Hidehiko Yoshida

Pride Fighting Championships: 35 years old? Hidehiko Yoshida: Yes.

Pride:	What will your weight be for the fight?
Yoshida:	100kg. Gardner is 137kg, right?
Pride:	He's big. I think he's 295 lb.
Yoshida:	Yeah, I saw him on the scales at 137 kg.
Pride:	He's about 37kg heavier than you.
Yoshida:	I didn't know he's that big! (laughing) Ok, let's talk about something else.
Pride:	Ok. What's your strategy against him?
Yoshida:	I don't have any plan, just running away. (laughing)
Pride:	Jus try to tire him out?
Yoshida:	I have no idea what to do.
Pride:	You obviously have more experience with submissions. Is your plan to take him down?
Yoshida:	If I can take him down, I'd like to. My theme for this fight is just to enjoy myself.
Pride:	What does it mean to you to be in the first Olympic gold medallist vs. Olympic gold medallist under PRIDE rules?
Yoshida:	Well, I do judo and he does wrestling. PRIDE is a completely different sport than those two so I don't feel anything particular about it being sport vs. sport.
Pride:	Maybe years from now they will talk about you being the first Olympic champions to fight under MMA rules. Is that in your mind at all or is it just another fight?
Yoshida:	It is the first time so I do want it to be a fight that everyone will remember. Are people interested in this fight?
Pride:	I think so. People like "first time" things, like Olympic gold medallist vs. Olympic gold medallist. The president and vice-president of a world amateur wrestling association will come to watch this fight.
Yoshida:	Gardner's going to do his best then. Nobody comes from judo. I wish the judo association would change.
Pride:	Because of the weight difference and size difference, do you have any thoughts about what you have to do? Gardner's going to try to clinch but judo has the clinch, too. You have some striking ability and experience. Are you going to try to strike with Gardner?
Yoshida:	I haven't made any plans at all. It will depend on the fight. Once we clinch, we'll know how strong we are and I'll decide what to do then.