Mikey Gagnon Is Ready To Prove That He Belongs
“I remember just looking up into the rain and being like, I’m never going to let that sh*t happen again.”
That moment, described by Mikey Gagnon as “like a movie,” lying in the middle of the road after being jumped one night, became the foundation of everything that followed. Rain hitting his face, body beaten, staring up into the dark sky, Gagnon made a decision that would redirect his life. Nearly three years later, he is preparing for his third amateur Muay Thai fight against Spencer Belanger, scheduled for May 2 in South Burlington, Vermont, carrying with him the same mindset that first brought him into a gym.
That decision led him to begin training martial arts, eventually finding his way to Gorilla Crew Fitness, where he now trains under head coach Jake Pilla. At the time, Gagnon had all the motivation, but not yet the structure to turn it into something sustainable.
“When he first came in, he was a young, hungry kid,” Pilla said. “He came in full of energy, just itching to get rounds in. He had a lot of raw potential, but not much direction yet.”
Over time, that began to change. After relocating and hearing about Pilla’s gym through family and the local fight community, Gagnon joined Gorilla Crew, where he said he immediately felt something unique about the environment.
“I’ve been at other gyms and I’ve never felt as connected,” Gagnon said. “These guys make it a blessing to come to work every day.”
That sense of belonging became a turning point, not just in his fighting, but in how he carried himself day to day.
“I think he’s really found a home here,” Pilla said. “And when that happens, it allows you to grow. He’s become himself. He’s having fun, he’s being creative, and he’s 10 times the fighter he was when he came in.”
According to Pilla, that growth goes beyond technique.
“If he was 100-0 as a fighter but not a good person, it wouldn’t matter,” Pilla said. “The way he carries himself, the way he talks, the way he acts, those things matter just as much. Mikey’s taken that and ran with it.”
Gagnon’s development has been built on discipline and routine. His days begin before sunrise, balancing a physically demanding construction job with the grind of daily training.
“I wake up at 5 A.M., go to work, put in eight hours, then come here and train,” Gagnon said. “There are definitely days where I feel like I’ve got nothing left. But that’s what separates you. It’s not about being 100 percent every day, it’s about just showing up.”
That consistency is what Pilla points to when asked what makes Gagnon different.
“He shows up,” Pilla said. “He’s the first one in the room, always asking questions, always wanting reps. You can see how much he cares. And when someone cares like that, the results are going to come.”
Teammate Tyler Frizzell has seen that growth up close over the past year.
“He’s grown so much,” Frizzell said. “Just from getting those fights and being in that environment, it changes you. The way we train here, you’re not just trying to kill each other every round, you’re actually learning. And you can see that in him.”
Frizzell noted that Gagnon’s growth hasn’t just been in his technical skills, it’s completely changed how he fits into the team.
“He’s definitely become a leader,” Frizzell said. “Taking newer guys under his wing, showing them how things work, helping them with technique or even just gym etiquette. That stuff matters. Making the team better makes everyone better.”
Pilla echoed that idea, emphasizing that leadership in a fight gym is something earned through leading by example each day.
“This sport is full of egos,” Pilla said. “Everybody wants to be the top dog. Mikey figured out pretty quickly that if he wanted to succeed here, he had to grow, not just as a fighter, but as a person. And now he’s in a position where he’s helping set the tone for the newer guys.”
That growth has translated directly into Gagnon’s experience inside the cage. His first fight was driven almost entirely by emotion, the realization of a goal he had carried since watching teammates compete.
“I was just so excited to be in there,” Gagnon said. “It was more about reaching that milestone.”
But once the fight started, reality hit quickly. Gagnon came out aggressive, feeding off adrenaline. As the fight wore on his breathing got heavier, his legs slowed, and the exchanges became harder to keep up with.
“I knew I gassed,” he said. “I had a good first round, but I felt myself getting beat up toward the end.”
The second fight brought a different mindset. The excitement was still there, but now it was more controlled and with a stronger purpose.
“The second one was like, alright, now I want to win,” Gagnon said. “I was a lot more hungry.”
Midway through that fight, he landed a clean shot that rocked his opponent, a moment he had visualized countless times. Instinct took over. He rushed forward, trying to finish the fight immediately. But in that chaos, he left himself open and nearly lost control of the moment.
“I got too excited,” he said. “I almost got knocked out, but I didn’t. So we’re good.”
For Pilla, those moments are part of the process.
“He’s his own best friend and his own worst enemy sometimes,” Pilla said. “As long as he stays calm and fights his fight, he should win the technical battle.”
Now entering his third fight, Gagnon believes he is stepping in as a more complete fighter, especially in his mental game.
“I want to be fully there,” he said. “Making reads, setting things up, not just reacting.”
That mental shift has become a major focus and something that has defined his growth from each fight to the next.
“In the first fight, I wasn’t thinking at all,” Gagnon said. “The second one, I started to feel it more. Now I want to be fully locked in.”
Part of that development comes from studying fighters he models his style after, including Israel Adesanya, Stephen Thompson, and Sean O'Malley.
“I watch Wonderboy for his footwork and angles,” Gagnon said. “Adesanya for how smooth everything is, especially his kicks. And O’Malley, that’s the swag.”
That influence shows in how he describes his own style.
“I think I’m fun to watch,” he said. “You’re not going to be bored watching my fights. I feel fluid. I’m young, I’m hungry… and I’m swagged out.”
Frizzell agrees, pointing to stylistic advantages in the upcoming fight.
“I think he gets him out of there early,” Frizzell said. “He’s too long, too sharp, too fast. He’s going to find that shot.”
Pilla added that preparation has been at a different level this time.
“He’s training hard, his conditioning is through the roof,” Pilla said. “If he goes out there and fights his fight, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Behind the scenes, though, the lifestyle remains demanding. The preparation is constant, and much of it goes unseen.
“People see the fight,” Gagnon said. “They don’t see the six weeks before it. The conditioning, the weight cut, the sauna, the mental battle.”
It’s that mental battle, he said, that separates fighters from everyone else, even other high level athletes.
“This isn’t basketball,” he said. “If you beat me, you didn’t score points, you punched me in the face.”
Still, despite the difficulty, his drive to keep showing up remains the same as it’s always been.
“I just love this,” Gagnon said. “I’m addicted to it. I don’t do this for money. I do it because I can’t get this feeling anywhere else.”
Outside the gym, that drive is supported by his family, who continue to show up for every step of the journey.
“My little brother thinks I’m the coolest guy in the world,” Gagnon said. “That’s all that really matters.”
As May 2 approaches, Gagnon sees the fight as more than just another matchup, it’s a chance to prove something.
“I think this one shows that I belong,” he said. “That I didn’t get here by accident.”
From the ultimate moment of vulnerability on a rainy road to preparing to step into the cage under bright lights once again, Gagnon’s path has been defined by discipline, growth, and a refusal to go backward.
Three years later, the mindset that started it all hasn’t changed.
“Never again,” he said.
