DREAM.6 Postfight interviews

[mdhan]

http://www.mfight.co.kr


YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA

http://www.mfight.co.kr/serial_img/serial2/2008-09-24-chu_interview.jpg

Q: Tell us your thoughts after the fight.
A: I realized that I still lack experience and need more training.

Q: You called out Hidehiko Yoshida after the fight.
A: I never made it to the Olympics or won any medals, but Yoshida was my idol growing up. I've seen him fight in MMA, and I think he fights with a lot of heart. I respect this aspect of him too, so it would be nice if I could fight him and overcome my limitations.

Q: Shinya Aoki expressed his interest in fighting you.
A: I truly appreciate the respect. But honestly, I am not interested in fighting him.

Q: I interviewed the fans before the event, and it felt that more people are cheering for you now.
A: Really? For what reason?

Q: I think maybe it's because they think you're a good person behind your heel persona.
A: I heard a lot of boos today, and I accept it with no complaints. But it hurts to see my mother getting upset by the boos.

[mdhan]

DONG-SIK YOON

http://www.mfight.co.kr/serial_img/serial2/2008-09-24-yoon_interview.jpg

Q: Tell us your thoughts after the fight.
A: I'm very sorry to my fans. I could only get 10% of the training I usually go through for personal reasons, so I couldn't show my skills in this fight.

Q: Was Andrews Nakahara a tough opponent?
A: He is a fighter with great potential.

Q: How was it fighting with a gi?
A: I made the decision to wear it today. But I failed strategically.

Q: Why did you choose to go toe-to-toe in the second round?
A: I was confused and frustrated because it turned into the worst fight of my MMA career. I'm sorry. Right now I just want to leave this place as soon as possible.

[mdhan]

GEGARD MOUSASI

http://www.mfight.co.kr/serial_img/serial2/2008-09-24-gegard_interview.jpg

Q: How do you feel about winning the tournament?
A: I'm very happy that I won. I think the fact that the semifinal bout ended early helped.

Q: How does it feel to hold the belt?
A: I was happy, but knowing myself, I think I'll get more excited once I get back to the hotel.

Q: Both of your fights ended early. Did you feel tired at any point?
A: I wasn't particularly tired at any point. I prepared to go the distance for both fights in training. But I'm happy that I was able to finish the fights instead of going to the decision.

Q: Was the upkick a "fluke?"
A: I aimed the kick. It was the same situation as with Denis Kang. I aimed and timed the kick before throwing it.

Q: Is there anyone you'd like to fight for your first title defense?
A: Everyone wants to see me fight Yoshihiro Akiyama, and I think maybe we could fight on New Year's Eve. After that I'd like to move up a weightclass and give K-1 a shot. I want to test myself in K-1 because if I beat Akiyama, I will have proven myself in the middleweight division.

[gols]

Q: You called out Hidehiko Yoshida after the fight.
A: I never made it to the Olympics or won any medals, but Yoshida was my idol growing up. I've seen him fight in MMA, and I think he fights with a lot of heart. I respect this aspect of him too, so it would be nice if I could fight him and overcome my limitations.


Up until I read this I have always thought that Akiyama was a Judo gold medalist for some reason...

[xavion]

Up until I read this I have always thought that Akiyama was a Judo gold medalist for some reason...

He was a gold medalist at the Asian Games.

[miscmisc]

Up until I read this I have always thought that Akiyama was a Judo gold medalist for some reason...

Don't worry, that's a mistake that a lot of people make, even the MMA media like Sherdog do, though technically he did win a "gold" like Xavion said.

He was relatively well-known among sports fans in Japan mainly because his switching his nationality from South Korea to Japan right in the middle of his career, not because of his achievements in the sport. That's why many of us were kind of surprised that the Korean MMA fans embraced him like that. I somehow assumed that he was hated over there, especially since he said back in the judo days that one of the main reasons for his becoming Japanese was that he never felt being accepted by Koreans as a Korean, implying that he was discriminated over there.

[mdhan]

I somehow assumed that he was hated over there, especially since he said back in the judo days that one of the main reasons for his becoming Japanese was that he never felt being accepted by Koreans as a Korean, implying that he was discriminated over there.

You're right. He WAS hated around the time he switched nationalities, especially when he went on to beat a Korean in a championship match. The media gave him a hard time, calling him a traitor and so forth. But then a few years later when he retired from judo and went on to MMA, the media started portraying him as a poor ex-judoka who was rejected by his country despite wanting to represent it :confused:. It was only after he KO'd Denis Kang and appeared in that TV show (the one where he sings) that he started to get mainstream attention and became the huge celebrity that he is now.

[miscmisc]

Thanks for the story. It really confused me that he became such a star over there. Yeah, I distinctly remember him being trashed over there after beating a Korean judoka.

I don't hate him for the flip-flop at all, though. I'm glad that he became a star. Zainichi-Koreans are usually in a very difficult position (in that it's hard for them to find their own place in Japan or Korea), and consistency is not what I would or should expect from them.