18 Questions for Tatsuya Kawajiri

Sherdog: Have you learned a lot from the past slugfests?
Kawajiri: Yes. I learned that I can’t win like that. It’s an easy strategy. All you need to do is stand on your feet and throw fists, but that’s not going to get me wins in MMA.

Sherdog: Did being able to show many aspects your game and winning against Cavalcante boost your confidence?
Kawajiri: Yes. I feel like I was finally able to show myself. What I have done in the past was lose my temper and get into a slugfest. Sometimes, I felt afraid of my opponent’s striking and just got stuck with takedown attempts. For example, I practiced low kicks and middle kicks thinking that I would never use kicks effectively in fights. Fortunately, I have been able to earn wins for 10 years, but I couldn’t perform in fights like I do in training. In this last fight that I had, I was able to bring out what I do in training and come up with the win against one of the top fighters in the world. It’s sort of awkward, but the Cavalcante fight was a first step to the next level. I want to keep fighting with the same mental mindset.

Sherdog: Was there anything specific that you emphasized in training in preparation for Cavalcante?
Kawajiri: Not any particular areas of my game. But I did a lot more MMA sparring then before. A lot of times, I do striking spars, grappling spars and MMA spars separately, but for this fight, like I said, I wanted to bring out different aspects of my game all together. I did more MMA sparring than in the past in order to help me switch over from one movement to another quickly.

Sherdog: You were praying with your eyes closed between rounds against Cavalcante. What were you thinking?
Kawajiri: Actually, I pray like that every day before training and between sparring so that I don’t get injured. So when I prayed during the interval, I wasn’t thinking anything special at that moment. It is something that I do routinely.

Sherdog: We have heard that Cavalcante weighs 10 kilograms more on fight night than he does at the weigh-in. It looked like you were able to contain him physically, as well. How?
Kawajiri: Honestly, I thought he would have advantage physically, but as the fight went on, I sensed that I wasn’t losing ground physically. A lot of people say that because Japanese fighters are physically weaker than foreign fighters, they have to utilize their techniques to win. Through my fight, I proved that Japanese fighters can fight with the same physical strength of foreign fighters.

Sherdog: Going back to New Year’s Eve last year, did fighting under K-1 rules help you?
Kawajiri: I think so. I feel a change inside of me since New Year’s Eve. It really helped me psychologically. I had never been that nervous and scared in MMA before. It was great that I brought out what I had worked on.

Sherdog: Many MMA fans were critical of you fighting under K-1 rules. Did you have doubts?
Kawajiri: I didn’t have doubts because I had no choice. If I had declined, I wouldn’t have fought on New Year’s Eve, and, at the same time, I had no place to run away from the situation. Looking at the reactions from all of my doubters after I won, I knew that I could shut down all the critics like that if I won. I understood that nobody would accept me saying, “I challenged a K-1 fight, but I lost. Sorry.” K-1 rules aren’t the best fit for me, and it certainly was a difficult challenge, but I wanted to prove the doubters wrong.

Sherdog: Did you have trouble bringing your senses for MMA back after the K-1 match?
Kawajiri: Definitely. I didn’t grapple at all for a month. Normally when I train twice a day, I mix up striking, grappling and physical training so that I train different areas of MMA during the day. But this time around, I concentrated on grappling. I trained grappling day and night, trying to regain my wrestling, jiu-jitsu and grappling skills.

Sherdog: Tell us about your future plans. Cavalcante said he saw you fight when he was still an amateur. You laughed a bit and responded by saying, “I am getting old.” Is your age catching up with you?
Kawajiri: I’d like to keep fighting as long as possible. I always train and fight with that in mind. I take care of my body a lot better than I had in the past, by taking a lot of rest after fights to make sure I take out all the damage. I wish to fight as one of the top fighters in the world for a long time. Actually, I want to fight until I am 40.

Sherdog: You’re fighting Masato under K-1 rules in July. Do you feel there’s a need for you to step in the K-1 ring again?
Kawajiri: I learned a lot on New Year’s Eve fighting under the K-1 rules. It’s just a method of becoming a string MMA fighter. Also, it’s fun to fight against strong guys. There is a sense of pleasure, too.

Sherdog: Your next MMA match could be for the Dream lightweight title. Is there anyone you would like to fight for the title?
Kawajiri: Whoever has the belt, but of all the fighters, the best opponent for me would be Shinya Aoki. That would be like the last trump card for Dream. I think the timing for the fight will be perfect. It will create a lot of buzz among the fans, too. Wouldn’t that be great if Aoki wins the belt and I face him as a challenger?