RedOctane
By Takimoto
Monday, November 7, 2005
Takimoto- Thank you for talking with us... Now, you first emerged as the Marco Ruas (UFC 7 tournament champion) number one student. This was true until the Randleman defeat, who at the time was the heavyweight to be beaten. Your biggest weapon was always the low kicks (the strongest in MMA) and your stand up game. You have always been considered one of the best strikers in the circuit. Do you think your game became old or it were the others fighters that evolved?
Rizzo- It was MMA that developed, like Emelianenko Fedor, for example, who is an excellent wrestler and muay thai fighter. He is winning because he represents a very good MMA game, a complete one. I have to do what he is doing, to be more complete. I'm training to evolve my game now. The one who thinks he will win now-a-days doing just one modality will not win anything.
Takimoto- Tell us a little bit about your recent fight against Kharitonov.
Rizzo- I fought real badly. I fought against an opponent who was in the competition pace and that was it. I felt a lot of ring rust; after all, I went one year and a half without fighting. It was not my day.
Takimoto- You still have fights to do in Pride. When we will see you again?
Rizzo- Unfortunately, in December will be only the Pride stars, which are fighting and winning. I hope to be listed in the first Pride of 2006, have and earn a convincible win so to be invited to be part of the Heavyweight GP.
Takimoto- What changed in you training routine after the defeats, mainly after this last one, where you were defeated by TKO?
Rizzo- I put in my mind that I have to improve some fundaments that I feel I'm weak. I am improving my ground skills and the takedowns. I'm sharpening even more the stand up part staying more time in Holland. I'm trying to become more complete.
Takimoto- What do you think you need to do to be in the top of the rankings again and to be respected again as one of the best or the best?
Rizzo- I think I have to fight against someone recognizable. I truely need to win against a top fighter and show that I can fight against anyone. I had the chance to figure between the 4 best, but I lost. Now I will run and try to be again in the top of the MMA world.
Takimoto- Fedor is the man to be beaten in the heavyweights. What is the possibility we have to see any Brazilian conquering the belt?
Rizzo- His main opposition has to evolve more. Today you have to know how to trade [strikes], take people down, know the ground game, always inverting positions. This is what Fedor does. He is doing the right MMA game, doing everything. I think this is the thing that the other fighters must do better to win against him. What Fedor does is almost the same of what Shogun is doing.
Takimoto- Don't you think about fighting in K-1?
Rizzo- Not now, I'm very focused in MMA and in Pride. If I had conquered everything in MMA, I would like to fight K-1. But there are still a lot of things to happen before this.
Takimoto- What are the differences in the trainings that you do here and in Holland?
Rizzo- The difference is that there I'm the shortest and the thinnest; the human material for the heavyweights there is very big. Holland is, in the stand up capitol, where Brazil is in the grappling one. And know I knew a wrestling academy where Russians and Bulgarians train and they are helping me a lot and sharpening my take down abilities.
Takimoto- Today, Ruas Vale Tudo has a partnership with top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy - Nova Uniao. What are your thoughts about this about this?
Rizzo- I think it is excellent. Andre Pedreneiras [Nova Uniao] is a lot like me, we have the same mentality and principles. We are friends and professionals; we respect the name of the academy and the name of the fighters to give the best for the academy. We complete their stand up part and they do the same with our ground part. It was very valid.
Takimoto- Who do you think are the stand outs of the team?
Rizzo- I think Antoine Jaoude, Eric Tavares, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Thalles Leite, Jose Aldo Jr., and, outside, some athletes that Marco is training.
Takimoto- Thank you again, please leave a message to your fans.
Rizzo- Next year will be a year with a lot of fights and I will win my very expected classic to put myself again as one of the world's best. I thank everybody who roots for me.
Monday, November 7, 2005
Takimoto- Thank you for talking with us... Now, you first emerged as the Marco Ruas (UFC 7 tournament champion) number one student. This was true until the Randleman defeat, who at the time was the heavyweight to be beaten. Your biggest weapon was always the low kicks (the strongest in MMA) and your stand up game. You have always been considered one of the best strikers in the circuit. Do you think your game became old or it were the others fighters that evolved?
Rizzo- It was MMA that developed, like Emelianenko Fedor, for example, who is an excellent wrestler and muay thai fighter. He is winning because he represents a very good MMA game, a complete one. I have to do what he is doing, to be more complete. I'm training to evolve my game now. The one who thinks he will win now-a-days doing just one modality will not win anything.
Takimoto- Tell us a little bit about your recent fight against Kharitonov.
Rizzo- I fought real badly. I fought against an opponent who was in the competition pace and that was it. I felt a lot of ring rust; after all, I went one year and a half without fighting. It was not my day.
Takimoto- You still have fights to do in Pride. When we will see you again?
Rizzo- Unfortunately, in December will be only the Pride stars, which are fighting and winning. I hope to be listed in the first Pride of 2006, have and earn a convincible win so to be invited to be part of the Heavyweight GP.
Takimoto- What changed in you training routine after the defeats, mainly after this last one, where you were defeated by TKO?
Rizzo- I put in my mind that I have to improve some fundaments that I feel I'm weak. I am improving my ground skills and the takedowns. I'm sharpening even more the stand up part staying more time in Holland. I'm trying to become more complete.
Takimoto- What do you think you need to do to be in the top of the rankings again and to be respected again as one of the best or the best?
Rizzo- I think I have to fight against someone recognizable. I truely need to win against a top fighter and show that I can fight against anyone. I had the chance to figure between the 4 best, but I lost. Now I will run and try to be again in the top of the MMA world.
Takimoto- Fedor is the man to be beaten in the heavyweights. What is the possibility we have to see any Brazilian conquering the belt?
Rizzo- His main opposition has to evolve more. Today you have to know how to trade [strikes], take people down, know the ground game, always inverting positions. This is what Fedor does. He is doing the right MMA game, doing everything. I think this is the thing that the other fighters must do better to win against him. What Fedor does is almost the same of what Shogun is doing.
Takimoto- Don't you think about fighting in K-1?
Rizzo- Not now, I'm very focused in MMA and in Pride. If I had conquered everything in MMA, I would like to fight K-1. But there are still a lot of things to happen before this.
Takimoto- What are the differences in the trainings that you do here and in Holland?
Rizzo- The difference is that there I'm the shortest and the thinnest; the human material for the heavyweights there is very big. Holland is, in the stand up capitol, where Brazil is in the grappling one. And know I knew a wrestling academy where Russians and Bulgarians train and they are helping me a lot and sharpening my take down abilities.
Takimoto- Today, Ruas Vale Tudo has a partnership with top Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy - Nova Uniao. What are your thoughts about this about this?
Rizzo- I think it is excellent. Andre Pedreneiras [Nova Uniao] is a lot like me, we have the same mentality and principles. We are friends and professionals; we respect the name of the academy and the name of the fighters to give the best for the academy. We complete their stand up part and they do the same with our ground part. It was very valid.
Takimoto- Who do you think are the stand outs of the team?
Rizzo- I think Antoine Jaoude, Eric Tavares, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Thalles Leite, Jose Aldo Jr., and, outside, some athletes that Marco is training.
Takimoto- Thank you again, please leave a message to your fans.
Rizzo- Next year will be a year with a lot of fights and I will win my very expected classic to put myself again as one of the world's best. I thank everybody who roots for me.
Krzysztof Piekarz
