This Friday night is certain to be a memorable one in Lemoore, Calif., as World Extreme Cagefighting returns to the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino. One of the evening’s main events features an eagerly awaited showdown between WEC lightweight champion Gabe Ruediger (Pictures) and the highly thought of Hermes Franca (Pictures).
In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Ruediger spoke freely about the respect he holds for Franca and explained how important this fight is for his career.
Mike Sloan: How are you feeling right now, as far as being mentally and physically prepared?
Gabe Ruediger (Pictures): I am feeling really good right now. I just want to get in there and get it done, you know? I feel like all of my preparations have gone extremely well and now it’s just a matter of getting in there and doing it.
Sloan: How are you doing as far as your weight? Are you on target?
Ruediger: I am definitely on target as far as making weight, but I’m not at my [fighting] weight, yet I probably still have about 15 to 17 pounds yet to lose.
Sloan: Isn’t that a lot of weight to cut in only a few days?
Ruediger: Nah. Well, I cut 20 (pounds) for my last fight, so I can’t imagine this time being much more difficult. I’m kind of used to it now.
Sloan: Even though many claim they do not, most fighters become very nervous before a fight. What about you? At what point before a fight is the most nerve-racking for you?
Ruediger: Leading up to it, there’s always going to be nerves. Anybody who says they don’t get nervous … I can’t imagine not getting nervous. Leading up to the fight, like this week, there is a lot of anticipation — like I just really want to get in there and do it. But I’ll probably really start to feel it when I cut weight, which starts tomorrow. Then on Thursday, which is the weigh-in, that’s when you start to really realize that it’s game time. All the hard work has been put in and now its time to rise to the occasion.
Sloan: Obviously every fight thus far has been important. But your fight come Friday is different in such a way that you’re not only defending your WEC belt, but you’re defending against a world-class fighter. Hermes Franca (Pictures) is by far the best guy you’ve faced so far. Is this the most important fight of your career? How do you view the fight?
Ruediger: That’s what everyone keeps telling me (laughs)! But yeah, definitely, Hermes is a world-class fighter like you said and I am grateful that I get to fight someone of that caliber. It’s kind of weird because I’m defending my belt against him. There’s definitely that added element to the fight. Also, this is my current fight and you’re always judged by your last performance, so there’s that aspect to it as well.
Sloan: How long have you known that you’re fighting Hermes?
Ruediger: We’ve been talking about this fight for quite a while now. We were kind of talking about it since before the last WEC event but we didn’t actually have the contract signed. It wasn’t until the last WEC event last October that we finally got confirmation that he did, in fact, sign the contract. It was one of those fights where we talked to the promoters of the WEC and we had multiple opponents. We made the decision that it’s time for me to step up in class and we started to look at a bunch of different fighters. We decided that Hermes was the best fight and we went with that.
Sloan: When the two of you finally signed the deal and you knew for sure that Hermes would be next, what were you feeling? Obviously you haven’t fought someone on Hermes’ level quite yet, so were you a bit awe-struck like, “Wow, I’m gonna fight Hermes Franca (Pictures) now!” or were you more or less like, “Eh, it’s Hermes. Big deal. Just another opponent.”
Ruediger: I really felt like it was just another point in my career. I’m definitely ready for this and I am excited to see how I am going to do against someone on that level. I didn’t think, “Wow! Wow! I’m going to fight Hermes Franca (Pictures)!” It wasn’t like that; it wasn’t surreal. I did know that I finally stepped up my game and that it was now time to really go to work.
Sloan: There are quite a few people out there who predict that Hermes will simply steamroll right over you, take your belt and that you stand no chance of survival. How does that make you feel? Does it irritate you or does it motivate you to prove these critics wrong?
Ruediger: I think that stuff is to be expected. He is a well-known fighter and people all think he’s real good. I mean, I think he’s really good. I think it’s kind of funny that we’re fighting for my belt. But you know what? I’ve been the underdog before. But I do want to show that the reason why I do have that belt is no fluke and that I am deserving of some of the praise that I get. I am ready to fight guys on this level. Hopefully if everything works out fine in this fight, you’ll see me keep going and keep pushing. It is motivational.
Sloan: The two of you are both phenomenal on the ground. That’s a given. Josh Thomson (Pictures) and a few others have said that Hermes hits extremely hard and that his power is deceptive. Do you expect him to try to bang with you or do you think he’ll try to beat you at his/your own game?
Ruediger: You know I don’t know what he’s going to do. I know he does hit hard and I talked to (Rich) Crunkilton and he said that Hermes has a deceivingly long reach and that he hits really hard. It’s definitely something that I have to consider. But you know what, I don’t really have to worry about his game plan. I really should be focusing on mine. I think I am well adapted to fight any realm of the fighting game. If we’re going to fight on the ground, I’m not too concerned with him there. If we are going to fight standing, he may hit hard by I hit hard, too. I don’t want to take any punishment from anybody, but I know where my chin is and I know how hard I hit. If we have to fight standing, we’ll fight standing. If we have to fight on the ground, we’ll fight on the ground. I’ll just let the fight dictate where we go. I just hope he comes to fight and we’ll just go at each other. In the end, one person’s hand is going to be raised.
Sloan: Have you ever met Hermes and if you have, what are your thoughts on him?
Ruediger: I actually have never met him before. I can’t really say if he’s a good guy or a bad guy; I just know he’s somebody that I have to fight. I hope afterwards that when everything is said and done, we can sit down and talk and get a drink. As of right now, I don’t really care who he is, you know? (laughs)
Sloan: When you fight, what is more important: imposing your will and strategy or having a solid Plan B and C?
Ruediger: Well, I have a basic game plan set up but I don’t like to stick to one particular game plan because if something doesn’t go according to plan, then you put yourself in a position where you might not be prepared. I just let the fight dictate what happens. Again, wherever the fight goes, I feel comfortable. I train in every aspect of the fight.
Sloan: Provided you win, what are your immediate plans with the WEC? And also, have you been contacted by other organizations like PRIDE, the IFL or UFC?
Ruediger: As of right now, I have a one-fight contract with the WEC. We have it tentatively set where I could go and fight in other events. We’re just dealing with it one fight at a time right now. There is some interest from some of the other organizations, but I don’t want to say too much one way or the other. I don’t want to jinx myself because if it doesn’t come to fruition, then I look like an idiot. Some things are in place, but it’s not set in stone. I would hope that those other organizations are looking at me. I think that certainly if I win this fight, then they’d look at me much closer because Hermes is on the world level as a fighter. While the WEC is a large organization, it’s not on the same level as K-1 HERO’s or the UFC.
Sloan: Do you have any predictions or do you not predict your fights?
Ruediger: I predict that it’s going to be exciting (laughs). All I’m going to say is that I feel I am going to win and I am very confident that I’ll win. How will I win? That’s the fight’s decision. But I am definitely going in there and I’ll fight will all of my heart and put everything I have into it.