Shamrock-Le EliteXC/Strikeforce conference call
March 18th, 2008, 4:46 pm · Post a Comment · posted by CARLOS ARIAS
To listen to the audio of the conference call, click here.
EliteXC and Strikeforce held a conference call on Tuesday morning to hype their co-promotion that features Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock against Cung Le in the main event on March 29 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose on Showtime.
Jake Shields and Drew Fickett will fight for the vacant EliteXC welterweight title in one of the other featured fights.
Shamrock, Le, Shields, Fickett and EliteXC Live Events president Gary Shaw were on the call discussing the fights.
Here’s what they had to say:
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FRANK SHAMROCK
On how long this fight has been in the works:
“From my end, Cung Le exaggerates a little bit because we’ve never actually sparred MMA. We’ve only sparred in his sport of San Shou, because like most people he is afraid to got to the ground with me. But it has been in the works for five or six years. He’s a wonderful athlete. I’ve always kind of viewed him as somebody if he learned the art would be a good fight.”
On the possibility of a rematch against Tito Ortiz:
“I think it’s a great idea. Obviously, my main focus is the Cung Le fight. I think it’s a great idea. I think there is a lot of strength and brand value in some of these old-timers like myself and guys like Ken (Shamrock). I’ve been talking to Tito about it and we’re trying to work it out, so hopefully it will come to fruition about 10 years from when I last whupped him.
“He’s always been like a big bully guy that wrestles well. I beat him last time on striking when my striking was really terrible. I beat him on striking and conditioning. Now, my striking is 10 years more advanced and my conditioning is even better. I just think I would destroy him, but it would still be a great money fight and it would be a great story and promotional event.”
On how he would match up against other champions in other organizations:
“I got so many belts I don’t have a place to put them. I just kind of stack them up in my gym. I realized a long tim ago that belts don’t mean anything. It’s easy to become a champion than to stay a champion. For me, it’s just a way of life and if they give me a belt that’s great. If they don’t, I could really care less.
“It’s about how big we can make a promotion and how much attention we can draw to it and how well it’s received with the fans. I’d rather fight a guy like Phil Baroni who could sell a match like nobody else in the world, and take a beating like nobody else in the world, as opposed to a champion who couldn’t put two sentences together and doesn’t draw a big crowd.”
On his brother Ken’s recent loss in Cage Rage:
“I’m pretty disappointed in his performance. I don’t know if he still has the heart of a lion in him. Granted the guy was a little bigger and had some better reach on him, but I think Ken’s skill level and I think he’s having trouble connecting his desire with his mind and his body and putting that all together to be an exciting fighter. I hope he still has something left in him because I plan on taking a little out of his (butt) as well.”
On why he wants to keep the fight standing and go for the KO and strike with a striker:
“I’ve been in the sport for as long as I have because I have to have something to challenge me. I’m an older guy, My art has been tweaked many years ago to be a striking art. For the last decade, most of what I have been studying has been striking. I think it’s time for me to try out my striking. It might be a little dangerous but it’s not like we aren’t in a dangerous sport. I have the utmost confidence in what I do. I think that Cung Le is a great striker, but I don;t think he is prepared for an MMA striking match. That’s just my strategic analysis of the match. I’m going for it.”
On his belief that the fight will end early:
“I mean, if Cung Le runs from me I think that it might last for a while. It will take me a little while to run him down. I think Cung Le has a good strategy. I know he is going to punch, kick and then wrestle. I don’t think it is going to get very long. I don’t think it will go past two or three rounds. I’m going to push the pace really hard and try to finish it in two because my wife’s pregnant and I want to make sure I’m home with her just in case the baby pops out. Other than that, I don;t think it’s going to be a long fight.”
On the rumors that Le was well ahead of him in the striking department during their sparring sessions:
“They are true. Cung Le did kick my (butt). I was, basically, his sparring partner in his sport. We only did San Shou and I sucked at San Shou. That was a great many years ago and that was at the beginning of my understanding of striking. Now, it’s a different level with a different story. Time will tell. My actions in the ring will make everybody understand.”
On why he wants to strike with a world-class striker:
“For me, it’s what fighting is about and that’s challenging myself at something. If I fight somebody ata their game and they kick my (butt), that’s the way it is. If I wrestle a better wrestler and he outwrestles me, that’s the way it is. Mixed martial arts is my game. Kicking and punching are a huge part of it.
“For me, I saw the sport changing in 1999 and turning into a striking sport, and I in turn adjusted my style and got my striking prepared for this type of modern day striking art.
“Cung Le is just the right guy at the right time for me. It may be a bad call, but as I go through my record I’ve never been knocked out, submitted or gave up in an MMA match. It’s time for me to try something new and different. Everyone figured I’d take down Phil Baroni and work on the ground on him. He ended up taking me down. I just think Cung Le will end up doing the same thing.
On people regarding Anderson Silva is the top fighter pound-for-pound in MMA:
“I think I’ve been named that guy several times over the past 14 years. So I think it’s exciting, but I certainly don’t think he is the best in the world. I think he is probably one of the best guys in the UFC, but all of the best fighters are not in the UFC. Hopefully, he can hang on to that and make something out of it and gain some fame. But if I ran into him, they would be calling me that guy.”
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CUNG LE
On how long this fight has been in the works:
“I think it’s been about six years. First, it started off with a couple of rounds of San Shou and a couple of rounds of MMA, but now it’s finally happening. I think it’s a good thing for this fight card and this town, and I can’t wait to step into the cage against Frank Shamrock.”
On what this fight means to him and the City of San Jose:
“This is the biggest fight of my whole career. I think this is one of the biggest fights in San Jose to date. I’m just looking forward to it. I’ve been training so hard for this fight and I’m just looking forward to stepping in the cage with Frank. Frank’s been around for a long time. He’s got a lot of wins against big names like Tito. I’m looking to match up with him. He’s saying he’s going to knock me out in the second round, and if Frank chooses to stand then I think we’ll have a great fight. Let’s get in that cage and Rock n’ Roll.”
On making the move to MMA:
“Actually, it was Frank’s old trainer, now my trainer, Javier Mendez. He asked me to try MMA back in 2006. He said, ‘The time is now. MMA is about to explode even more.’ And I said, ‘OK, I’ll give it a shot.’ Frank and I fought on the same card in March, two years ago. It was a sellout. I guess, there was about 18,000 that showed up. We’re expecting another big show. Two years later I’m just fortunate to have the chance to compete for a title. It’s been two years for me in the MMA game and I feel I came in at the right place at the right time. I’ve been blessed. Frank gave me the shot and I’m grateful. I’m going to do everything I can to take that belt away from Frank.”
On Shamrock’s willingness to strike in this fight:
“I think it is a big smoke screen. Frank is a very intelligent fighter and, of course, he is going to put it out there that he is going to strike with me. Really, I think he is going to test the waters a little bit, then jump for half guard or look for an ankle pick and start gunning for me. That’s what I think. Of course, the battle starts early with Frank, trying to get in my mind and try to put out there what he is going to do and making me think that he is going to strike. But I’m also a very intelligent fighter and I’m prepared for what Frank is going to come with. If he chooses to stand, great. If he doesn’t, then I’ll be stepping out of those foot locks.”
On his background in wrestling and the ground game:
“In high school, I was a high school All-American and I went to Visalia Junior College and I won the state there too. I pretty much wrestled year round since I was in the eighth grade from freestyle, Greco Roman to collegiate style. I, basically, trained with Cesar and Hal when they were together. It was just too much for me and I stopped going there after about three months.
“I started doing strictly standup. Now, I go over to AKA and I have Paul Shriner here and Scott Taylor. Jake comes up from AKA. We’ve got all kinds of great sparring partners, guys that are really well rounded with standup and the ground game. I run a lot. I’m just excited to be a part of this mega-event. I’m just going to focs and stay focused on Frank and not worry about who is next. I also know things happen in threes. Ken Shamrock and his son got defeated, so watch out Frank. It always happens in threes.”
On Frank believing the fight will be a quick one:
“Frank can believe whatever he wants to believe, but we’ll see come March 29. If he believes he can take me down striking, great. I’ll feed him plenty of punches and kicks so he can learn how to get in all those strikes he’s going to get in on me.”
On whether his kicks will leave an opening for Shamrock to take him down:
“I’ve been working on ground too. If he does take me down, I will scramble to get back to my feet and keep it standing where he wants it.”
On his prediction for the fight:
“I never predict fights. I just know it’s going to be one hell of a fight and the rest of the card is stacked up. All night long it’s going to be the best fight card, not just of the year, but of the century.”
On how dangerous it is to fight Shamrock with so few MMA fights:
“I think it’s a win-win situation. Everyone has been saying that I need to step up, so I took a huge step up and I’m just grateful that I have the opportunity to fight Frank.
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JAKE SHIELDS
On fighting Fickett:
“I’m finally getting a chance to fight for that title. I’ve been in this sport for a long time and I have some titles in Japan and stuff, but never one of the legit big titles in the world. It’s exciting. Drew is a very tough opponent. He’s very well rounded. He has good ground and good standup. I’m well prepared for the war.”
On the experience factor:
“I would say it’s pretty comparable. Drew has a few more fights and I’ve fought real good fighters in good shows, so has Drew. Experience-wise, it looks pretty even to me.”
On fighting and beating Hayato “Mach” Sakurai:
“I had been watching Sakurai fight, and I took the fight on short notice. He’s one of my favorite fighters and all of a sudden I got the opportunity to fight him. So I was just so excited. I couldn’t believe I had that opportunity, and to go and beat him was really cool.”
On if this will be his toughest opponent:
“Definitely, one of them. I’ve fought a lot of tough opponents. He’s up there. I’ve fought guys like (Yushin) Okami and (Kazuo) Misaki and he’s up there with that level. I’m not looking pastt him. I’m ready for a war. Like he said, when Drew is motivated, in shape and looking good, he’s definitely a real tough competitor.”
On recently being promoted to black belt:
“It was a symbolic thing. I’ve been competing, mixing grappling and Jiu-Jitsu for years at a high level. I think I’ve been at that level for a while, but I think it’s nice to finally get that recognition and get the belt from Cesar (Gracie), because Cesar doesn’t give out belts that easy, so it’s quite an honor.”
On the difference between going against someone like Fickett and Mike Pyle:
“One big difference is this is going to be five rounds. You have to prepare a little more. I think they are both good grapplers. Drew is a little bit stronger, a little more experienced. In training, I’ve pretty much been doing the same stuff. The only difference is I’m doing a little more cardio to go five rounds instead of three.”
On what has changed since his last loss and since he’s been on this winning streak:
“I’ve taken the sport a lot more serious since my last loss. I hated losing, so I just got really serious and cardio. I think cardio is the key to fighting. You have to make sure you are in shape and everything.”
On fighting in front of his hometown crowd:
“It’s going to be interesting. I’m used to fighting away in Hawaii or Japan. But it’s an interesting feeling having all my friends and fans there. It feels good and bad. It’s nice to have that support, but also it’s going to make me a little more nervous, too, and put a lot more pressure. But it’s nice to be home.”
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DREW FICKETT
On whether he has as much experience as Shields:
“Probably not. He’s proably been fighting as long as me, but he’s fought in Japan in Shooto. I remember back when he beat (Hayato ‘Mach’) Sakurai, and Sakurai was one of my favorite fighters. I didn’t even know Jake. I was kind of upset about that. I always liked Sakurai because he was so exciting. He’s been fighting in bigger shows longer than I have, so I would have to say he has more experience.”
On what kind of fight he expects:
“A pretty exciting fight, a lot of scrambling, a lot of striking, a lot of ground. Like I said, me and Jake are going to push each other like we haven’t been pushed before. I think it’s going to be good for both of us. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever really been motivated for a fight for the last few years.”
On fighting tough wrestlers such as Josh Koscheck and now Shields:
“I went into that fight (against Koscheck) with a different strategy. I’m a very versatile wrestler. I wrestled in college and obviously I wasn’t on the level that Koscheck was at, so I wasn’t going to try and wrestle with him. I didn’t wrestle at all for that fight. I planned on trying to give up the takedown and catch him in a submission or trying to knock him out like almost did a few times throughout the fight. I almost caught him with some submissions and almost caught him with some knees. It worked out good for me.
“In this one, obviously, Jake’s a good wrestler, but I think you would agree neither Jake or I is as good a wrestler as Koscheck, who was undefeated NCAA Division I national champion. I think the wrestling will be a little more both ways.”
On his first fight in EliteXC being a title fight:
“I don’t really take it like that. Like Gary was saying earlier, I’m about the fights, man. I think it’s cool to fight in EliteXC. Gary has treated us really well and they are very organized. I’d like to thank him for that, but I’m more excited to fight Jake than for the title.”
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GARY SHAW
On the fight card:
“On March 29 in San Jose we have a terrific card. Obviously, I don’t have to speak for Frank or Cung. They can all speak for themselves. I believe we have one of the best cards we’ve ever put on. I’m proud to say I think we are going to do over $1 million gate. I believe we’ll do somewhere between 15,000 and 17,000 people. It shows the interest in the fight.
“We have a great card with Joey Villasenor against Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos, Nick Diaz vs. Jae Suk Lim, (Strikeforce lightweight champion) Gilbert Melendez vs. Gabe Lemley and, obviously, Jake (Shields) vs. Drew (Fickett for the vacant EliteXC welterweight title) and (Strikeforce middleweight champion) Frank (Shamrock) and Cung (Le). There is a lot at stake here, especially, for Frank Shamrock and Cung Le.
“I mean, this is truly for the king of the area and the king of San Jose. On of them is going to walk with his head held high that night and through the town for the next week or two and the other won’t feel quite as good. It’s the young against the old and it’s a stylistic fight, so there is a lot at stake here. Obviously, the most important thing is the health, safety and welfare of every fighter, that everybody walks out of the cage healthy. That’s the single most important thing. Other than that, it will be a great night for the fans and a great, great night for all these fighters and the best night for MMA.”
On the Shields-Fickett fight for the vacant EliteXC welterweight title:
“Drew, to his credit, earned the shot at Jake by beating Mark Weir in Cage Rage. So he earned his shot and, obviously, everybody knows Jake’s record and how long it’s been since he’s tasted defeat.”
On the selection of Shamrock’s fights:
“There comes a time in fighters’ careers when it’s all about the fights. It’s no longer about belts or trinkets or sometimes not even the money, although it’s always about the money. But at Frank’s stage of his career the most important fight as Frank’s said is the one that’s in front of him, and that is Cung Le.
“After that there are a lot of good fights out there for Frank. It’s not necessarily a belt holder from some other organization. It’s about which fights are the biggest fights. Obviously, Tito Ortiz would be a big fight and I’m a big fan of Tito’s. I hope Tito and I are going to do business together.
“There is Ken Shamrock out there and brother against brother in bad blood. So there are a lot of fights out there for Frank. On behalf of Frank, I want to let everybody know Frank is only about big fights. The biggest belt is the one I wear around my fat waist. On a serious note, for Frank it’s only about the big fights at this stage of his career.”
On Ken Shamrock:
“He told me he has got enough to take you Frank. On a serious note, he (Ken) was sick that night. He got some kind of stomch ailment, so he didn’t go in 100 percent. He absolutely told me that he has enough to take your (Frank’s) (butt).”
On the best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA:
“Until someone beats Frank, then Frank is the single best in the world. If Cung should beat Frank on March 29 in San Jose, then Cung Le will be the best in the world. As Frank said, there is no single organization that owns the best fights or the best fighters. In this case, the best fighter in the world, hands down, bar none, for sure, is Frank Shamrock.”
On the possibility of signing Andre Arlovski:
“I’ll repeat what I said before. There are many fighters out there that I am very interested in signing to EliteXC to fight on Showtime and to fight on CBS. Arlovski is one of them. I’m not talking to any fighters from any other organization until they aare clearly out of that contract. When they are out of that contract, I will be more than happy to speak to them, no problem.”
On the reaction from the fans leading up to Shamrock-Le:
“Every fight has its hype and every fight, hopefully, is a great promotion. I gotta say on behalf of Frank he understands great promotions and what promoters do. I thought the Kimbo (Slice) fight in Miami had a huge amount of heat. Now, we’re coming into San Jose and we’re coming into California on the West Coast and, for me, I think this is the biggest fight we’ve had. I believe this is a lot hotter than even (Shamrock vs.) Baroni, although Phil can really talk a lot of smack.
“But this is a case where it has intense heat in the Bay Area, and in this case there are two different gyms, two different fighters, with distinct fan base both for Frank and for Cung. And probably people that dislike each fighter equally as much as they like each fighter. So in a way it is a promoter’s dream, the attendance is showing that, and the fans are going to be rewarded with a great fight.”
On the particulars for the first EliteXC card on CBS:
“There will be a CBS press release going out tomorrow, announcing when the first fight card is and announcing some of the fighters on that card. So I don’t want to pre-empt it. But it is much sooner than later. We think we have a great card put together. We’re very excited to be on CBS, and I think the announce team will surprise some people. It’s just exciting. This is just the single biggest thing that I think will happen to any fighter or MMA to have the ability to be seen by over 100 million eyeballs.”
On the possibility of inter-promotional title fights between Gilbert Melendez against K.J. Noons or Yves Edwards or Frank Shamrock vs. Robbie Lawler:
“We always think in those terms. For EliteXC, we allow our fighters to fight for other organizations as proven by Nick Diaz fighting (Takanori) Gomi (in PRIDE) or Eddie Alvarez fighting in the Orient last week for DREAM and winning.
“I like (Strikeforce’s) Scott Coker very much. I think we do great co-promotions together. The first one we did together in San Jose followed by this one. So would I do that? Absolutely. I have a lot of respect for Gilbert Melendez. I like him on a personal level. I think he’s a great kid. I would love for him to fight for an EliteXC belt against our top fighter as well.
“Going back to what you said about Frank, Frank is world class and it’s only about the big fights. I like putting great fights together.
“I think that Jake Shields is probably the best in the world, but I have a lot of respect for Drew. When we put a fight together, we’re interested for the fans in putting together the most competitive fights. We think Drew fits that bill. When he won over in England, it just proved our thought. He earned a shot and now he is fighting the best in the world.
“Like I said about Cung, if he beats Frank he’s the best in the world. If Drew Fickett beats Jake, then he’s going to be the best in the world.
“When K.J. beat Nick Diaz after Nick Diaz had beaten Gomi, he was so proud to say I’m the best in the world because Gomi was the best. Nick beat him and now I’ve beaten Nick. I’m a firm believer in the man who beats the man who beats the man. I think those are the fights that really mean something because that proves something.
“The short and long answer is I would work with Strikeforce and Scott for sure and there are other organizations that I would love to work with as well. When the UFC gets some religion and allows their fighters to fight other fights, then that’s going to be the greatest thing for mixed martial arts.”
On when Robbie Lawler and Gina Carano will be fighting again:
“How about waiting for tomorrow. As I said, there will be a CBS press release coming out tomorrow worldwide.”
CARLOS ARIAS/The Register
