Sherdog: How do you feel about the fight against Cavalcante?
Kawajiri: All in all, I am just glad that I won the fight. I didn’t get stuck in certain movements in this fight. I used different combinations of striking and grappling at different stages of the fight. That was something that I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to show that MMA isn’t just punches and kicks or just submissions. I think I was successful in doing so throughout the fight, so I am satisfied with the win, even though it was not a knockout. I fought smart. I wanted to keep attacking with different techniques without getting caught in certain moves. I made Cavalcante keep thinking and guessing about what I was going to do next. I was able to panic him by keeping up the assault for full rounds, and, in the process, I neutralized his game.
Sherdog: Did your impression of Cavalcante change after the fight?
Kawajiri: He was definitely strong, as I had imagined previously. I felt he had a stronger chin than I expected. Before the fight, I thought he had a weak chin. My trainer and I watched his tapes and realized that he guards his chin very tightly, textbook boxing style, when he is on his feet. We guessed he does that because he had a weak chin. I landed decent punches here and there in the fight, but he just wouldn’t back down. He was very tough.
Sherdog: Did you feel any pressure going into the fight after losses in big matches against Takanori Gomi in 2005, Gilbert Melendez in 2006 and Eddie Alvarez last year?
Kawajiri: I didn’t feel any pressure, but I knew that if I lost to Cavalcante, people wouldn’t look at me as one of the top lightweights in the world. Just like you mentioned, I have lost to the top fighters in the past, and another loss in a big fight would make my stock fall.
Sherdog: Early on, Cavalcante was countering your jabs and low kicks very well. Did it surprise you?
Kawajiri: I was trying to control the distance between him and attack using my front leg kicks, but he was very quick and accurate in countering me with strikes, so I just stopped. It wasn’t so much of a surprise. One of his punches caught me right in the eye, and my vision was blurry for some time. I did recover fairly quickly, though. I saw his punches very well after my vision was back.
Sherdog: Did you lose your contacts?
Kawajiri: Yes. Both of my contacts fell off, but that didn’t affect me much.
Sherdog: Your double-leg tackle attempts against Cavalcante came as a surprise. We are used to seeing you attempt takedowns from under hooks. Can you talk about the change?
Kawajiri: It was part of the game plan, trying to attack in different styles.
Sherdog: We did get to see different aspects your game. Did you have similar plans against Alvarez?
Kawajiri: Actually, I had the same game plan as the fight against Alvarez -- throw jabs and low kicks, control the distance between myself and the opponent and look for takedowns if I have the chance. The difference between this fight and the one with Alvarez was that I kept my composure mentally during the fight. Even after the fight wore on in the second round, I was able to land good jabs, kicks and take Cavalcante down. If I had mental breakdowns like I’ve had in the past, I would have lost my mind and just thrown big overhand punches, right and left. I really see something changing inside of me. I feel I have grown a little. I am happy about it.