"I wanted to make him proud" - Gustavo Balart says he wanted to continue father's legacy as an elite Greco-Roman wrestler

Gustavo Balart had already achieved great success as an athlete before he made the switch to competing in MMA. He may be an explosive striker, but his high-level wrestling experience is the foundation for the rest of his game.

The Cuban athlete is proud to have represented his country on the global stage, making it to the 2012 Olympics.

While he was proud of his own accomplishments, it was also a huge moment for his family, which inspired him to pursue these goals.

Ahead of his return at ONE Fight Night 24, where he will look to add some more gold to the trophy cabinet, Balart reflected in an interview with ONE Championship on how following in his father's footsteps was key for him:

"Since my dad was part of the national wrestling team, he was my inspiration and I wanted to make him proud. I wanted to achieve what my dad, for whatever reason, couldn't do. That inspired me to start wrestling and follow his steps."

He added:

"I started to learn Greco-Roman wrestling when I was a child. Inspired by my dad. I wanted to make him proud and follow his and my family's steps and obtain the results they couldn't."

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Gustavo Balart set his sights on a new goal

With his wrestling career starting to wind down, Gustavo Balart set his sights on a new goal that would also require lots of sacrifices and hard work.

Making the decision to move to the United States to invest in his MMA career couldn't have been an easy one but motivation isn't something he's ever lacked.

In the main event of ONE Fight Night 24, he will look to become the interim strawweight champion when he faces Jarred Brooks at Lumpinee Stadium on August 2.

ONE Fight Night 24 will air live in US Primetime, free of charge for Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.