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Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:29
Yoon Dong Sik

Pride Fighting Championships: What’re your age, height and weight?
Yoon Dong Sik: 33 years old, 183 cm and 90 kg.

Pride: Do you belong to any club or gym?
Sik: No.
Pride: We heard that you are called the “unfortunate judo king.� Why is that?
Sik: They call me because I wasn’t able to compete in the Olympics, even though the ability to win a gold medal. I tried out for the Olympics three times but I couldn’t make it due to injuries and unfair decisions. Actually, I’ve beaten four people that won gold medals in the Olympics. I also won one bronze medal in the World Championships and four gold medals in the Asian Championships. I’ve won 30 times in other international competitions.
Pride: Did you win 47 matches in a row in judo?
Sik: I won 47 consecutive times, including international and domestic matches.
Pride: This will be an MMA match, though. Have you been training hard in striking?
Sik: I’ve done some training but I can’t say that I did a lot.
Pride: What do you think about fighting Sakuraba?
Sik: Sakuraba is a great fighter so it’s an honor for me. If I can beat him, that will make me popular.
Pride: If you win this fight, and Yoshida wins his fight, it’s possible that you could face him. How do you feel about that?
Sik: I would like to fight him. He’s a famous fighter in Japan so my value would rise if I could beat him.
Pride: You’re a famous judoka in Korea. I’ve heard that you have a good arm-bar. What do you bring to PRIDE?
Sik: I haven’t practiced that much striking but there are several ways of moving from striking to the ground that I’ve been thinking about. Looking at my opponent’s distance and angle, then taking him to the ground. I have other techniques than an arm-bar, though.
Pride: You retired in 2001, began teaching judo and became a judo TV commentator, correct?
Sik: Yes, after that I began coaching after 2001 and commentating, but I was still competing in Korea. In 2002 through 2004, I competed. In 2003 and 2004, I won first place. I tried out for the Olympics in 2004 but I couldn’t make the 80 kg limit.
Pride: Ok. What are your hobbies, besides fighting?
Sik: I don’t have any hobbies that I am really enthusiastic about but I like fishing and bowling.
Pride: What does that “BN� badge on your suit stand for?
Sik: It’s a good-luck charm.

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:31
Yoshida

Pride Fighting Championships: What do you think about your PRIDE debut on Sunday? (laughing)
Hidehiko Yoshida:

I’m very nervous!

Pride: You look good.
Arona: I lost too much weight. Actually, I was just too fat before! (laughing)
Pride: How is your health? You broke your foot against Gardner.
Yoshida: I’m fine.
Pride: How do you feel about fighting Silva again? Your fight against Silva is really when people started to take you seriously?
Yoshida: I want this fight to be even better than the last one.
Pride: Is it true that you thought there was going to be another round the last time? I read that in an interview.
Yoshida: Yeah, I thought there was one more round. This time, I know. I misunderstood. When the 2nd round ended, I thought there was going to be another round.
Pride: What do you have to different against Silva this time, besides winning? You’ve had injuries and Silva is coming off a loss against Mark Hunt. Are you approaching the fight differently than the first one?
Yoshida: I want to pay him back.
Pride: You’re a popular gold medallist in judo. Do you put pressure on yourself, knowing that you are in the main event against Silva in Japan? Is there any pressure on you mentally?
Yoshida: Not really. I don’t care about the pressure. It’s my first time as a main event. PRIDE is MMA, not judo, so I think of it as a different, new challenge. I have less experience than other people so I think of myself as the challenger.
Pride: Do you feel like you are representing Japan?
Yoshida: No, that’s Sakuraba! (laughing)
Pride: Sakuraba will probably retire soon. Do you feel that you need to be the next Sakuraba for the fans and for the company?
Yoshida: We’re the same age. I’m not young.
Pride: Yeah, but he’s got a lot of injuries and they are catching up with him.
Yoshida: I just haven’t shown you my injuries. I have a lot of injuries, actually.
Pride: So, maybe you are the same as Sakuraba.
Yoshida: I missed a lot of training due to injuries. It takes a long time to heal.
Pride: About Nakamura, let’s say you fight each other sometime down the road? What do you think about that?
Yoshida: It’s a fight, so I’ll do it. He said he’d do it, right?
Pride: Of course…but, Nakamura said something to us…
Yoshida: Well, when the bell rings, I’d just yell at him like I was his father.
Pride: Nakamura said he you’d be in trouble if you ever fight. (laughing)
Yoshida: (laughing) Okay, I might have trouble in the fight but we’ll see what happens in the dojo, after the fight! (laughing)

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:32
Igor

Pride Fighting Championships: Still 31?
Igor Vovchanchyn: Still 31.

Pride: What is your height?
Vovchanchyn: Still 5'10�
Pride: You said that you want to become the richest guy in mixed martial arts in Russia. There’s a lot of money in this tournament. How bad do you want this?
Vovchanchyn: I want to win just to be stronger. (laughing)
Pride: What problems do you see with Yuki Kondo?
Vovchanchyn: No problems whatsoever. We thought about it during training and tried to foresee everything. The fight will show it.
Pride: How did you feel about your two last fights here? You’re back to the old Igor.
Vovchanchyn: Yes, because I came back to my original weight that I used to be many years ago.
Pride: Alright. We know so much about you already.
Vovchanchyn: Yeah, you know so much about me that there’s nothing to ask about. (laughing)
Pride: We’ve got it all.
Vovchanchyn: That’s it? (laughing)
Pride: That’s it!

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:33
Sakuraba

Pride Fighting Championships: What’re your age, height and weight?
Kazushi Sakuraba: I’m 35. You want my official weight or my real weight?

Pride: Ok, the official weight.
Sakuraba: I’m 180 cm and 87 kg when I weighed in last night.
Pride: You wrestled in High School and College, right?
Sakuraba: Yes.
Pride: Do you think this is your last chance to make a big splash in PRIDE or are you hoping to fight for a lot longer?
Sakuraba: I’m not thinking about the future.
Pride: Just one step at a time?
Sakuraba: Yes, exactly.
Pride: How do you feel physically?
Sakuraba: Top condition. That sounds boring…
Pride: What do you think about Sik, your opponent?
Sakuraba: It’s the first time for me to fight him, and he just happens to do judo. There are other people on the card that are fighting their opponents for the first time. It’s the same feeling.
Pride: What else do you feel you have to accomplish in PRIDE? Any personal goals or have you done everything you want to do?
Sakuraba: That’s a deep question. I don’t know what I have done for this organization but there are a lot of things I want to do. I want to keep getting stronger and stronger. If my body can keep up with me, it’s not a problem. I fight because I like fighting.
Pride: What do you think about the new 83 kg tournament coming up? That would be perfect for you.
Sakuraba: I want to fight at my current weight.
Pride: Do you feel like this is the most talented tournament in MMA history?
Sakuraba: It seems interesting.
Pride: You’re very popular in the United States and there’s talk of a PRIDE event in the US. Would you like to fight there?
Sakuraba: No, I don’t think so. It’s too far. Actually, to be honest, I didn’t want to come this time either. It’s too far away from Tokyo. I prefer Saitama.
Pride: (laughing) Wow. It’s one hour!
Sakuraba: Even though it’s only one hour.
Pride: You don’t like to travel?
Sakuraba: No, I just don’t like the time traveling. Once I get there, I will enjoy it.
Pride: If your opponent is wearing a gi, are you going to try to pull it over his head, like you did with Royce?
Sakuraba: I think he’s different than Royce but I will use the gi, if he wears it. He’s much stronger. Judo guys are physically strong.
Pride: Do you have a favorite fight or fighter in your PRIDE career?
Sakuraba: I’ve been hit too many times. I don’t even remember who I fought.
Pride: Is there anybody else that you’d like to fight before you retire?
Sakuraba: There are lots.
Pride: Example?
Sakuraba: If I chose from the guys on this card, Alistair Overeem. I really don’t want to fight him but, as a fighter, I would want to fight him. He comes out trying to KO his opponent. I like that kind of fighter. I hate fighters that are trying to push it to the decision

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:34
Randleman

Pride Fighting Championships: You were inducted into the Ohio State Sports Hall of Fame this year or last year?
Kevin Randleman:

Last year. I was inducted on September 11.

Pride: 33 years old?
Arona: Yes.
Pride: How is your health? You broke your foot against Gardner.
Yoshida: I’m fine.
Pride: How do you feel about fighting Silva again? Your fight against Silva is really when people started to take you seriously?
Yoshida: I want this fight to be even better than the last one.
Pride: Is it true that you thought there was going to be another round the last time? I read that in an interview.
Yoshida: Yeah, I thought there was one more round. This time, I know. I misunderstood. When the 2nd round ended, I thought there was going to be another round.
Pride: What do you have to different against Silva this time, besides winning? You’ve had injuries and Silva is coming off a loss against Mark Hunt. Are you approaching the fight differently than the first one?
Yoshida: I want to pay him back.
Pride: You’re a popular gold medallist in judo. Do you put pressure on yourself, knowing that you are in the main event against Silva in Japan? Is there any pressure on you mentally?
Yoshida: Not really. I don’t care about the pressure. It’s my first time as a main event. PRIDE is MMA, not judo, so I think of it as a different, new challenge. I have less experience than other people so I think of myself as the challenger.
Pride: Do you feel like you are representing Japan?
Yoshida: No, that’s Sakuraba! (laughing)
Pride: Sakuraba will probably retire soon. Do you feel that you need to be the next Sakuraba for the fans and for the company?
Yoshida: We’re the same age. I’m not young.
Pride: Yeah, but he’s got a lot of injuries and they are catching up with him.
Yoshida: I just haven’t shown you my injuries. I have a lot of injuries, actually.
Pride: So, maybe you are the same as Sakuraba.
Yoshida: I missed a lot of training due to injuries. It takes a long time to heal.
Pride: About Nakamura, let’s say you fight each other sometime down the road? What do you think about that?
Yoshida: It’s a fight, so I’ll do it. He said he’d do it, right?
Pride: Of course…but, Nakamura said something to us…
Yoshida: Well, when the bell rings, I’d just yell at him like I was his father.
Pride: Nakamura said he you’d be in trouble if you ever fight. (laughing)
Yoshida: (laughing) Okay, I might have trouble in the fight but we’ll see what happens in the dojo, after the fight! (laughing)

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:35
Overeem

Pride Fighting Championships: Still 24, Alistair?
Alistair Overeem:

Yes.

Pride: And 205 lbs for the fight?
Overeem: Yeah.
Pride: Competed in wrestling and kickboxing since you were 16?
Overeem: 15.
Pride: Are you going to compete in the Abu Dhabi in May?
Overeem: Don’t think so.
Pride: But you did win the qualifying tournament, all by guillotine choke, right?
Overeem: Yes.
Pride: You’re 15-2 in the last 5 years. You still want to fight Ryan Gracie?
Overeem: Yeah, nothing’s changed. (laughing)
Pride: Well, sometimes people change around here. You’re the UFC gatekeeper in PRIDE. What do you think about fighting against Belfort in his return to Japan?
Overeem: I’m really looking forward to it. He used to be my role model
Pride: He speaks very highly of you, too. He called you a “nice kid.� (laughing) I’m just kidding. He said you are very well rounded and up-and-coming. I was just joking. He was very respectful. So, he used to be your role model in MMA?
Overeem: Yeah, in the beginning. He was really spectacular.
Pride: What kind of fight do you think you will have?
Overeem: I think he’s a defensive fighter so I’m going to make sure it won’t be a boring fight.
Pride: What’s your prediction for this fight? None of your past ones have worked out?
Overeem: KO or submission in the first round. (laughing)
Pride: A lot of people thought you and Nogueira had the best fight in Fists of Fire. What did you think of the fight overall?
Overeem: I know I did my damn best. I learned quite a few things out of that fight?
Pride: Like what?
Overeem: Like, not getting ill is a good thing. Making sure you don’t get ill.
Pride: How do you stop that? Do you wash your hands more regularly now? (laughing) No, seriously, what did you take out of the fight, in terms of training?
Overeem: Facing a black belt was a nice challenge for me.
Pride: That’s a victory in itself. You said that you were upset afterward. Your face had a little scratch but Nogueira’s face was messed up. You nailed him with some good shots. Obviously, he can take some shots.
Overeem: He’s a tough guy. I respect Nogueira.
Pride: Both of them are tough.
Overeem: Yeah, they don’t give up.
Pride: How have you improved your training? Train smarter, not harder?
Overeem: Actually both. Train harder and train smarter.
Pride: Obviously, you’re happy to be in the tournament. Belfort said you’re an up-and-comer. Do you think you already get respect from fighters or are you still working for it?
Overeem: Fighters respect me, but I’m still not satisfied with myself.

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:37
Nogueira

Pride Fighting Championships: Last time we saw you, you had a good fight with Alistair Overeem. How do you feel physically going into this tournament?
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira:

Last time was a really good fight but this time I want to do better.

Pride: What do you have to watch out for against Dan?
Nogueira: His punch. His right hand.
Pride: You’ve beaten three of the fighters in this tournament. Does that give you confidence, being undefeated in PRIDE?
Nogueira: I think it will be difficult fights but I’m very confident and I’m sure I will be here until the end.
Pride: What have you been working on in preparation for Dan?
Nogueira: I trained with Darrell Golar. He has trained with Dan Henderson. I know his right hand is very powerful so I’m going to try to avoid it, and counter punch.
Pride: What does it mean having Darrell back? I know that he almost died last year. Was that any extra inspiration?
Nogueira: He’s a great teacher, a good friend and he has a lot of experience. It’s wonderful to work with him.
Pride: Has anything new happened?
Nogueira: Nothing.
Pride: Come on. You guys are boring! (laughing) Okay, Dan says that you may be a better striker than your brother. It could be the fight of the night.
Nogueira: I don’t think that I’m better than my brother but I am growing up.
Pride: If you or Arona win your first match, you may have to face Vitor. Will that be a problem?
Nogueira: No, not at all. There’s nothing we can do about that.
Pride: Is there any trouble between you guys?
Nogueira: No. It’s just business. We are still friends.

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:38
Nakamura

Pride Fighting Championships: 25 years old?
Kazuhiro Nakamura:

26 now. Still doing my best.

Pride: And you’re 93kg for the fight?
Nakamura: 95 kg now but the weigh-in is tomorrow.
Pride: We know so much about you already. You submitted Leko last time. How have you trained for this tournament?
Nakamura: I went to Brazil to study grappling.
Pride: How did you enjoy Brazil? Did it help you a lot?
Nakamura: There’s a big temperature difference. It’s very hot.
Pride: How did that affect you?
Nakamura: It was good for me.
Pride: It helped you get into better shape?
Nakamura: Yes.
Pride: Did you pick up anything that you can use in your fight against Randleman? How long were you there?
Nakamura: I was there for three weeks. I thought I would be fighting Ryan in the beginning, and that’s why I went there, to prepare for Ryan. Then, I heard it would be Kevin Randleman.
Pride: When did you find out that you would be fighting Randleman?
Nakamura: After the last BUSHIDO.
Pride: Only a couple of weeks. What do you have to watch for with Randleman? He respects you but feels that this is his natural weight and you’re not in his league in striking.
Nakamura: Well, I disagree with him. (laughing)
Pride: Do you want to stand with Randleman or try to get a takedown?
Nakamura: We’ll have to see what happens. Stand up or the ground is okay, but I’d like to get a knockout. I do respect Randleman, though.
Pride: The first tournament when Yoshida fought Silva really put him on the map. Do you hope that this tournament will help you in the same way?
Nakamura: In Brazil, sometimes people would say hello to me. I was really surprised about that. Fighting here might help me but I can’t say much (laughing)…(Note: Yoshida just walked into the room)
Pride: Is there anything else you can tell us?
Nakamura: Hmmm…My fear of punches during sparring is gone, compared to when I started.
Pride: That means a lot. You have to get over that mental fear of getting hit. Do you still think you can beat Yoshida, like you said the last time? (laughing)
Nakamura: ….secret! (laughing)

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:40
Lister

Pride Fighting Championships: What are your thoughts on fighting Arona here in the tournament and in a grappling match later? What’s your mindset fighting the same guy twice?
Dean Lister:

My mindset is very focused. It’s going to be trying to have action and have movement. One thing that I’ve been thinking of a lot is that I cannot be focused on the results. I have to focus on the performance. The performance will make the results. I have to focus on what I will do in the fight. I thought that I will do this tactic and this tactic, but, you know what, how people see it is up to them. I have to do what I can do to my opponent. I have to win. I have to come forward, be aggressive and I have to move. I have to make him move. I have to make him react. I’m going to be coming after my opponent very aggressively in this fight. That’s all I can say. I don’t have an intricate game plan, waiting for some specific move he’s going to do or trying a new move I’ve been working on. I’ve got the same stuff I’ve always been working on but with a new focus and a way to apply what I know.

Pride: That’s two good quotes from you. Last time it was “grappling is like tying knots� and this time is “focus on the performance, not the results.�
Lister: You can’t really control people’s opinions. All of my seven victories have been from submission. All of them. My three losses are split decision losses. If it comes to a decision, I have a record of not have a good history with decisions. That’s because people think that if I go for a triangle and the guy gets out, they might look at it like as ‘oh, he got out of Lister’s triangle’, whereas I think they should look at it like I almost finished the fight. If I hit you with a punch, and you take the punch, good job but you don’t say ‘oh, that guy almost got knocked out. He’s winning.’ No, he got hit really hard. I went for a triangle and he escaped. That’s good for him, but I tried for something. If those aren’t counted as being aggressive, and they are counted against me…
Pride: You’re right. It’s important, mentally. Out of 100%, how much of fighting is mental?
Lister: It’s almost 100%. It affects your training, too. Training is a big part of your fight but if you aren’t mentally pushing yourself in training, the mental aspect will not let you develop yourself for the fight either. There are also genetics and experience. You can’t just be motivated, have no experience and expect to come in and win.
Pride: What have you been working on in the short time since we saw you in the last BUSHIDO?
Lister: Working on? Just solid aggressive game plan because I have no idea what my opponent is going to do. He might be thinking that he’s going to take me down. Which, by the way, is not a bad thing but I hope the judges don’t think that. It’s a personal opinion and I can’t worry about that. I know that I’m good on the ground. He’s good on the ground, too. He’s going to hit me on the ground and I’m going to hit him back on the ground. I’ll go for submissions and he can go for submissions on me. I’ll see what happens. I’m not going to say what will happen but I feel very confident. I can’t worry about the results. I have to worry about my performance and what kind of damage and discomfort I can put on my opponent.
Pride: What do you think you have to be mainly careful about Arona?
Lister: His big leg kick. His right hand. I don’t think it’s necessarily a powerful right hand but he’s a powerful guy. It’s got to hurt and the gloves are not cushy gloves, really. It all adds up. I don’t want to get hit by his right hand or his right leg. I played football and I remember when I was little, I hated getting hit but with the helmet on, I became the hardest hitter. I’d smack people. Eventually, you get hit enough that you think that’s just how it is. If you hit him first and harder, you win that exchange. You’ve got to hit your opponent first, faster and harder than he hits you. That’s what I realized.
Pride: It’s safe to say that you will try to educate the fans that there is more to Dean Lister than being the world’s greatest grappler.
Lister: I’ll put it this way. This really is how I feel. I’ve been asked a lot of times why I do mixed martial arts. Are you insane? My first two fights, back in the cage, they lock you in and you think, “what am I doing here?� I won those first two fights. I questioned it but I finally found my own answers. There’re a lot of examples of one-on-one combat but this is the one that I chose. It’s the ultimate test. You can hide in a team and you can’t take all the credit for a team. You can give credit to your friends that helped you train but it’s you in the cage. It’s you in the ring. The strategy, the conditioning, the mentally toughness; it all comes together. The challenge of getting better, improving who I am. In this fight, I may open up new personal challenges, away from my old strategies. That’s all I’m going to say. I’m going to take a big chance in front of everyone. This guy might take me down. He might kick me. I don’t know what he’s going to do.
Pride: Well, even though you are a submissions guy, you understand that it’s not just two guys rolling around in a ring. You’ve got to put on a show for people that paid very good money to watch a fight.
Lister: Very true. However, in the past, I’ve always dealt with someone that’s been a better striker, so I have to take them to the ground. Now, I feel like, okay, I know he’s gotten better in striking. I heard that he’s the best striker in top team. I don’t know but I know that I’m a lot better in striking. The only way to show that, prove that and see, is to do it. Not just doing it in practice but to do it out there in front of everyone. Yeah, it’s the first opponent that might take me down or not. I’ve never been taken down in a fight. No ones ever done it. I’ll let people take me down. I don’t want to sound cocky but I feel very comfortable on my back. I get to the ground any way that I can. I don’t know what’s going to happen in this fight. I don’t know what his strategy is. I imagine that he’s going to try to kick me and punch with that right side. Hit me with the right leg and hit me with the right hand. I expect one of us, or both of us, to be really beat up after this fight. Really beat up. Like, hurting. I may not sleep tonight. (laughing)

Dutch Dynamite
26-04-2005, 21:41
Belfort

Pride Fighting Championships: What is your height and weight?
Vitor Belfort:

6� and 205.

Pride:

And your record is 4-1 in PRIDE?
Belfort: Yes.
Pride: You are Carlson Gracie’s senior black belt?
Belfort: Yep.
Pride: 4-time BJJ World Champion, 3rd place in 2001 Abu Dhabi tournament and you started training in jiu-jitsu when you were 13?
Belfort: Yes.
Pride: You began fighting MMA in Super Brawl II, beating John Hess in 12 seconds. You won the UFC Heavyweight Tournament. You beat Tank Abbot in UFC 13. You knocked out Wanderlei in 44 seconds in UFC Brazil, right?
Belfort: Right.
Pride: And your last fight was a close fight against Tito Ortiz in UFC 51.
Belfort: Yes.
Pride: Okay, anything new happen lately?
Belfort: I got a baby!
Pride: What is your wife and child’s name?
Belfort: My wife is Joanna and my son is Davi.
Pride: That’s your first child.
Belfort: Yes, my first.
Pride: What are you thoughts on being back in PRIDE, representing UFC in this tournament and coming back to Japan?
Belfort: I’m very excited. I love the Japanese fans, PRIDE and I like the ring. I like PRIDE’s rules, so I’m excited.
Pride: What kind of problems do you think Overeem will present to you?
Belfort: He’s pretty good in legs and knees. He’s a good puncher. He’s good on the ground, too.
Pride: Yeah, he won the European Abu Dhabi trials.
Belfort: Yeah. I think he’s coming up as a new fighter. I have to be very focused in the fight.
Pride: What did you think about switching to the 10 minute first rounds in PRIDE?
Belfort: In 10 minutes, you can work more. I think I prefer the first round as 10 minutes. If you fight in the cage, you stay on the cage all the time. That way, if you are on the bottom, you can’t do much. The cage doesn’t let you move your hips. You are locked. Here, if you get in the corner, they move you back to the center. The fight is happening all the time, so you have to have skills. You don’t need to just stay in there and pound. I think you have to have more skills in PRIDE.
Pride: That’s what happened when you fought Randy the last time. You were put against the cage and didn’t get an opportunity to do much. The wrestlers in the cage have a much bigger advantage.
Belfort: Yeah, I think the cage is more for wrestlers. Plus, the judges in PRIDE have more experience with grappling, boxing, kickboxing and MMA. It’s different. You can score if you get a takedown, but it doesn’t mean much.
Pride: You’ve gone through a roller coaster in your career. How do you feel coming off your fight with Ortiz and how having a new baby? What is your mental mindset coming back to Japan?
Belfort: Very focused. I trained hard for this. I came here so someone has to pay! I’ve been away from my family for one month.
Pride: Where did you train?
Belfort: At Teresopolis. It’s like 900 meters above sea level. It’s in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro. I moved away from BTT but we trained like the last time, except we brought in a lot of highly skilled athletes. We had a Brazilian boxing champion and a coach from Cuba.
Pride: How away from your family is that?
Belfort: Well, I live in San Paulo now, where I have a gym. It’s a six-hour drive away from my family.
Pride: That’s a high-altitude place, like Big Bear in California?
Belfort: Right. That’s a perfect way to put it.
Pride: You are a well-rounded fight already. What did you work on more for this fight, or was it just on everything? Overeem is known for his muay thai. Are you going to counter that with the ground or try to put on a show?
Belfort: I like being on my feet. I trained both, though. We had a very good wrestling coach. You can’t train just one, anymore. That’s why I don’t have a strategy. Some fighters say they have a strategy but I don’t. I like to make the fight exciting. Before, I used to be very strategic but now I don’t care if I win or lose. I just want to put on a great show. That’s what people want to see and that’s what they pay for.
Pride: What did you think of your fight with Ortiz? Were you tired at the end?
Belfort: I think he won the 3rd round for sure but he didn’t score any points. He didn’t put me in danger. That’s why I think it was a bad result because people were counting the takedowns. The only thing he did was take me down and then try to elbow me to open a cut, but he couldn’t. There was nothing. My face was clear and I busted him in the 1st and 2nd round. I was looking for submission and looking for a fight. When I got tired, and he got tired too, he was just laying there. He was just there on top of me.
Pride: How about your conditioning?
Belfort: The problem with Tito is that I lost a lot of weight before the fight. I was not training. They called me and I trained for a month. After that fight, I just kept training and training. I did a lot of cardio and training for this fight.
Pride: Is there any pressure on you because you are representing the UFC?
Belfort: No, man. I don’t care. The only pressure on me is that I’ve got to feed my family. The rest is just fun.

DK
26-04-2005, 22:12
Allistair maakt toch een behoorlijke indruk daar in japan, als je zo de intervieuws leest. o.a. die van saku.