PRE FIGHT INTERVIEW: ALEXANDRE 'PEQUENO' FRANCA NOGUEIRA
Submitted by: ********** Brazil
Posted On 12/13/2002
PEQUENO defends his belt against Hiroyuki Abe, a rematch against the man who KO'd him!
********** Brazil: How're you feeling mentally about your title shot against Abe since you got knocked out last time? 'Pequeno': Actually I'm training very hard and mentally I'm ok, I'm fighting to keep my title. I plan to hold on to this title for the next year. And, I intend to knock Abe down.
********** Brazil: You're a guillotine choke man, will you change your fight game? 'Pequeno': I will do what it takes to win, because I want to get revenge for what he did me.
********** Brazil: What didn't you accomplish in the last match that you'll try to achieve in this fight? 'Pequeno': Last time I trained a lot just as I'm doing this time. But, what people don't know is, the day before the last fight I was injured. I ripped my ligaments and this limited my movements severely. That's why Abe was able to get that right cross that knocked me out.
********** Brazil: Were you limited in your movement? 'Pequeno': I couldn't bend my right knee. So, I couldn't shoot to take Abe down. My game had to be to trade blows with him on my feet. I've to admit, I fought for a draw or if possible a good lucky punch. But, he's the one that got lucky. He landed a good punch.
********** Brazil: During the fight he kicked your hurt knee. What do you think about this sportsmanship? 'Pequeno': I was hurt and limping. He noticed it and he wasn't honorable. That was his way to beat me. I never would do this to my opponents.
********** Brazil: Some people said that you were not prepared for this fight. Is that true? 'Pequeno': I was very well trained! Absolutely. The problem was my injury not the training.
********** Brazil: How did you rip your ligaments? 'Pequeno': I was training with Dudu Guimaraes, and he was on the bottom while I was on top trying to pass his guard. With his left he kicked my right knee. This is what ripped my ligaments.
********** Brazil: Don't you train more with BTT? 'Pequeno': I'm no longer training there. Nowadays I'm only training in my own academy WFC and in UA Fight Team.
********** Brazil: Why did you stop training with BTT? 'Pequeno': They issued a statement, on the internet, about Marcio 'Cromado' and myself. Afterwards I resolved not to train there, nothing personal about it. I'm still friends with everybody who trains at BTT.
********** Brazil: Would you have been better prepared if you had trained
with BTT?consideration to SHOOTO because they always support me.
********** Brazil: Did you think about not fighting? 'Pequeno': I thought about it. Then, Mr. Joao Alberto Barreto said me: -'Don't fight'. But I
decided to fight without any conditions and that was a bad decision. When I went to weigh-ins there at SHOOTO, the promoters asked me what happened because I was limping.
********** Brazil: When I interviewed you before that fight you had told me that Abe was tough on the feet, so why did you try to fight him on the feet? 'Pequeno': I knew that he had KO'd some good fighters in Japan and he has good sprawls, added to my lack of movements I didn't get to take him down to the ground.
********** Brazil: Also, about who's the tougher opponent for you? You mentioned several opponents before, but not Abe. You didn't see him as such a tough one? 'Pequeno': I didn't pay much attention to him before our last
fight, so I didn't see him as a tough fighter.
********** Brazil: Two of your fighters, Toniko Junior and Dudu, fought in this event too. What did you think about their performances? 'Pequeno': I was worried, mainly about Dudu, who was debuting. But, he got a draw. Toniko Junior suffered a TKO and then I stepped in the ring to fight Abe a bit sad that day.
********** Brazil: You said before that you are training at UA Fight Team but tell us again about training at UA Fight Team? 'Pequeno': Before I was only training Wrestling with their instructor, Jefferson. However now I've trained with whole team because they're tought NHB fighters. Guys like the lightweight M-1 champion, Luis 'Buscape' Junior, and Milton Vieira.
********** Brazil: Since you said that you're going to KO him, tell us about
your stand up training. 'Pequeno': I train Muay Thai and Boxing in WFC, so
I'm prepared and confident.
********** Brazil: Hey man, I watched you and Ebenezer 'PitBull' Fontes Braga on a TV Show, how did that happen? 'Pequeno': That was a good opportunity and since we're Christians, we got to explain on TV how the relationship between fighters and religion. Of course we wanted to show them that fighters aren't all brawlers.
********** Brazil: I noticed that was bit hard to explain to the interviewer
about NHB. Was it hard? 'Pequeno': It was, but after some good explanations he got the picture. We're professional fighters and NHB is a sport. Now they get it.
********** Brazil: What do you promise for this re-match and what do you have to say to the Brazilians? Mainly to the Luta-Livre community which only has you to represent them in this great show? 'Pequeno': I'm relaxed and I
learned a lot with my last defeat. I changed my mind about 'I'm a champion,
I cannot lose', every fighter loses one day. The only one that never looses
is Jesus Christ. Trust me Brazilians.
Submitted by: ********** Brazil
Posted On 12/13/2002
PEQUENO defends his belt against Hiroyuki Abe, a rematch against the man who KO'd him!
********** Brazil: How're you feeling mentally about your title shot against Abe since you got knocked out last time? 'Pequeno': Actually I'm training very hard and mentally I'm ok, I'm fighting to keep my title. I plan to hold on to this title for the next year. And, I intend to knock Abe down.
********** Brazil: You're a guillotine choke man, will you change your fight game? 'Pequeno': I will do what it takes to win, because I want to get revenge for what he did me.
********** Brazil: What didn't you accomplish in the last match that you'll try to achieve in this fight? 'Pequeno': Last time I trained a lot just as I'm doing this time. But, what people don't know is, the day before the last fight I was injured. I ripped my ligaments and this limited my movements severely. That's why Abe was able to get that right cross that knocked me out.
********** Brazil: Were you limited in your movement? 'Pequeno': I couldn't bend my right knee. So, I couldn't shoot to take Abe down. My game had to be to trade blows with him on my feet. I've to admit, I fought for a draw or if possible a good lucky punch. But, he's the one that got lucky. He landed a good punch.
********** Brazil: During the fight he kicked your hurt knee. What do you think about this sportsmanship? 'Pequeno': I was hurt and limping. He noticed it and he wasn't honorable. That was his way to beat me. I never would do this to my opponents.
********** Brazil: Some people said that you were not prepared for this fight. Is that true? 'Pequeno': I was very well trained! Absolutely. The problem was my injury not the training.
********** Brazil: How did you rip your ligaments? 'Pequeno': I was training with Dudu Guimaraes, and he was on the bottom while I was on top trying to pass his guard. With his left he kicked my right knee. This is what ripped my ligaments.
********** Brazil: Don't you train more with BTT? 'Pequeno': I'm no longer training there. Nowadays I'm only training in my own academy WFC and in UA Fight Team.
********** Brazil: Why did you stop training with BTT? 'Pequeno': They issued a statement, on the internet, about Marcio 'Cromado' and myself. Afterwards I resolved not to train there, nothing personal about it. I'm still friends with everybody who trains at BTT.
********** Brazil: Would you have been better prepared if you had trained
with BTT?consideration to SHOOTO because they always support me.
********** Brazil: Did you think about not fighting? 'Pequeno': I thought about it. Then, Mr. Joao Alberto Barreto said me: -'Don't fight'. But I
decided to fight without any conditions and that was a bad decision. When I went to weigh-ins there at SHOOTO, the promoters asked me what happened because I was limping.
********** Brazil: When I interviewed you before that fight you had told me that Abe was tough on the feet, so why did you try to fight him on the feet? 'Pequeno': I knew that he had KO'd some good fighters in Japan and he has good sprawls, added to my lack of movements I didn't get to take him down to the ground.
********** Brazil: Also, about who's the tougher opponent for you? You mentioned several opponents before, but not Abe. You didn't see him as such a tough one? 'Pequeno': I didn't pay much attention to him before our last
fight, so I didn't see him as a tough fighter.
********** Brazil: Two of your fighters, Toniko Junior and Dudu, fought in this event too. What did you think about their performances? 'Pequeno': I was worried, mainly about Dudu, who was debuting. But, he got a draw. Toniko Junior suffered a TKO and then I stepped in the ring to fight Abe a bit sad that day.
********** Brazil: You said before that you are training at UA Fight Team but tell us again about training at UA Fight Team? 'Pequeno': Before I was only training Wrestling with their instructor, Jefferson. However now I've trained with whole team because they're tought NHB fighters. Guys like the lightweight M-1 champion, Luis 'Buscape' Junior, and Milton Vieira.
********** Brazil: Since you said that you're going to KO him, tell us about
your stand up training. 'Pequeno': I train Muay Thai and Boxing in WFC, so
I'm prepared and confident.
********** Brazil: Hey man, I watched you and Ebenezer 'PitBull' Fontes Braga on a TV Show, how did that happen? 'Pequeno': That was a good opportunity and since we're Christians, we got to explain on TV how the relationship between fighters and religion. Of course we wanted to show them that fighters aren't all brawlers.
********** Brazil: I noticed that was bit hard to explain to the interviewer
about NHB. Was it hard? 'Pequeno': It was, but after some good explanations he got the picture. We're professional fighters and NHB is a sport. Now they get it.
********** Brazil: What do you promise for this re-match and what do you have to say to the Brazilians? Mainly to the Luta-Livre community which only has you to represent them in this great show? 'Pequeno': I'm relaxed and I
learned a lot with my last defeat. I changed my mind about 'I'm a champion,
I cannot lose', every fighter loses one day. The only one that never looses
is Jesus Christ. Trust me Brazilians.