Djimbe said:Kazushi Sakuraba Interview Japanese Magazine
InterviewsKazushi Sakuraba was recently interviewed by Japanese magazine Gong Kakutogi. Below are the main quotes of the interview, translated by Akira:
Gong: How is your condition since your last fight in PRIDE?
Sakuraba: It's really good.
Gong: I heard you did some hard training in the Kansai region (countryside of Japan).
Sakuraba: Actually, I rode up hills with a bicycle and did a lot of sprinting.
Gong: You trained in a natural environement this time, that's not something you usually do?
Sakuraba: Yes, that's because Tokyo doesn't have a place like this. In Tokyo I only ran on stone steps near the Takada Dojo in Ikegami.
Gong: You look bigger than before . How much do you weigh now?
Sakuraba: About 198 pounds (90kg).
Gong: 198 pounds (90kg)!
Sakuraba: I would like to add 2-5 pounds (1-2kg) if I can.
Gong: You weighed around 180-183 pounds (82-83kg) in your early fights in PRIDE and you always said that you had hard time gaining weight, so I'm surprised.
Sakuraba: I wasn't able to do any sparring after I got injured. Instead I did only weight training, which helped me to gain weight.
Gong: Did you eat more ?
Sakuraba: I didn't purposely change my way of eating, it just happened that way. When you gain weight it makes you stronger.
Gong: I saw how your fight went against Nino. Are you going try to improve your striking style?
Sakuraba: No. I was too confident during that fight, just playing (smiles). His striking is very weak so I...
Gong: Did you get headbutted during that fight?
Sakuraba: Yes, then I got the knee to my face. But I blacked out during the headbutt. That's totally my fault, I was too confident.
Gong: After that, your student Hamanaka beat him. Do you feel good about that?
Sakuraba: He was supposed to win that fight. I spar with Hamanaka and I also fought with Nino. Hamanaka is better than him, so I knew he was going win.
Gong: Nino's fight was disappointing result. Do you want fight Nino again?
Sakuraba: No, I don't want to fight Nino again.
Gong: So, who are you interesting in fighting with?
Sakuraba: Silva.
Gong: You are a grappler and Silva is a striker. Silva will only defend against your ground techniques. I think you guys are really different fighters.
Sakuraba: Silva is going fight aggressive. This is interesting.
Gong: You said few months ago that you want fight Silva for the first match of the GP.
Sakuraba: I'd have to fight three times to win Pride GP, correct? At first, the the draw was supposed to be done by lottery. I was hoping to fight Silva in this tournament, but I don't want Silva to lose before he fights to me. After that, the draw was to be decided by the organizers, so I told them that I wanted Silva. I already lost to Silva twice and he is the champion now, so justifying a third single fight with him would be difficult. But since this is a tournament, I think it makes sens that I can fight him again.
Gong: Do you think Silva is a hard guy to deal with in real life?
Sakuraba: No, I don't. I think he is most interesting for fighting.
Gong: Do you think the rules change (knees to a downed opponent) was a factor in your first loss to him?
Sakuraba: Everybody said so, but maybe it was not.
Gong: What was it then?
Sakuraba: I went straight at him. I thought that was exciting though.
Gong: But you got finished by a knee to the face, which was approved in the rules change.
Sakuraba: I don't think I lost because of the knees. I lost from the time I got in the turtle position.
Gong: It happened twice when you fought him.
Sakuraba: I was in really good shape when I fought, but he had an 18-pound (8kg) weight advantage the second time I fought him. I made a mistake...
Gong: Mistake?
Sakuraba: I hooked my legs with a guillotine choke to switch to triangle choke. Then I got dropped but still kept my legs hooked in that position. That made an angle for the dislocation of my shoulder.
Gong: You are able to analyse how you lost. So now are you able to beat him ?
Sakuraba: Yes, I think so. He is strong,but he also has weak points. For instance, he lost against Tito Ortiz by being held down.
Gong: You are a wrestler too, so I think you can do the same too.
Sakuraba: It wouldn't be interesting or too long of a fight if I did that. I don't want to work that much (smiles). I'm going make hime tap if I get the chance.
Gong: That's all I want you to say! I can't wait for this fight.
Sakuraba: After I beat Silva, I won't fight the next 2 guys(smiles).
Gong: But only the first match of the tournament is scheduled for August 10th. If you win, you'll have to fight in November in the Tokyo Dome. I think it's not a problem.
Sakuraba: I am not interested in tournaments.
Gong: You better participate if you win. I think people will be very disappointed if you pull out of the tournament.
Sakuraba: There is Mr.Tamura and Mr.Yoshida. I think either guy will be fine for dominating this tournament.
Gong: How sad that you will not be there (smiles).
Sakuraba: I am not interested in tournaments and belts. I want to get money from Silva’s bank first. I think this is the more important.
Gong: Silva's bank! It's going to be big with interest, because he's gotten money in the bank twice from you.
Sakuraba: I think the interest is already at 100%, so I'm going to take back all my money!
Gong: Many fans have big expectations about you possibly facing Yoshida or Tamura in the GP.
Sakuraba: I don't really care about this.
Gong: The championship prize money is 20 million yen(USD$165,000)!
Sakuraba: I am interested in that a little bit (smiles), but I am more interested in Silva's bank.
Gong: I understand you only have Silva on your mind but I have to ask you about Yoshida and Tamura for the fans.
Sakuraba: O.K. Go ahead.
Gong: First, what do you think about Yoshida as an MMA fighter?
Sakuraba: All his fights were too short so I can't say too much.
Gong: Alright, so what about Tamura. Originaly, he is your senior and he also fought Silva.
Sakuraba: I didn't see the entire match.
Gong: What about Takada vs. Tamura? I think a fight between Japanese fighters is emotionally exciting for the Japanese fans. Don't you want to fight with a Japanese fighter?
Sakuraba: I might be, but I honestly think it's awkward.
Gong: Awkward?
Sakuraba: I don't care about standup striking, but I like punching on the ground.
Gong: So, how about punching Silva on the ground?
Sakuraba: No problem.
Gong: So do it when you fight please (smiles). And what do you think about "Rampage" Jackson?
Sakuraba: I think he is good and always fighting very offensively, but I am more interested in the fight between Alistair vs. Liddell. That fight is going to be very interesting.
Gong: Lastly, please tell people what is your goal.
Sakuraba: I'm not going to play too much this time.
Yarg! said:Still though I would not call it a worthwhile job to sustain yourself on- thats unless you're one of their top names. I would not quit my day job thats for sure.
The key for you (and anyone else) is using the proper ai etc during the cycle and for pct.
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