Jared Gordon's fighting spirit knows no bounds

Jared Gordon is done focusing on the perimeter.

All he sees is opportunity.

“It takes perseverance and faith,” Gordon says, “and with that, it's never too late to become whoever you want to be.”

Gordon has worked tirelessly to reach the pinnacle of the sport, and a win over Nasrat Hakhparast later today would see him enter the top 15 of UFC's vaunted lightweight division. At 35 years old, it's uncharted territory and he'll have a serious conundrum going into a matchup with Hakhparast (16-5), who is seven years younger than Gordon and comes into today's bout on a three-fight win streak.

No stranger to adversity, Gordon has faced far tougher opponents than Haqparast. His drug addiction was so bad that nine years ago he was legally dead for two minutes, but he somehow managed to survive. He has overdosed three times, and each time his future seemed more dim.

Miraculously, Gordon survived and continued to fight.

The fighting spirit he displays in the Octagon carries over to everyday life, where a clean and healthy Gordon is grateful to be alive as his career continues to reach new heights. After beating Mark Madsen by TKO in front of his hometown crowd at Madison Square Garden last November, Gordon is looking to add another win to his winning tally.

Later today, the Queens, New York native will fight Haqparast in Saudi Arabia on a nationally broadcast show on ABC.

“A lot of people are going to be paying attention to this fight,” Gordon (20-6, one no-hitter) said. “Stylistically, it's a great fight for me. I'm in great shape. I'm the smartest I've ever been, the strongest I've ever been, the healthiest I've ever been. I'm in the best shape I've ever been in.”

“I'm ready. I'm prepared. Now I just need to go out there and make it happen.”

Gordon arrived in Dubai four and a half weeks ago and has been acclimating there since. He will soon be joining Saudi Arabia (“Hunter [Campbell] “He called me and asked, 'Do you want to fight in Saudi Arabia?' and I said yes right away,” Gordon said, adding that a win over an opponent like Haqparast would turn doubters into believers. Gordon has a history of doing just that, and he plans to continue doing it today.

If Gordon wins today, he'll no doubt mention Madison Square Garden in his post-game interview.

“I'm fighting to be on an MSG card in November,” Gordon said. “I want to be on the main card this time. That would be ideal. I'll win this and be on the main card at MSG and fight in my hometown.”

Gordon is performing at his best. A win opens all kinds of doors, and even though he's behind in today's game, he's going to take advantage of it.

“We've got a lot to fight for,” Gordon said, “so we're going to keep fighting.”