"Maybe I would fight Dan Henderson in a WWE type of fight where there is a fixed outcome, but other than that, nah!"
Boxingtalk recently caught up with arguably the hottest MMA fighter on the planet right now, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Sokoudjou talks about his 2 impressive stoppages of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona at Pride 33 and 34. He also shoots down any chance of us seeing him fight teammate and 205 pound Pride champion Dan Henderson. You don’t want to miss why Sokoudjou says he feels like Mike Tyson. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on your win at Pride 34 over Ricardo Arona.
ST: Thank you man.
PC: How do you feel about your performance in that fight?
ST: I worked hard and I was kind of surprised, not really surprised, but I didn’t think I would be winning that quick. I knew Arona was a strong guy. I’ve seen him fight and he’s beat a bunch of great fighters. Going into the fight I knew I would be in there for a long 20 minutes, but somehow I was able to end the fight much earlier.
PC: You’ve knocked out Nogueira and Arona in less than 3 minutes total, yet some people still feel like you’re getting lucky. What do you say to the doubters?
ST: That’s good because the more they talk about me being lucky, the better my opponents will be and that’s good for me because me beating all the top guys makes my job easier. It would be a waste of time for me to fight guys that wouldn’t make me better. I wish they keep calling me the lucky guy because the promoters will keep giving me harder opponents and I will keep doing what I’m doing.
PC: What was your gameplan going into the Arona fight?
ST: My gameplan was to make sure he didn’t get me into a bad situation; like on my back. He’s one of the best Jiu Jitsu guys out there and I knew I would have to deal with that. I knew he was a good wrestler, but I had the experience in that because I’ve done Judo all my life. I knew he would probably try and take me down and my gameplan was to just stay off my back.
PC: You landed some vicious leg kicks in that fight. Did you see that would be a weapon that would be available to you while watching Arona over the years?
ST: Actually it’s funny because I’ve seen most of his fights and he’s the one with the powerful leg kicks. I was a little surprised to be able to land those powerful kicks and he didn’t know they were coming. He somewhat messed up my gameplan because he didn’t throw any leg kicks. I had to listen to my corner and mix it up a bit.
PC: In Pride 33 and 34, you fought Nogueira and Arona, two tough fighters. Do you feel like you were brought in as showcase fights for them and you just spoiled their plans?
ST: That’s a tough question because as a fighter, I fight who they put in front of me. If you look at the numbers, it looks like I was brought in to get beat up, but I’ve been training and everything as long as those guys. They just had the recognition because they have fought great fighters. I just know I’m coming to fight whether I win or lose.
PC: How did you hook up with Team Quest and start training with those guys?
ST: About 2 or 3 years ago, Dan Henderson was getting ready for a fight and he was looking for a Judo guy and my manager approached me with it and I went out to train with him. At the time, I didn’t know anything about MMA, but the longer I trained, the better I was getting and now I’m still with Team Quest learning and getting better.
PC: Have you got word of when you will be fighting again and how do you top your last 2 performances?
ST: I have a four fight deal with Pride and I’m supposed to fight in July, but now that the UFC has taken over, I don’t know how it will all work out. I just have to be in condition no matter who or when I’m fighting again.
PC: You are becoming a major player in the 205 pound division. Your teammate, Dan Henderson, is the champ in that weight class. Will we ever see Sokoudjou/Henderson?
ST: No, come on. It would be like you fighting your dad man (laughing). I don’t need that on T.V. I get enough of him at practice. If I want to be embarrassed, I would fight him, you know? Maybe in a WWE type bout where there is a fixed outcome, but other than that, nah!
PC: With the UFC purchasing Pride, if you had a choice of a UFC 205 pounder to fight first, who would you like to fight?
ST: As a fighter I want to fight the best. I want to fight the #1 fighter, but I don’t care.
PC: How does someone with a strictly Judo background keep putting people to sleep with strikes?
ST: I’m trying to figure that out myself. Fighting is all about strategy and Nogueira and Arona were both good Jiu Jitsu guys, so I knew using my Judo to throw them wouldn’t be good. I didn’t want to get nowhere near the ground with those guys. I look forward to using my Judo and throwing guys, but I’m a fighter and I have to have a strategy going in and my strategies don’t always include my Judo.
PC: You’ve come from obscurity to one of the hottest fighters out there in 2 fights. How is the public receiving you now?
ST: It’s kind of funny because everybody looks at me different and they pay more attention to me now. When I go into a restaurant now, I feel like I’m Mike Tyson or somebody now. I don’t know how to react to that. I don’t know if I should smile all day or try and be a jokester, but it’s different.
PC: I look forward to doing many more interviews with you. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
ST: I want to thank Team Quest and Pride for giving me a chance to do what I like to do. I want to thank all the people that still say I’m lucky because if they keep saying it, they will continue to give me the tough guys and that’s who I want to fight. I don’t know if I’ll keep putting people to sleep, but I pray for it (laughing).
CLICK FOR MORE
Send questions and comments to: nardfan@bellsouth.net
