Post OWGP Fighter Interviews

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EVANGELISTA "CYBORG" SANTOS def. YOUSUKE NISHIJIMA (RNC 1R)

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YOUSUKE NISHIJIMA


-- What's your feelings on the fight?
- I couldn't do anything because of lack of experience, I'm sorry.

-- Why do you feel you lost?
- My ground training and defense was lacking, I think those two were the main factors.

-- You received some strikes in the beginning, any damage?
- No. I don't really remember the fight clearly though.

-- How was Evangelista's striking?
- I don't remember.

-- How did you want the match to go like?
- I wanted to keep trading, but it didn't happen.

-- Did you try to maintain the boxing form today, or to go with something else?
- I thought if they were gonna punch then I'll use boxing.

-- You have 3 straight losses in Pride, what are your plans now?
- I didn't have enough strength. I will keep trying harder.

-- What sort of training will you do in order to win?
- I want to strengthen my hips focusing on my groundwork.

-- You called over a boxing trainer this time?
- Nonetheless, I intend on focusing on my grappling.

-- Will you take off your shoes?
- I'll wear it and fight.

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EVANGELISTA "CYBORG" SANTOS



-- How do you feel about your first Pride victory?
- It was because the Pride people gave me a chance, and it's not just me but training, Shogun, Wanderlei, Ninja, and coach that helped me win.

-- You just got married, in that sense were you able to give yourself the best wedding gift?
- It was really a big gift for me. I was able to give a gift to my family, wife, and team. It was because of my team that I was able to win.

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MIRKO "CROCOP" FILIPOVIC def. WANDERLEI SILVA (KO 1R)

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*WANDERLEI SILVA had no comment since he went to the hospital

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JOSH BARNETT def. ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA (2-1 Dec)

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*ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA had no comment since he was "exhausted"

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Mirko and Josh comments after the last fight

ALEKSANDER EMELIANENKO def. SERGEI KHARITONOV (KO 1R)

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ALEKSANDER EMELIANENKO



-- How do you feel right now?
- Very good. I have no injuries, I feel like I can get back out there right now and fight.

-- Unfortunately you weren't able to enter the main GP as a reserver, how do you feel about that?
- Ofcourse I wanted to be in there. I'll just wait, maybe it wasn't my fate this time. I don't just want to enter, I want to win.

-- What did you train after losing last time?
- To not make the same mistake twice, that's numbere one. I was sick and tired before the Josh match, this time I made sure it wouldn't happen again.

-- What did your brother say?
- He told me to win and come home.

-- It was your ex gym-mate, was there anything different about him?
- I think he deserved what was coming to him, for not interacting properly with your old team mates after switching gyms.

-- Did he do something to anger you?
- He learned alot from Fedor and me, but to say "I will defeat him" is a bit disrespectful from the aspect of sportsmanship.

-- Right now your big brother seems like the number one rival, what will you train in order to defeat him?
- That's to be decided one the fight is set.

-- Who do you think will win the finals tonight?
- Both fighters are strong, I can't make predictions. Whoever trained the most and wants to win the most will be the winner.

-- Do you feel that you want Josh, who you lost to recently, to win the GP?
- If I enter, I'm confident that I'll beat Josh.

SERGEI KHARITONOV



-- You seemed a little zoned out after the match, was there a reason for this like you lost your memory for example?
- I'm not in any bad condition. I just felt disappointed that I was un-able to conquer this match for Russia.

-- How's your damage?
- I don't have any damage from the match. I was injured before so I had a long blank. For me it was a starting point again. My condition going into the fight was normal.

-- You seemed disappointed when the fight was stopped.
- I am trained in the army so I believe the fight should go on to the end. But this is a match in a tournament, and from the promotional perspective I believe the stoppage was justified. I think I still could've fought on, but it was good of them to stop it for me at that point.

-- Did you have any difficulty fighting your ex gym-mate?
- I was high tensioned as always, so it didn't affect me. I feel disappointed that this was how the first match since my injury turned out. I want to keep training for the next opportunity.

-- You were talking to Aleks briefly after the fight, what did you guys say?
- We were just thanking each other for this match.

-- Aleksander was saying to you that you lack respect, what do you think about it?
- I don't believe what Aleksander's saying is justified. I interact with him as an athlete. I often go to the gym of others so I don't especially think it's something special. I respect them in terms of technique. I think I did well coming off of an injury. Next match I want to show something more exciting.

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RICARDO MORAIS def. LEE TAE HYUN (KO 1R)

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LEE TAE HYUN



-- What do you think about the Pride ring?
- I learned alot about these tough fighters. I trained alot of ground and striking, but the real match was different. This was the first time I got punched in the face so much. It got swollen and I had to get some stitches.

-- Lack of preparation?
- I had confidence in my strength, but a real fight is different. I will continue to train hard.

-- What will you work on?
- I was at a loss in the fight of how to finish on the ground. Of course I will keep training my stamina as well as my form.

-- Was the towel tossed in by your will, or the corner's?
- The corner. I'm not at a level where I can really talk about myself, I will keep working hard.

* RICARDO MORAIS didn't show due to "exhaustion"

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KAZUHIRO NAKAMURA def. YOSHIHIRO "KISS" NAKAO (3-0 Dec 3R)

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KAZUHIRO NAKAMURA



-- It seemed like a tough fight, what do you think?
- I won last time with a sub, but now I feel like I'm back where I started again.

-- I think you heard the booing in the arena, why did the fight turn out that way?
- Probably lack of conditioning.

-- Any special reason?
- No.

-- You weren't able to score many combinations.
- That too, but I didn't have technique either. I was taking it lightly, I was a bit lazy.

-- What is your impression of your opponent?
- He was extremely strong, I wasn't able to take him down.

-- Did your impression of him change?
- Hmm...He's just another fighter, I think it was my weakness that I didn't win.

-- You said you were going to show him what Pride is about before the fight, was it an important match in that sense?
- To be honest I haven't really organized my thoughts yet, but I think I lacked the ability to make it happen.

-- What do you want to work on looking forward to the MW belt?
- I want to become mentally tougher and improve my conditioning.

-- There was significant amount of booing after the fight.
- I don't think it can be helped. I wasn't able to attack fully either.

-- You threw some knees.
- I wanted to fake him out and mix it up, but it wasn't enough. I'm very disappointed.

YOSHIHIRO "KISS" NAKAO




-- It was your first MMA loss.
- Being that it's my first loss, I honestly feel very disappointed.

-- You received an yellow card during the fight as well. Why did you lose?
- I was waiting to counter and the opponent was too.

-- Was it hard to fight him?
- He's small and fast, he did what I usually try to do. His head was in my nose and I couldn't breath well.

-- Did you feel there was a big gap in strength between you two?
- I think my punches are stronger. My style this time around was to go for striking, so I feel disappointed that I wasn't able to defeat him.

-- How do you feel about the decision?
- Perhaps each blow I landed was heavier. He had me on numbers though. Honestly, I feel very disappointed and frustrated with myself. When it came down to it, I think he may have been stronger.

-- Why were you focused on striking?
- I wanted to go another step, that's why I went striking. I wanted to strike til the end but it didn't work out. To me it wasn't just the decision, I feel like I lost personally as well.

-- So you were pretty focused on striking itself? Were you able to pull out what you did in training?
- I feel disappointed that I couldn't do the Helicopter.

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MAURICIO "SHOGUN" RUA def. CYRILLE "THE SNAKE" DIABATE (KO 1R)







^^^Nice Guard pass^^^

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MAURICIO "SHOGUN" RUA



-- It was a great victory for your return.
- I wasn't able to fight for a long time, so it was a good opportunity to train. I was able to fight fully. But I think there's still something lacking. I want to be able to show everyone in Brazil and my team a great match.

-- In the previous fight tonight Silva had lost, did that shake you at all?
- I felt uncomfortable, but Silva to us is the number one fighter in the world. A loss happens in a match. He will train more, and he has plenty of experience so he can continue fighting. I think he's a very wonderful fighter.

-- This fighter had very long limbs, how was fighting him?
- I knew that he was a tall muay thai fighter, I'm glad I was able to bring it to the ground.

-- You have your fight in the US coming up in a very short time, any thoughts?
- I was the one who asked Rudimar if I could fight in the states. I have no problems. I will be fighting Randleman who is a tough fighter so I want it to be a good match.

CYRILLE "THE SNAKE" DIABATE



-- How was the Pride ring?
- I feel honor to be chosen to fight in Pride. I was given the offer in less than two weeks' notice, I wish I had a little more time to prepare. I'm glad I was able to fight the MW champion in my first match.

-- You had some great knees in the first, what do you think about the opening round?
- I couldn't do the proper follow through. I didn't have enough energy to keep giving him a huge damage. I don't want to ever make the same mistake again. I want to keep training what I need to. Please give me one more chance.

-- What kind of training did you do for this fight?
- In France MMA is illegal. It's recognized at the amateur level. It's tough, since we're not recognized as professionals. I think alot of people have a misunderstanding, but I think I was able to show that France has good fighters too. I want people to give the French fighters a chance.

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RICARDO ARONA def. ALISTAIR OVEREEM (KO 1R)

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ALISTAIR OVEREEM



-- Why did you give up?
- I hurt the side of my right toe in the beginning. When the doctor checked it, thankfully it was a temporary nerve issue and nothing serious. I couldn't move at all from that position and I tapped out.

-- Was that from the first kick?
- It was the kick I received right before I fell down. I couldn't move it like my leg was on anesthesia.

-- You were holding your eyes after the fight, did you injure your eye?
- He is a fighter with a great personality and he gave me punches after I tapped out, I would like to pay him back.

-- Was it because you failed to make weight the first time yesterday?
- The reason I didn't make weight was because of miscommunication. Last fight was at 103kg. I thought I heard it was 95kg for the Arona fight, but Pride told me it was 93kg, so it was miscommunication on both sides.

-- Why did you close the distance immediately after the fight started?
- I thought I would try to hurt Arona standing then go to the ground, the beginning went well but everything got messed up after I hurt my feet. To receive a kick and have your legs turn numb is a rare incidence, so I would like a rematch. I want to KO him next time.


*RICARDO ARONA did not show due to "exhaustion."

^^^LOL, wtf?^^^

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MIRKO "CRO-COP" FILIPOVIC def. JOSH BARNETT (KO 1R)

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IN THE RING AFTER THE FIGHT:

Mirko: "Konbanwa (Good evening). Today is the best day of my life. Today's my 32nd birthday. To my fans around the world, and those of you here today, thank you very much."

Josh: 　"Mina-san, honto ni gomennasai (Everyone, I'm truly sorry). Mirko, congratulations. He had a fantastic fight in the semi, and he's a worthy champion after defeating me as well. I will try hard again in order to become a champ. Mina-san, honto ni arigatou gozaimashita (Everyone, thank you very much)."

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MIRKO "CRO-COP" FILIPOVIC



-- Were you aware that Silva went straight to the hospital after the semi finals?
- I hope it's nothing serious. There are alot of things being said about the two. I respect Silva as a fighter. I was in a situation where I had to defeat him, if he was injured then please tell him to take care.

-- How do you feel?
- The best day of my life. I feel like I received the best birthday present of my life.

-- As a Croatian athlete, perhaps your status is among Ivanosevic of Tennis.
- That would be wonderful.

-- What did you do between the semi's and the finals?
- Basically, when I'm fighting multiple times a day I always ice, massage, and stretch my legs and thighs. It's my routine.

-- How was it different from your past title matches?
- In 2003, I was winning the first round but I wasn't used to the ground. I want to pay respects to Nogueira's skills. Last year I made a mistake with my conditioning leading up to my title match so it resulted in that way. Anyways, today was my day in all sorts of ways and I wanted to prove the fact that' I'm the strongest in the world. Fedor wasn't participating so I will definitely settle the score with him. If I fought him the way I fought today then I would've won. Anyways, today was the day that was given to me by god.

-- Why were you in tears when receiving the belt?
- Well, I'm only human, I have tears too.

-- Did you predict that Barnett would be the one to advance? Did you have a gameplan going into the finals?
- I didn't really care about who made it to the finals, I prepared in a way that I'd be ready for either one.

-- Barnett really was persistent in the finals, what did you think of him today?
- I felt how strongly he wanted to win. I really love his fighting style. I think off the ring maybe we can become friends. I said it before, but we really get along together and it's the third time, we told each other this would be the last. We talked about the possibility of him coming to Croatia to train. I just told him the doors to the gym are always open.

JOSH BARNETT



-- You were the finalist.
- I felt disappointed. Tonight was a tough night. It didn't go as planned. I want to make adjustments right away.

-- What did you think of your two fights?
- It felt like Wrestling 101. It was a very tough fight. My condition was great from training. But I wasn't able to be as aggressive as I was in training. I think it would've been better if I was more aggressive. I was happy when people told me that it was a great match. There were two good parts. Guillotine, and knee-bar. When I wanted to tap him out, the fight was over. I think I'm the only one who tried to catch Nogueira with a submission.

-- Mirko was praising you and saying "Would you like to train in Croatia together?" What do you think?
- It's interesting. After my second loss I wanted to fight him again. To want to defeat Mirko is not my wish as a person but as a fighter. I think we'll eventually have to fight again. It's not about personal feelings. His movements were sharp. It was truly his day. I want him to keep maintaining that condition. Then people will realize why I lost. The offer to train is truly an honor. I want to show him my respect and friendship.

-- Did you tap out at the end because both your eyes were closed?
- That was an accident. When I was trying to do a neck lock he tried to stop me and his hand got in my eye. My guard was completely open and I couldn't see Mirko at all and I didn't want to get kicked in the head. Mirko was apologizing to me, and I knew it wasn't on purpose.

-- When you two were facing each other before the finals, you were pointing at his eye area but did something happen?
- His eyelashes were in his eyes so I pointed it out to him.

-- Were you healed from the damage you received in the Nogueira match after the interval was over?
- My damage was fine. My right eye was a mistake. I jumped into his guard so I couldn't move in the Nogueira match. I want to fix that too.