Sokoudjou Wants Shogun - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

The-Iceman-Chuck-Liddell · 06-03-2007, 11:38 PM

Quote:

By Jesse Holland

Don’t call him big-time.

“I’m not big-time just yet,” according to an outgoing and jovial Sokoudjou. “Right now I’m just a noisemaker.”

And that’s some racket he’s making.

Earlier this year Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou made his PRIDE debut at Second Coming to little or no fanfare.

What a difference a few months makes.

Sokoudjou first shocked the world of mixed martial arts by doing what no other man had done before him: Knocking out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

After the dust settled however, it was seen by many “experts” as just another upset that would be reduced to a footnote over the coming months.

Terms like “flash-in-the-pan” and “lucky punch” were showing up on MMA forums across the Net.

Then just over a month later, he knocked another Brazilian Top Team fighter in Ricardo Arona.

So much for the experts.

I caught up with “The African Assassin” over the weekend after several attempts (and much badgering). He spoke with flamboyancy and charisma, and I sensed this was a young fighter who was a little surprised by all the attention, but also enjoying every minute of it.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Rameau, first and foremost thank you for taking time out of your schedule to check in with UFCmania. Tell me, how are you handling your newfound stardom? You’ve gone from relative obscurity to overnight sensation. Has it been a challenge for you to adjust?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: ****, I’m the same guy I was, but now I have to always be serious. That sucks because that’s not me but I got to be on guard now ‘cause people are listening to my every word.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): You’re getting recognized everywhere now I’m sure. One of our readers recently posted a picture of you posing with him at Denny’s. I think that picture is getting more circulation than your last two PRIDE fights. Maybe we’ll have to change your nickname to The Denny’s Assassin.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: (Laughs) Man I had no idea that was going to blow up like it did. But that’s what I mean about being careful. I could have been acting crazy like a joke and who knows what people would say.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): They would probably say there’s a guy who really likes his Grand Slam breakfast.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: (Laughs) Yeah.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): I want to know how a fighter known for his Judo ends up knocking out two of Brazil’s top names (Nogueira & Arona). You’re supposed to be throwing them around like rag dolls not putting them to sleep.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: My hands have always been good. In the jungle you got to always be ready. The Judo is there but it hibernates until I need it.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Tell me more about the jungle.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Well I moved to California six years ago after growing up in West Africa. That was hard man, you got to walk miles just to get a pail of dirty water.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): At what point did you start your martial arts training?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: My parents started me in martial arts when I was five. I was a crazy boy always running around, they knew I needed something to direct all that energy.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Are they your biggest influence?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Yeah man, definitely. They kept me going in a positive direction.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Are you parents still in Africa? Have they seen you fight?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: They are still there. I would love to have them come and see me. I want them here very much but after 9/11 it is too difficult to get them Visas. Too much red tape.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Outside of your parents, who do you admire or look up to?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Dan Henderson. He’s got two belts and he’s on his way to a third!

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): He may very well be after the UFC buyout of PRIDE. What are your thoughts on having the two organizations under one roof?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: I think it’s good for the sport. Before you had to always guess who was the best fighter in the world. Now hopefully we can find out.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Speaking of the UFC, have you been in contact with Dana White? Does he have you on speed dial?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: (Laughs) No, I haven’t spoken to him.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): What is your contract status? Do you know who you’ll be fighting next?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: I’m not sure when or where I’m fighting next. I leave that stuff for my management to pick and choose. That stuff is too much for my jungle brain to handle.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): But I’m sure you must have someone in mind – and I think you know where I’m going with this!

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: (Laughs) I want Shogun. I’ll fight him in the cage, in the jungle, wherever he wants it.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): So who do I have to petition to make it happen?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou:That’s up to Dan Henderson and Ryan Parsons. They handle my contract.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Dan Henderson? How did you get involved with him?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: I was working for a guy Lou Demas who was a Greco Wrestler back in the day and he knew about my Judo background. He asked me to come out and help Dan Henderson train for his fight against another Judo guy Kazuhiro Nakamura. After that I continued training at Team Quest.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Dan Henderson is now fighting in your weight class and he could end up the champion before the year is through. What happens then? Do I hear Sokoudjou/Henderson at UFC 80?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: (Laughs) Oh no, I’ll wait until someone else has the belt. Dan would beat the crap out of me and I don’t need to be embarrassed on TV. Besides I don’t think it would make sense for me to fight a teammate. There are a lot of other people to fight first.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Like Shogun!

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Hopefully Shogun will be next.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Are you training differently with no fight in your immediate future?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: I’m training right now to improve technique. It’s a good opportunity for me to get better. When I find out who my next opponent is I will bring my training to a higher level.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): It must be difficult to train now that you’re easily recognizable.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Sometimes it’s cool to be noticed, but it can also be bothersome when I have to focus and train and all people want to do is talk. But I have to make time for them because that’s part of this too.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Would you consider training at a private gym?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: No, that’s no good for me. I will be doing everything except training. You have to have eyes on you all the time or you slack off.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Are you at a point where you make your living as a fighter or do you have to supplement fighting with another job?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: No I am a full-time fighter now. I do teach classes to keep busy. Idle time is not good for me. I like teaching.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): A video of you and Karo Parisyan competing at a Judo tournament is currently making the rounds on the Internet. Is there any friction between you and Karo?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Since that match I have not seen him until just now at UFC 71. At the time we competed, my English was very bad. I have no hard feelings or animosity towards him. I respect him as a fighter. But also I have no friendship with him.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): You’re still pretty young. How long do you see yourself competing?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: I will fight as long as I am healthy and can do it. My body will tell me when it’s time.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): What would you be doing if you weren’t a fighter?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Maybe a porn star? (Laughs) I don’t know man, I like computers. After I retire from fighting I would like to do something in computers.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Maybe you can do both. Internet porn is a billion dollar industry. Uh, not that I know, that’s just what I’ve heard. Really.

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: (Laughs) Yeah I’ve heard that.

Jesse Holland (UFCmania): Rameau, thanks again for taking the time to talk with us at UFCmania. Is there anything I can plug for you?

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Go to my Web site { ::: OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE AFRICAN ASSASSIN ::: } and check me out. I want to give a shout to the fans. Peace.

courtesy of UFC blog for UFC news, MMA news, UFC rumors, UFC gossip, fighter interviews and event previews and recaps - UFCjunkie.com

I think sokoudjou is getting full of himself now, but if he knocks out Shogun we got ourselves a champion in the making.

duke09 · 06-03-2007, 11:49 PM

why is this in the ufcection? didnt he say he wasnt contacted by the ufc yet? tell me you know something i dont, and that he was signed in teh ufc!

...say it...say it !!!!

The-Iceman-Chuck-Liddell · 06-03-2007, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duke09

why is this in the ufcection? didnt he say he wasnt contacted by the ufc yet? tell me you know something i dont, and that he was signed in teh ufc!

...say it...say it !!!!

well shogun is signed with UFC so... Also it was from UFCmania

Kurtis636 · 06-03-2007, 11:52 PM

It's been a long time since somebody literally exploded onto the scene like this. Most guys work their way up from the smaller shows. Pride had planned for this guy to be an easy win for Rogerio before he got his title shot. Plans change. It was seen as a fluke, but then he did the same thing to Ricardo Arona. I don't think any other LHW has 2 wins of that quality this year. If you're on a meteoric rise why wouldn't you want to fight one of the big names? You know who I'd be pulling for and it'd probably be a hell of a fight, but I don't think we'll see it for a while. Soukadjou just isn't recognizable yet and you don't want another big name getting picked off by him until you can bring him to the fans attention. That's probably why he hasn't heard from Dana White.

daveyxx · 06-03-2007, 11:53 PM

yeah shogun is in the ufc now..
theres nothing too exciting in this interview though.

BlingDogg · 06-04-2007, 12:01 AM

LMAO @:
Jesse Holland (UFCmania): What would you be doing if you weren’t a fighter?
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Maybe a porn star?

Sokoudjou's a funny guy.

FatCatMC · 06-04-2007, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlingDogg

LMAO @:
Jesse Holland (UFCmania): What would you be doing if you weren’t a fighter?
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: Maybe a porn star?

Sokoudjou's a funny guy.

LOL!

Yeah he's slowly but surely securing a place right there next to Rampage (in the personality dept.)

Trbowrx71 · 06-04-2007, 12:08 AM

Well my question is do yall think he can ko shogun?

Or do yall think these past two Wins have filled his ego a bit?

Kompressor · 06-04-2007, 12:16 AM

Hopefully his fighting skills get better than his website - half of the stuff doesnt work properly.

Cool interview.

FatCatMC · 06-04-2007, 12:17 AM

I think he has defintely displayed the skill and the athleticism to compete with the best. I would imagine he'd still be a decent sized underdog in a match-up against Shogun as well, and in that case I'd have to put some major points on Sokoudjou.

Kurtis636 · 06-04-2007, 12:22 AM

Could he? Sure. Will he? I doubt it. His other 2 KOs were over primarily BJJ guys (yes, Nogueira also boxes) who got caught looking for a takedown. I think Shogun would be happy to stand with him and I know he's got better technique. Plus, we have no idea what kind of chin Soukadjou has.

He's been impressive, but he's also lost by KO to a guy who lost to Ed Herman... so who knows.

Osnodon · 06-04-2007, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurtis636

Could he? Sure. Will he? I doubt it. His other 2 KOs were over primarily BJJ guys (yes, Nogueira also boxes) who got caught looking for a takedown. I think Shogun would be happy to stand with him and I know he's got better technique. Plus, we have no idea what kind of chin Soukadjou has.

He's been impressive, but he's also lost by KO to a guy who lost to Ed Herman... so who knows.

Lil Nog IMO out struck Shogun.

FatCatMC · 06-04-2007, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurtis636

He's been impressive, but he's also lost by KO to a guy who lost to Ed Herman... so who knows.

Probably the best thing that could have happened to him. He seems extremely driven and he's defintely in good hands training with the likes of Hendo.

Shogun lost to Babalu early on, who isn't even mentioned in the same breath as Shogun these days.

I think it would make for a great fight.

Harms · 06-04-2007, 02:21 AM

I don't see how people can say he is full of himself. He beat Lil Nog and Arona. No sense in aiming at the people below you. Might as well say you want to fight Shogun or Chuck. He has that insane sprawl that he showed against Arona. I think he has a decent chance against Shogun.

SWIBC · 06-04-2007, 09:07 AM

give him a chance instead of bagging on him. Who else can say they beat Lil Nog and Arona within a span of 6 months??

kane · 06-04-2007, 06:57 PM

they should start him off with fighting tito first, then forrest. I would love seeing those guys get ktfo. War his brutal leg kicks.

H@mmerM@n · 06-04-2007, 07:20 PM

nice interview thanks for the read

PINOYPRIDE · 06-04-2007, 07:25 PM

Yeah i would like to see Sokoudjou in the UFC, I think he would do great.

amartinez141 · 06-04-2007, 08:02 PM

Sokoudjou has hard hands but I would like to see him fight someone like chuck or Tito before shogun it seems too soon to put him up against the #1 contender imo

OneStepAhead · 06-06-2007, 03:30 PM

Why are people starting to say he is getting full of himself?

Is it because he wants to fight the best...?

Not once in that interview did he say anything that made him seem arrogant or full of himself. Just pointing that out