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A fighter who stays ready to fight is a fighter who can stay busy. 

Donald Cerrone and Neil Magny use this tactic to great effect in the UFC. But fighters on the regional scene often do the same thing, taking as many fights as they can to garner experience and work their way into the limelight. 

UFC stars like Cerrone and his approach to fighting served as an inspiration for Nick Gehrts to begin his journey into MMA. It’s a mindset the 20-year-old featherweight still carries. 

When Adam Townsend was forced out of his main event fight with Steven New at Valor Fights 32 tonight, the opportunity to step into a high-profile matchup wasn’t something Gehrts could pass up.

“This is a good fight for me to take on a week’s notice. Steven New is a good guy and all. I’m not trying to say anything bad about him. But it’s a good style matchup for me, Gehrts told FloCombat. "We are both grapplers, but I think we both have some hands to throw. I hope we get to do that. I’m always looking to let my hands go, but it seems people just want to test my jiu-jitsu, which doesn’t make a ton of sense. I just want to punch people in the face." 

Gehrts is young in the fight game, but he knows the only way to progress through the ranks is to put it all on the line in the most visible places. His goal is to receive that coveted call to fight in the UFC. And seven fights into his professional run, Gehrts is cognizant of the fact that there is very little luck involved in making that dream happen. 

He’s going into the Valor bout with New intent on giving his hometown crowd something to remember. And if everything plays out the way Gehrts has envisioned, the doorway to the top tier of the sport could open up.

“My biggest goal is to get to the UFC. The only way to do that is to have more people see me fight,” Gehrts said. “Valor 32 is going to be a huge event. The crowd should be strong. The proceeds are going to fight autism. 

"And with the card airing on FloCombat, I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better situation. Plus I needed a paycheck, so it all worked out. Let’s go.”

While Gehrts may not own a ranch in New Mexico or wear a cowboy hat on his way to the cage, his eyes on the prize mentality is right on point with that of those who have inspired him. He'll fight anyone, anywhere and on zero notice. If he keeps winning, that attitude will find him on the UFC's radar, perhaps even sooner than he expects.