would be at 170 pounds, which would lead to a professional deal, he said. After a fight or two as a professional, he’d “ride off into the sunset.”
When the day comes for both of them to step away from MMA for good, podcasting could be their next venture. Six months ago, thanks to Vinny’s insistence, the brothers created the podcast “Blood, Sweat, Banter.” They talk about MMA, wrestling, hot topics in the world, sports and life.
They use their connections they’ve made during their careers to get guests such as Ron Waterman on the show. Waterman is a former MMA fighter and WWE wrestler from Colorado. They try to put out two shows each month. To watch, go to youtube.com/@BloodSweatBanter.
If podcasting doesn’t pan out for Vinny, teaching will continue to be an option. This past school year, he was a teacher at Union Colony. He is not returning to the school this coming school year, but he left his students with parting advice. He told them no one is going to hand them anything in life. They have to go get it.
Just like he had to go get everything he wanted the past nine years.
Gonzales had to get the motivation to change his health. He had to go out and train daily. He had to work to get out of the shadow of his older brother, too.
He went out and got everything he wanted and more.
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