For Gunnar Metzger, absence made his heart grow stronger.
It has been three years since the 21-year-old from Vancouver was last in an official mixed martial arts fight.
But when he steps into the cage on at the Roseland Theater in Portland on Saturday, Metzger will feel at home.
“Once that door locks and the bell rings, you don’t have any inclination to pay attention to anything except what’s going on in that cage,” Metzger said. “It’s a really beautiful feeling.”
Hand-to-hand combat was a big part of Metger’s life growing up. He had his first MMA fight at 15, compiling a 5-1 amateur record over the next three years.
In 2014, he won a state high school wrestling title at 152 pounds during his senior year at Hudson’s Bay.
In the three years since, Metzger got married, became a father twice and began working in the insurance industry. That transition to adulthood left little time for mixed martial arts, so Metzger put his favorite sport on the back burner.
Then, the fire started burning again.
“It got me thinking, I don’t want to live a life where I’m not testing myself and taking on challenges that scare me,” Metzger said. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not really worth going after to begin with.”
On Saturday, Metzger will fight Dylan Grell, a Bend, Ore., fighter who is ranked No. 6 among amateur lightweights in the Northwest. The 155-pound bout will be on the four-fight main card of Rumble at the Roseland 93.
Three other Vancouver fighters — Ivo Wallace, CaySean McBride and Nathan Smith — are on a 15-fight undercard.
If Saturday goes as he hopes, Metzger plans to turn professional after this fight.
Austin Springer, a pro MMA fighter from Vancouver, trains Metzger at Vancouver Elite Martial Arts, which he owns.
“I think he has a skill set now to already go pro,” Springer said. “It’s just fine-tuning things. They say martial arts is a game of millimeters and milliseconds. It’s just shoring those tiny areas up.”
With his background in wrestling, Metzger is comfortable if he needs to grapple with an opponent on the ground.
But Metzger has worked to become a better striker as well. He also trains at The Base Vancouver, a jiu jitsu gym.
“You can’t be one-dimensional in today’s fight game,” Metzger said. “I had to spend time with boxing and kickboxing just to balance myself out. I didn’t want to be a fighter that’s destined to get it to the ground before something bad happens on your feet. I fell in love with boxing. I can’t get enough of it now.”
Metzger now trains at least five days a week. There are no worries about burnout, not with a fire that has been rekindled.
“Being away from the sport really showed me how much I want to do this,” Metzger said. “Now that I’ve come back to it, I’m never leaving.”
Rumble at the Roseland 93
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 22
Where: Roseland Theater, 8 N.W. 6th Ave., Portland
What: Four-fight main card preceded by 15-fight undercard
Tickets: $29-$59.
For more information and tickets, visit Full Contact Fighting Federation’s website at thefcff.com or call 503-972-CAGE.
