Curly Howard
03-13-2003, 12:13 PM
From MMA WEEKLY (http://www.mmaweekly.com/)
MMAWeekly.com: So take us through your training as we are just a couple of days away from the event.
Dan Henderson: I just rolled for about a 1/2 to 45 minutes. I try to get some short quick one's before the event.
MMAWeekly: Tell me about your training for this fight compared to Minotauro Nogueira. How was it different?
Dan Henderson: The last week with Nogueira I wrestled with the biggest guys I could find. This time around I just work with guys my size. I found out about Nogueira basically a week before, so it was tough trying to find big guys in that short amount of time.
MMAWeekly: Are you excited to fight a guy close to your size this time around?
Dan: Yea I am actually. He's a tough guy who is well rounded and likes to throw his hands. It should make for a pretty interesting fight, and exciting one. Every fight I go into, I'm very confident that I will go in and win, and this is no different. I'm not overconfident for this fight.
MMAWeekly: So do you see this fight as a stand up brawl?
Dan: I haven't decided yet. I feel, especially with this fight, I can put it where I want it to go. If I want to keep on the feet, I believe I can control it there, or if I want this to go to the ground we can go there as well. I don't think he's very good on the ground, at least compared to me. I know he isn't at my level on the ground because he doesn't have the expierence that I do. I think going in, my hands are better, but we shall see. I think I'm just going into this with the attitude to just fight this time. If it goes to the ground I will try to submit him or if we stand up I will go for the knockout.
MMAWeekly: When you say that you want to "just fight this time", what do you mean?
Dan: I'm just going to go in there and fight; instead of, going in with a set game plan. Meaning, I don't have a game plan to go to the ground, or whatever. I feel like I can dominant in any position, so I just want to win by either KO or submission. It just depends what position we end up at. I'm not trying to be overconfident in this fight or anything. But, I just feel like I can be better at standing up or on the ground this fight. I'm just looking forward to fighting.
MMAWeekly: Most guys go through the fight in their head a billion times. This fight it doesn't seem that you know where you want this fight to go...is it tougher to envision the fight in your head?
Dan: Not really. I think the way he is it could be a quick knockout, because he likes to throw those looping punches that I have to be aware of and be careful of. If it happens I feel I may be able to get the KO quick. If not I hope to get him in the clinch and just beat on him and wear him down and get a submission.
MMAWeekly: With this fight has it been the same crew that you have always trained with, or is there anyone new you have been training with?
Dan: Basically the same core of guys from Oregon. So basically Matt (Lindland), Randy (Couture), and the rest of the Team Quest guys like Evan Tanner. I have some guys that I do train with in California, but basically I did my majority of training in Oregon. I would have liked to have done more training in California, but it didn't work out that way.
MMAWeekly: Your last fight you weighed around 195, what do you think you will weigh for this fight...
Dan: Probably the same. He will probably be around 200, so this will be nice for me. I haven't fought anyone around my own weight for a couple of fights. The harder I train the harder it is to keep weight on, and I'm not going to stick a needle in my ass to do it.
MMAWeekly: You had to be proud of your boy Matt Lindland in his last fight.
Dan: Yea he did a great job. I knew he would be able to control him. I didn't think he would stand with him that much. He stood with Baroni more than we wanted him too, but he felt comfortable in doing so and he is the one feeling the pressure so we left it up to him. He kept telling us in the corner that the punches didn't have anything on them, so he made us a bit nervous because that was Baroni's only way to beat him but looking back it was Lindland who beat him in the standup game. He fought a great fight.
MMAWeekly: So you have some decisions to make after this fight. Have you seen anything one way or another to help you make a decision with your future?
Dan: I just want to stay active this next year and fight at least three times this year. Pride has been very good to me, but we all don't know what's going to happen in the future. I have heard a lot of bad rumors recently and I just have to feel it out for myself of how things are going on out here. I look forward to talking with them. The UFC has also been very nice to me and always takes care of me when I go watch Matt or anyone else I corner. I would be very happy to fight for either organization. I basically can't see myself with anyone else, except the UFC or Pride. They both have advantages and disadvantages. It's nice to make cash from Pride compared to a check, but we shall see what happens.
MMAWeekly: If you decide to go to Zuffa and the UFC, have you thought about what weight you would end up fighting at?
Dan: It would be 185. I'm a little too small for the guys who cut to 205 in the UFC. I would like to do what Carlos Newton is doing and fight for both companies. I don't see why fighters shouldn't be able to do that. We will see what happens. Soon my contract is up here, we can talk with both organizations.
MMAWeekly: If you stay in Pride what is left for you, or more importantly WHO is left for you to fight?
Dan: Well of course I want Sakuraba. I've been pretty patient about not asking for it, but that is a fight that needs to happen. Another fight that needs to happen is me against Vanderlei Silva. I want to settle a score with him. Basically I want the belt- whomever has it.
MMAWeekly: Were you upset that Pride let Sakuraba fight Elvis and not you?
Dan: Yea, they told me the doctors cleared him to fight somebody not so tough, and I think Elvis is a tough guy. He's not a striker and maybe that was really the story, is they didn't want a striker to fight Sakuraba. So, that's why I'm not fighting him this time around. I was pushing for that, but I guess they gave me the next best Japanese guy.
MMAWeekly: How tough is your flight to Japan. Does your body trip out or are you used to it now?
Dan: It's not so bad going there, but it's very tough coming back. I left the United States mid morning on Tuesday and I arrived here in Japan 11 hours later. It's 5 or 6 at night, so I go to dinner and then it's 9 or 10pm, so then I just go to sleep- and it's not too bad. But coming back is brutal. Your supposed to stay up all freakin day and you can't do it, so you are up all night.... you can't do it. It took me a week to recover from a Pancrase event recently, so it's very difficult.
MMAWeekly: I'm looking forward to watching you fight. Who will be in your corner.
Dan: It's going to be good to have Matt and Randy in my corner this time. It's usually just one of those guys, but this time I get both of them in my corner. Plus Heath Sims and Ryan Parsons are going and those two have gone to almost all of my fights.
MMAWeekly: You mention Randy, how is Couture doing these days?
Dan: He's doing really well. He will be stepping up training for his next fight against Arlovski when he comes back from Japan, but he is doing well.
MMAWeekly: We always appreciate you making time for MMAWeekly and looking forward to watching you fight.
Dan: No problem at all. I have no problem making time for you guys, you know it
MMAWeekly.com: So take us through your training as we are just a couple of days away from the event.
Dan Henderson: I just rolled for about a 1/2 to 45 minutes. I try to get some short quick one's before the event.
MMAWeekly: Tell me about your training for this fight compared to Minotauro Nogueira. How was it different?
Dan Henderson: The last week with Nogueira I wrestled with the biggest guys I could find. This time around I just work with guys my size. I found out about Nogueira basically a week before, so it was tough trying to find big guys in that short amount of time.
MMAWeekly: Are you excited to fight a guy close to your size this time around?
Dan: Yea I am actually. He's a tough guy who is well rounded and likes to throw his hands. It should make for a pretty interesting fight, and exciting one. Every fight I go into, I'm very confident that I will go in and win, and this is no different. I'm not overconfident for this fight.
MMAWeekly: So do you see this fight as a stand up brawl?
Dan: I haven't decided yet. I feel, especially with this fight, I can put it where I want it to go. If I want to keep on the feet, I believe I can control it there, or if I want this to go to the ground we can go there as well. I don't think he's very good on the ground, at least compared to me. I know he isn't at my level on the ground because he doesn't have the expierence that I do. I think going in, my hands are better, but we shall see. I think I'm just going into this with the attitude to just fight this time. If it goes to the ground I will try to submit him or if we stand up I will go for the knockout.
MMAWeekly: When you say that you want to "just fight this time", what do you mean?
Dan: I'm just going to go in there and fight; instead of, going in with a set game plan. Meaning, I don't have a game plan to go to the ground, or whatever. I feel like I can dominant in any position, so I just want to win by either KO or submission. It just depends what position we end up at. I'm not trying to be overconfident in this fight or anything. But, I just feel like I can be better at standing up or on the ground this fight. I'm just looking forward to fighting.
MMAWeekly: Most guys go through the fight in their head a billion times. This fight it doesn't seem that you know where you want this fight to go...is it tougher to envision the fight in your head?
Dan: Not really. I think the way he is it could be a quick knockout, because he likes to throw those looping punches that I have to be aware of and be careful of. If it happens I feel I may be able to get the KO quick. If not I hope to get him in the clinch and just beat on him and wear him down and get a submission.
MMAWeekly: With this fight has it been the same crew that you have always trained with, or is there anyone new you have been training with?
Dan: Basically the same core of guys from Oregon. So basically Matt (Lindland), Randy (Couture), and the rest of the Team Quest guys like Evan Tanner. I have some guys that I do train with in California, but basically I did my majority of training in Oregon. I would have liked to have done more training in California, but it didn't work out that way.
MMAWeekly: Your last fight you weighed around 195, what do you think you will weigh for this fight...
Dan: Probably the same. He will probably be around 200, so this will be nice for me. I haven't fought anyone around my own weight for a couple of fights. The harder I train the harder it is to keep weight on, and I'm not going to stick a needle in my ass to do it.
MMAWeekly: You had to be proud of your boy Matt Lindland in his last fight.
Dan: Yea he did a great job. I knew he would be able to control him. I didn't think he would stand with him that much. He stood with Baroni more than we wanted him too, but he felt comfortable in doing so and he is the one feeling the pressure so we left it up to him. He kept telling us in the corner that the punches didn't have anything on them, so he made us a bit nervous because that was Baroni's only way to beat him but looking back it was Lindland who beat him in the standup game. He fought a great fight.
MMAWeekly: So you have some decisions to make after this fight. Have you seen anything one way or another to help you make a decision with your future?
Dan: I just want to stay active this next year and fight at least three times this year. Pride has been very good to me, but we all don't know what's going to happen in the future. I have heard a lot of bad rumors recently and I just have to feel it out for myself of how things are going on out here. I look forward to talking with them. The UFC has also been very nice to me and always takes care of me when I go watch Matt or anyone else I corner. I would be very happy to fight for either organization. I basically can't see myself with anyone else, except the UFC or Pride. They both have advantages and disadvantages. It's nice to make cash from Pride compared to a check, but we shall see what happens.
MMAWeekly: If you decide to go to Zuffa and the UFC, have you thought about what weight you would end up fighting at?
Dan: It would be 185. I'm a little too small for the guys who cut to 205 in the UFC. I would like to do what Carlos Newton is doing and fight for both companies. I don't see why fighters shouldn't be able to do that. We will see what happens. Soon my contract is up here, we can talk with both organizations.
MMAWeekly: If you stay in Pride what is left for you, or more importantly WHO is left for you to fight?
Dan: Well of course I want Sakuraba. I've been pretty patient about not asking for it, but that is a fight that needs to happen. Another fight that needs to happen is me against Vanderlei Silva. I want to settle a score with him. Basically I want the belt- whomever has it.
MMAWeekly: Were you upset that Pride let Sakuraba fight Elvis and not you?
Dan: Yea, they told me the doctors cleared him to fight somebody not so tough, and I think Elvis is a tough guy. He's not a striker and maybe that was really the story, is they didn't want a striker to fight Sakuraba. So, that's why I'm not fighting him this time around. I was pushing for that, but I guess they gave me the next best Japanese guy.
MMAWeekly: How tough is your flight to Japan. Does your body trip out or are you used to it now?
Dan: It's not so bad going there, but it's very tough coming back. I left the United States mid morning on Tuesday and I arrived here in Japan 11 hours later. It's 5 or 6 at night, so I go to dinner and then it's 9 or 10pm, so then I just go to sleep- and it's not too bad. But coming back is brutal. Your supposed to stay up all freakin day and you can't do it, so you are up all night.... you can't do it. It took me a week to recover from a Pancrase event recently, so it's very difficult.
MMAWeekly: I'm looking forward to watching you fight. Who will be in your corner.
Dan: It's going to be good to have Matt and Randy in my corner this time. It's usually just one of those guys, but this time I get both of them in my corner. Plus Heath Sims and Ryan Parsons are going and those two have gone to almost all of my fights.
MMAWeekly: You mention Randy, how is Couture doing these days?
Dan: He's doing really well. He will be stepping up training for his next fight against Arlovski when he comes back from Japan, but he is doing well.
MMAWeekly: We always appreciate you making time for MMAWeekly and looking forward to watching you fight.
Dan: No problem at all. I have no problem making time for you guys, you know it