Mr. Beelzebub
03-10-2003, 09:55 PM
From www.mmaweekly.com :
MMAWeekly: What do you feel you need to do to win this fight with Rampage?
Kevin: I have to stay on my game plan.
MMAWeekly: And that would be...?
Kevin: My game plan is to take him down and whale on him, hopefully get a cut or something. I myself, I like working on the eyes. If I can shut your eyes, you’re not going to see me coming and I think I’m one of the fastest fighters in the business. I just got to do what I do best and that’s take him down and get in the mount. For him to win, he’s going to have to knock me out. I don’t think he can dominate me for twenty minutes.
MMAWeekly: I don’t think anybody can dominate you for twenty minutes.
Kevin: But he’s a great fighter and I am looking forward to Quinton Jackson. He has lit a fire under my ass. I admire him. I’ve been following his career and he’s been bringing it. He’s a bringing it kind of man and I like it.
MMAWeekly: You guys have very similar styles but who would you say is stronger, you or Rampage?
Kevin: I think I’m one of the strongest fighters in the business. I’m one of the smartest fighters in the business. I’m one of the most agile. MMA, as far as the business goes, I think I’m one of the best. If I don’t believe in myself, I don’t expect anyone to believe in me or follow me for that matter. I want people to follow me because I know what I’m talking about and I’ll do what I say. I don’t want to mince words and I’ll tell it to you straight because that’s how I want you to see me.
MMAWeekly: Just to give people an idea of your strength, how much do you bench press?
Kevin: I don’t even go for max. I probably bench three [hundred] something, but I don’t even try to go that high. I do so much punching and boxing that I don’t want to lift heavy because it’ll take away from my cardio and my endurance. So I go for high reps and low weight. Most times I go for about 275 [pounds], but I bench it for reps. If I can bench it 25 times, I’ll bench it 25.
MMAWeekly: Since we’re on the subject, what type of routine do you follow for your physical conditioning?
Kevin: My weight training is probably a sixth of what I do. Anything that’s going to make me breathe hard, I do. I run, I bike, I do sprinting classes, I box, I wrestle with Ohio State wrestlers. I do it all. It depends on how I feel today. If today I do a bunch of boxing sparring, full contact, tomorrow I’m not really going to want to do more boxing. I’m going to do jiujitsu. I do a lot of stuff for my cardio. I’m all about cardio.
MMAWeekly: When you’re in a fight, does it make a difference to you whether you win by a decision or would you rather win by finishing your opponent with a submission or knockout?
Kevin: Sure it does. I think I keep a highly intense pace. Ninja fought at a high intensity pace too and I loved it. I really enjoy finishing a guy off. I love it when the ref jumps in and tries to pull me off, it makes me feel like I was dominating. It makes you feel good. But to get the decision, there’s nothing wrong with that.
MMAWeekly: Is the winner of this fight between you and Rampage guaranteed a shot at Vanderlei for the title?
Kevin: Yes. The winner gets a shot at Vanderlei in May.
MMAWeekly: That’s for sure?
Kevin: I don’t know if it’s for sure for Quinton, but it is for me. I mean, I’m not fighting anybody else but Vanderlei. That’s if I win, but I don’t plan on losing. That’s not my style.
MMAWeekly: Who else have you been training with besides Mark Coleman and Wes Sims to prepare for Rampage?
Kevin: Actually, you know what? Nobody. This time, I’m training myself. I wake up in the morning at 5:30 or 6:00 and I’m at the gym. I’m training all day. I have five hours in my day that I have to do something [besides train].
MMAWeekly: If you could absorb the skills of any other fighter and morph his skills in with your own, who would that fighter be?
Kevin: Gracie. Ooh hoo, my goodness, you can’t touch me. And I plan on being that way within a year. When I fought Rua, I wasn’t nervous when he had me on my back at all. I mean, I was calm. That was only the second time that I’d been on my back.
MMAWeekly: Speaking of Rua, at one point, he appeared to have you in trouble and was going for an omoplata. Some people even thought that you may have tapped at this point. Did you tap in the fight with Ninja?
Kevin: No, I didn’t tap at all. If you look at the tape again, he was trying to block my leg so that I couldn’t step over and get out. He had the shoulder lock and I was trying to push his knee down so that I could get my knee out so that I could kick through. I’ll never tap. He can break my arm, **** that.
MMAWeekly: Moving on, do you have any plans to ever return to the UFC?
Kevin: No. I would come back if they offered me Tito. Tito or Chuck. I enjoy where I’m at. I like fighting for Pride. The only way that I’m coming back to the UFC is that if, one, they give me the money that they owe me and, two, I need a guarantee that I’m fighting Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, period.
MMAWeekly: They owe you money for a contract that they never finished out with you?
Kevin: That’s right.
MMAWeekly: How many fights do they owe you for?
Kevin: Just one. They didn’t want me to beat some guy’s ass in Britain and then come back and jump ship, which I sure enough would have. What they don’t realize is that I don’t like it when someone acts like they’re bigger. They give a lot of fighters the opportunity, but if they hadn’t been the one’s doing it, someone else would have bought the company. I thank them for giving me the chance to fight, but I’m not kissing no man’s ass. I get on my knees for no man. God is the only entity, in my mind, that I would get on my knees for. I’m sorry, but they’re not the fighters. They’re not the ones that get their nose broke and keep fighting, time after time again. They’re just the guys that get to sit up there and pay the money out.
MMAWeekly: Looking back on your career, what is the one thing that you would change?
Kevin: I would have fought harder against Bas [Rutten] the last 3 minutes of that fight. I love Bas. He’s one of the greatest fighters that I’ve ever had the pleasure of shaking hands with.
MMAWeekly: So do you feel like you pretty much lost that fight in the last 3 minutes?
Kevin: Yah. I’ve watched that fight over and over wondering what I could have done different and that’s it bro. He was working and working and I wasn’t working enough. You’ve got to work.
MMAWeekly: As usual, thanks for taking the time to talk to us at MMAWeekly Kevin and good luck against Rampage.
Kevin: No problem, Ken. Thank you
MMAWeekly: What do you feel you need to do to win this fight with Rampage?
Kevin: I have to stay on my game plan.
MMAWeekly: And that would be...?
Kevin: My game plan is to take him down and whale on him, hopefully get a cut or something. I myself, I like working on the eyes. If I can shut your eyes, you’re not going to see me coming and I think I’m one of the fastest fighters in the business. I just got to do what I do best and that’s take him down and get in the mount. For him to win, he’s going to have to knock me out. I don’t think he can dominate me for twenty minutes.
MMAWeekly: I don’t think anybody can dominate you for twenty minutes.
Kevin: But he’s a great fighter and I am looking forward to Quinton Jackson. He has lit a fire under my ass. I admire him. I’ve been following his career and he’s been bringing it. He’s a bringing it kind of man and I like it.
MMAWeekly: You guys have very similar styles but who would you say is stronger, you or Rampage?
Kevin: I think I’m one of the strongest fighters in the business. I’m one of the smartest fighters in the business. I’m one of the most agile. MMA, as far as the business goes, I think I’m one of the best. If I don’t believe in myself, I don’t expect anyone to believe in me or follow me for that matter. I want people to follow me because I know what I’m talking about and I’ll do what I say. I don’t want to mince words and I’ll tell it to you straight because that’s how I want you to see me.
MMAWeekly: Just to give people an idea of your strength, how much do you bench press?
Kevin: I don’t even go for max. I probably bench three [hundred] something, but I don’t even try to go that high. I do so much punching and boxing that I don’t want to lift heavy because it’ll take away from my cardio and my endurance. So I go for high reps and low weight. Most times I go for about 275 [pounds], but I bench it for reps. If I can bench it 25 times, I’ll bench it 25.
MMAWeekly: Since we’re on the subject, what type of routine do you follow for your physical conditioning?
Kevin: My weight training is probably a sixth of what I do. Anything that’s going to make me breathe hard, I do. I run, I bike, I do sprinting classes, I box, I wrestle with Ohio State wrestlers. I do it all. It depends on how I feel today. If today I do a bunch of boxing sparring, full contact, tomorrow I’m not really going to want to do more boxing. I’m going to do jiujitsu. I do a lot of stuff for my cardio. I’m all about cardio.
MMAWeekly: When you’re in a fight, does it make a difference to you whether you win by a decision or would you rather win by finishing your opponent with a submission or knockout?
Kevin: Sure it does. I think I keep a highly intense pace. Ninja fought at a high intensity pace too and I loved it. I really enjoy finishing a guy off. I love it when the ref jumps in and tries to pull me off, it makes me feel like I was dominating. It makes you feel good. But to get the decision, there’s nothing wrong with that.
MMAWeekly: Is the winner of this fight between you and Rampage guaranteed a shot at Vanderlei for the title?
Kevin: Yes. The winner gets a shot at Vanderlei in May.
MMAWeekly: That’s for sure?
Kevin: I don’t know if it’s for sure for Quinton, but it is for me. I mean, I’m not fighting anybody else but Vanderlei. That’s if I win, but I don’t plan on losing. That’s not my style.
MMAWeekly: Who else have you been training with besides Mark Coleman and Wes Sims to prepare for Rampage?
Kevin: Actually, you know what? Nobody. This time, I’m training myself. I wake up in the morning at 5:30 or 6:00 and I’m at the gym. I’m training all day. I have five hours in my day that I have to do something [besides train].
MMAWeekly: If you could absorb the skills of any other fighter and morph his skills in with your own, who would that fighter be?
Kevin: Gracie. Ooh hoo, my goodness, you can’t touch me. And I plan on being that way within a year. When I fought Rua, I wasn’t nervous when he had me on my back at all. I mean, I was calm. That was only the second time that I’d been on my back.
MMAWeekly: Speaking of Rua, at one point, he appeared to have you in trouble and was going for an omoplata. Some people even thought that you may have tapped at this point. Did you tap in the fight with Ninja?
Kevin: No, I didn’t tap at all. If you look at the tape again, he was trying to block my leg so that I couldn’t step over and get out. He had the shoulder lock and I was trying to push his knee down so that I could get my knee out so that I could kick through. I’ll never tap. He can break my arm, **** that.
MMAWeekly: Moving on, do you have any plans to ever return to the UFC?
Kevin: No. I would come back if they offered me Tito. Tito or Chuck. I enjoy where I’m at. I like fighting for Pride. The only way that I’m coming back to the UFC is that if, one, they give me the money that they owe me and, two, I need a guarantee that I’m fighting Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, period.
MMAWeekly: They owe you money for a contract that they never finished out with you?
Kevin: That’s right.
MMAWeekly: How many fights do they owe you for?
Kevin: Just one. They didn’t want me to beat some guy’s ass in Britain and then come back and jump ship, which I sure enough would have. What they don’t realize is that I don’t like it when someone acts like they’re bigger. They give a lot of fighters the opportunity, but if they hadn’t been the one’s doing it, someone else would have bought the company. I thank them for giving me the chance to fight, but I’m not kissing no man’s ass. I get on my knees for no man. God is the only entity, in my mind, that I would get on my knees for. I’m sorry, but they’re not the fighters. They’re not the ones that get their nose broke and keep fighting, time after time again. They’re just the guys that get to sit up there and pay the money out.
MMAWeekly: Looking back on your career, what is the one thing that you would change?
Kevin: I would have fought harder against Bas [Rutten] the last 3 minutes of that fight. I love Bas. He’s one of the greatest fighters that I’ve ever had the pleasure of shaking hands with.
MMAWeekly: So do you feel like you pretty much lost that fight in the last 3 minutes?
Kevin: Yah. I’ve watched that fight over and over wondering what I could have done different and that’s it bro. He was working and working and I wasn’t working enough. You’ve got to work.
MMAWeekly: As usual, thanks for taking the time to talk to us at MMAWeekly Kevin and good luck against Rampage.
Kevin: No problem, Ken. Thank you