Moments after his unlikely PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix triumph, Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) addressed the media at the Yokohama Arena.
How did Misaki manage to defeat Kang despite sitting backstage thinking his night was over? The newest PRIDE Grand Prix explains what was going through his mind and how he bucked up physically to win the biggest fight of his career.
Q: Did you hurt your elbow?
Misaki: Yes. In the semifinal when I fought Filho I hurt my left elbow and really couldn’t move it. But I had this spirit that I’d fight in the final, even if there’s one percent chance of winning. Then I could fight in the final.
Q: Did doctors try to stop you from fighting in the final?
Misaki: No, I didn’t hear that I’m fighting in the finals until right before. So backstage I ate some food and was totally relaxing. Maybe not relaxed, but I wasn’t totally in fighting mode.
Q: Was it hard for you to reset your mind to fight?
Misaki: Since I stepped in this world, I always wanted to be the best fighter in the world. So I don’t think there’s anybody in this business who won’t jump on an opportunity like this.
Q: When did you hear you were fighting in the final?
Misaki: Right around Gomi’s fight. Really right before.
Q: What about your right elbow?
Misaki: My right elbow. This one is from my fight [with Kang]. But, you know, even if I lost my both arms, I can still fight with my legs. So, unless the referee stops the fight, I’ll fight even if both my arms are gone.
Q: So now you became a world champion? How do you feel?
Misaki: I feel very conflicted because I lost against Paulo [Filho]. But I take this result like this: I lost in that match but I think I won tonight in part because of luck. God led me to this victory tonight. But, one thing, Paulo was really strong. Great fighter, as I thought. I always was cautious about giving him that position, but he took it. He was very strong. I want to fight him again.
Q: Today, first you cried for you loss. Then you cried for your win. You experienced both today. Positive and Negative.
Misaki: Yes, I’m having this phenomenal experience, very thrilling too. And I love my life, and very happy with it. Recently, I often think, good life, bad life — it’s decided right before you die. Maybe when you’re dying you don’t want to think, “I wanted to beat him before I die.” But people want to think, “Oh, my life was so happy.” So what I want to say is, it’s not about winning or losing, but how hard you train yourself to achieve the goal. In that meaning, I’m happy for what I’ve done for this tournament.
Q: What is the biggest reason for today’s win?
Misaki: People. People supported me. God led me here. Then, myself. I believed in myself.
Q: You said you want to think “my life was a happy life” before you die. Now do you think you can feel that way?
Misaki: I’m on the way. I’m not done yet. I will still live my MMA life. And I will live my life after MMA. Winning the tournament was one goal. But once I achieved this goal, there’ll be another goal. So I’ll step forward to the next goal. This is my style and this won’t be changed forever. So I’ll follow this policy.
Q: You said you want to fight Paulo again. When do you want to fight him?
Misaki: I want to fight him when people think, “This is the time.”
Q: How about New Year’s Eve?
Misaki: New Year’s Eve? Well, whenever. But I’m tired right now. so I want to rest a bit. Then start training again.
Q: How will you spend your win money?
Misaki: Win Money? What should I do? I have no plans with it.
Q: Satisfy your (sexual) appetite with that money?
Misaki: That’s how you’d spend it. Well, people who don’t have an appetite is weak. Maybe that’s what a fighter needs to have.
Q: You fought Kang. Then you made revenge for Gono.
Misaki: Revenge. Yes, I put the belt on my waist. I didn’t get this belt by myself. I got it with Gono. I lost in the first match. And Gono versus Kang was such a battle. So it’s hard to simply accept to wear that belt. But, as I already said, it was just my night. I want to share this happiness with all my teammates.
Q: Did Kang catch you in the armbar from the bottom? Like popping your arm?
Misaki: Yes he did. It was tight. What do I say? We both were tired and my reaction was a little bit slow. To be honest, I got pretty rocked in the first fight. Paulo’s pounding gave me a lot of damage; I was barely able to stand backstage. Then, I stood up in the ring only by my spirit. Even when I faced Kang, I couldn’t focus on match. Even when I took top position, I felt I was slow. Then his armbar attempt came out of blue. My reaction was a bit slow. Yes, that’s how he caught my arm.
Q: How did you get out?
Misaki: Escaped with my soul. It’s like, “Break it if you wanna break it!” Then I got out.