Zach Gehl is focused on his next fight. It will be one of his biggest yet.
This Saturday at Calgary Deerfoot Inn and Casino Gehl fights in a professional Muay Thai match. But that isn’t what he ever thought he would do when he began studying the martial arts nearly five years ago.
"I started fighting because I was getting bullied in school,” Gehl said.
He was taken with the sport and after a year of training he began to compete, much to the apprehension of his father.
"It was difficult as a parent to that point because for one year straight he never won a single match, never scored a single point,” said Ryan Gehl, Zach’s father.
“He was the kid everyone wanted to face because he was an easy opponent."
Now, four years later at age 18, Gehl has ninety-two medals from national and international competition in different styles of martial arts.
A losing record isn’t the only thing that he has overcome.
Gehl is dyslexic and reverses not just words but actions. And what was originally an additional challenge to Gehl and his instructors now adds to his fighting style.
“Maybe someone would do a move with their left arm first and I would do it with my right. It's unconventional so it's helped me in my fighting career,” Gehl said.
Gehl lives in Esterhazy but trains in both Regina and Yorkton. His instructor at Yorkton Martial Arts Training Centre is Dave Forster, who says that the work ethic which enabled Gehl to learn with his dyslexia is another weapon in his arsenal.
“I've never had a student who has worked harder than Zach,” Forster said.
“Even if he might be losing, in his head he's not. He'll always push through and I've never seen him give up."
Gehl views all upcoming fights and all challenges as steps he’ll take towards his goal.
“The ultimate goal for me,” Gehl said, “is to get to the [Ultimate Fighting Championship].”
“And I’m just… working my butt off to get to that goal."
