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View Full Version : Interview with Michael "The Voice" Schiavello



Kingster
12-12-2009, 02:06
(Kwam dit interview tegen op fightclub108.nl , enjoy!)


Michael Schiavello, you love him or hate him. Fact is that he is the man about who is spoken even more than some fighters. But everybody definitely has got an opinion about him. He got famous with his 1001 quotes during the fights. The way he comments is always so impassioned, it is just very contagious! I thought it was time to ask the man behind “ The Voice” a few questions.

http://www.thevoiceonline.info/userimages/The%20Voice%20Michael%20Schiavello.jpg


My first question is who the hell is Irene? Every time a fighter hits the canvas, you scream “Goodnight Irene”. Who is she?

Haha. Ironically my girlfriend's name is Irene but she is not the reason "Goodnight Irene" has become my catch-cry for a knockout. I have been using this catch-cry for 15 years and it is an hommage to my love for professional wrestling and my all time favourite commentator, the late Gorilla Monsoon. There used to be a wrestler called Adorable Adrian Adonis and he had a finishing move that was a variation of the sleeper hold. Gorilla Monsoon used to always call it the "Goodnight Irene" so I adopted that as my catch-cry for a knockout. It is just a weird coincidence that I now have a girlfriend named Irene.

Where does The Big Kabosh come from and how did you come up with it?

I made this term up some time ago because I wanted something I could scream during a knockout. You know the old Batman TV show when Batman hits a bad guy and you see words like POW! and KABOOM! and BANG!... well I invented BIG KABOSH!

How did you become an international play-by-play sports presenter and commentator for the K1?

I first began commentating K-1 in 2001 for SKY TV New Zealand. I was asked to fly to Fukuoka to commentate on just four days notice when SKY's regular commentator became sick. I flew to Fukuoka and commentated that legendary fight between Mark Hunt and Ray Sefo. I did such a good job and brought such a different style that they asked me to become their regular K-1 commentator. Over the years K-1 heard my commentary style and eventually they called me and asked me to become their official English language commentator. That was in 2006 and I have been doing every event ever since. I have been commentating fight sports for 14 years now and have commentated everything from the Olympic Games in Beijing to The Contender Asia to DREAM and Dynamite and Sengoku and MFC, boxing, pro wrestling, Kyokushin Karate, Taekwondo -- all of it.

http://www.k-1.co.jp/en/news/2008/images/1117_wgp_01/ph01b.jpg

Like the K1 events you also host Sengoku, DREAM, XFC, MFC, M-1 Global. Which event do you prefer and which is the most exciting one, you think?

I am a fight sports fan. Period. I love them all. I think there is a beauty in watching a good fight in any combat sport or promotion. It is hard to say which is most exciting but I guess when it comes to MMA I would go for DREAM and with stand up I would go for K-1. Both have the most incredible production values, incredible athletes and no shortage of drama.

What is your history in Mixed Martial Arts? If I look at you, you have a figure like Mark Hunt and Ray Sefo. Are you that good or do I have to downgrade some levels?

Hahah I have no level. My body is made for sitting! The only physical background I have in the martial arts is that I studied Muay Thai for three years and also competed for fun in some light contact tournaments, one in which I placed runner up beating five opponents in one day and losing to my sixth. I remember beating a guy in the semi finals who had a swastika tattooed on the back of his head. I pounded his Nazi-loving ass! I am a big fan of all martial arts and like to think I am very knowledgeable on the various styles as I was a long time editor of the largest martial arts magazine in Australia and as such researched and wrote on virtually every martial arts style.

It's Showtime is besides the manager of Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef and Daniel Ghita and many more, also a promoter of big kickboxing events. There where K1 used to have a lot of GP's over the whole world, they now only have 4 or 5 this year (4 in Asia). In 2010 It's Showtime organizes events across whole Europe with a lot of great matchmakings. Do you see It's Showtime as a competitor or are you not afraid of the existents of K1?

It's Showtime puts on awesome shows. Simon Rutz is a fantastic promoter. The two promotions work in with one another as Simon is at all the K-1 shows and they swap fighters and help to promote each other. I see it as a friendly relationship in which us fight fans can sit back and enjoy two major promotions showcasing the biggest stars in the world

Your favorite fighter at the K1 is Badr Hari, how come? A lot of people do not like him because of his 'bad boy' image/attitude and disrespect to other fighters. Why do you like him so much?

For me Badr Hari epitomises what K-1 is all about: drama, passion, excitement and a willingness to always go for the win. Like K-1's slogan for the Grand Prix said: It's All About The Win. Hari's style is a throwback to the heady days of K-1 when the likes of Mike Bernardo and Sam Greco and Ray Sefo and Peter Aerts used to go in there and go for broke to knock out or be knocked out. Badr grew up idolising these fighters and has said that his style is a testament to his favourite fighters of yesteryear who inspired him. When he first started out in K-1 I didn't like Hari at all. He was an enormous natural talent but his ego was out of control. He just didn't have maturity. Now he has matured a lot, he is a lot more placid, he is a lot more Zen-like. He speaks well in interviews, he presents himself well and he is not a robot but always carries himself with genuine passion for what he does and a genuine passion for K-1. How can you not like this guy?

http://www.thevoiceonline.info/USERIMAGES/Michael%20Schiavello%20and%20smack%20talker%20Badr %20Hari.JPG

The Final Grand Prix of this K1 season is over. Hari saved the K1 (your words) by knocking out Overeem, Schilt broke (above Jerome’s ribs and Hari's nose) the record of Aerts to win the Grand Prix in less than 6 minutes and he won for the 4th time the World Grand Prix. If you have to rate this GP from 1 to 10, which rating would it be? Can you rate it for excitement, entertainment, the fights, event.

Excitement 10. Entertainment 10. The Fights 9. The Event 10. I think this was the most compelling Grand Prix since 2002 and maybe even the most exciting of all time. I cannot think of another Grand Prix where everyone went out there to literally kill each other! I mean everyone went for the knockdown and nobody got through unscathed -- even Semmy got knocked down by Remy in the semi-final. This Grand Prix just had it all because there were so many feuds going on that were really lit at the press conference the day before. Hari and Alistair feuding. Alistair and Remy feuding. Remy and Errol feuding. It was all just so intense. You would be hard-pressed to find any sports event with so much drama and so many incredible endings as those ifghts had. Plus like you said, records tumbled on the night and history was made by a brilliant champion. What else could you wish for!

Hari, Schilt, Overeem, Zimmerman, Bonjasky, Aerts, Saki and Spong participated at the last K1. They are all Dutch fighters or resident in Holland. What do you think about the Dutch hegemony and how long do you think it will take that Japan will employ a quorum of participating fighters from one country?

The Dutch legacy speaks for itself. Holland is the undisputed KING of K-1 countries and produces the best fighters in the world, perhaps more top level fighters across many weight divisions than any other country. I don't see Japan ever matching the amount of top flight K-1 fighters as Holland, especially in the heavyweights. It is difficult for Japan to find genuine heavyweights who can hang with the internationals, particularly the Dutch. Even now Japan lacks any real power in the heavyweights, except for Kyotaro, but should be fight Badr Hari then have no doubt that Badr would reclaim the heavyweight title with ease.

According to some people Alistair Overeem should not even participate with the K1 because he is an MMA fighter. You were very exciting when he lost against Hari. Do you really think Hari saved the K1?

I think Alistair is an awesome specimen and an incredible athlete. You have to give credit to a man who competes at the two highest levels of combat sports being in MMA and also in K-1, but not only in K-1 but in the Grand Prix which means he is one of the best eight and now is one of the best four. I was very vocal and celebratory in his loss to Hari at the GP because I felt that Alistair came in and smack talked and talked down about K-1 and it's great fighters, saying that he would run easily through the tournament and then belittling other K-1 fighters for not fighting MMA. That was just wrong. You don't come into a sacred event like the K-1 Grand Prix and cheapen it by saying that MMA is better and K-1 fighters are scared of him and should fight MMA. He paid a price for smack talking.

Sem Schilt won the K1 for the fourth time now. A lot of people don’t like his style of fighting. They say that he wins his fights because he is tall, heavy and strong and therefore you cannot hit him. Do you share this opinion?

Semmy is incredible. He is the greatest tournament fighter in K-1 history and it's most powerful champion and now he is the fastest and the third fastest champion in Grand Prix history. That is amazing. He is also the only fighter to hold a perfect GP record of 12 -0. His size is his biggest advantage but he knows how to use that size, which says a lot for his fighting brain. There are many big men out there like Hong Mann Choi or Montanha Silva or Young Hyun Kim. If size were the only prerequisite then why aren't these guys dominating K-1 like Semmy? Because they are not as smart as Semmy. Semmy is intelligent in that he fights perfectly as a tall fighter, has the cardio and workrate of a light heavyweight and has crazy all round power.

The rumor has it that Musasi is going to fight Melvin Manhoef at Dynamite on New Years Eve on K1 rules. He also recently signed a contract with Strike Force. What do you think of Melvin?

Melvin is a pimp. I love that guy. He is small and he often fights with the odds stacked against him but he always throws down. This is why he is so popular and one of the most in-demand fighters in the world. He has a great attitude and turns it on in every fight. I don't think I have ever and will ever see a boring fight from Melvin.

At the New Years Eve event Dynamite Masato will fight Andy Souwer for the last time. Who do you think will win?

I think Masato will win by decision in what could be one of the greatest K-1 MAX fights of all time. The rivalry between them is intense and both and them will have trained like demons!

Bron: http://www.chief108.com/showthread.php?t=1784

Irishrover
12-12-2009, 02:23
Me loves this guy! He is a very exciting commentator.

Ik hou echt van zijn 'slanging' , emotie en intense betrokkenheid tot de sport.

Ye see, he is a very big fan of 'the rematch kid' Badr, zelf vond ik dat hij zich iets moet inhouden de volgende keer. Alistair verdiende niet zo een negatief commetaar.

Because not only Alistair was talking tough, even Remy stood up and did his trashtalking word.
Ik snap wel dat hij K-1 een beetje beledigde, but come on. Thats a part of the show.


Anyway..

Good interview