Carlos Newton

Pride Fighting Championships: Big Mac or Filet-of-Fish? Carlos Newton : Big Mac.

Pride :	You studied judo. Did you ever compete in judo?
Newton :	Briefly.
Pride :	What has been the biggest challenge to you so far in all the things you've done?
Newton :	I must say judo. Everyone said that I couldn't do it. They said stick to wrestling but I was determined into making my style of unique and competing with the best out there.
Pride :	What was intriguing about the judo throws that made you want to study those rather than other things?
Newton :	The technical purity and the idea of kuzushi, balance breaking. A smaller person has a much better chance doing judo than doing wrestling, if they were in a real fight.
Pride :	How do you feel the judo transfers without the gi?
Newton :	I find it transfers very well. We just have to be innovative and deal with the drawbacks?
Pride :	Is that something that you've had to learn on your own?
Newton :	A lot of judo players have been able to help me in the past and something we had to invent as we went along, modifying throws and modifying grips. I think the thing that really had to be modified was the entries. In judo, you have the grip to break the balance but in MMA, you have the punching to break the balance.
Pride :	Do you find that as you get older that you still love the sport as much as every? Does it get harder to stay motivated?
Newton :	At this stage, what keeps me going is that I have the opportunity to fight people that are worthy of fighting. That's what I look forward to the most. If I can't achieve the things that I want to in this sport, I'm not very happy with it.
Pride :	So there are still goals that you want to accomplish.
Newton :	Oh yeah. I want to win a Bushido title. I want to see a solid 185 title, just like Middleweight and Heavyweight. That would make it far more intriguing for me to train. I can say I have this to train for now. As long as there's something for me, I'm very happy.
Pride :	You've been on a lifelong path with martial arts. Why is Japan such a magical place for you? This is your home away from home. Why do you think the fans like you so much?
Newton :	I like them. That's probably why. I genuinely like them a lot. I genuinely love Japan.
Pride :	Do you get more motivated to fight in Japan?
Newton :	Yeah. Personally, it means more to me to fight in Japan. My first big career fight was in Japan against Eric Paulson. I remember that first day clearly. For me, it was a dream come true and I'm still living that dream.
Pride :	You're cerebral. You're an avid learner and obviously intelligent. Do you find that there are lots of things left for you to learn in MMA?
Newton :	I'll be learning about martial arts and its connection to martial arts, far after my fighting career is over. I expect that my skills are going to grow into my late 30s and 40s.
Pride :	Are you going to train fighters following your career?
Newton :	Not officially. I picture myself being more life Yoda, just hanging out until somebody drops their kid at my doorstep.
Pride :	What is your goal, post-career?
Newton :	Right now, I do research at Baycrest Hospital, one of the world's leading researchers in geriatric care.
Pride :	Did you get your doctor degree?
Newton :	Not yet. I'm working with a doctor who will hopefully be my mentor.
Pride :	How long do you think it will take?
Newton :	forever... After the last fight, my trainer said that I'd better slow down with school or he wouldn't train me. I said that I'm a little young to retire.
Pride :	You said it's a leading facility for Geriatrics?
Newton :	Yeah and right now I'm in the process of opening a retirement home.
Pride :	Good for you. How many of the people in your retirement home will do martial arts?
Newton :	All of them! (laughing) I hope to care to different cultural groups, too. I hope that next year I will open a home for Japanese seniors. My godfather is Japanese.
Pride :	What's his name?
Newton :	Yoshi Tanaka.
Pride :	How would a retirement home for Japanese seniors be different than another home?
Newton :	They would be speaking Japanese. The staff would be Japanese. The food would be Japanese. The aesthetics, the interior, everything would be Japanese.
Pride :	Would the treatment be any different?
Newton :	Yeah, it would be culturally oriented.
Pride :	Which university are you studying at?
Newton :	I'm at York University. At the hospital that I work at, the doctors and everyone likes it that I'm a fighter. Whenever we have press come into do studies on the research we are doing, they always put me at the forefront to show that we have some diversity on the team. For me, it's been a real journey for me, too. I spend half my day with guys that can barely walk, trying to make life intriguing and compelling for them, and then I'm back in the gym, hitting the bag.
Pride :	Do the doctors understand what you do?
Newton :	The totally understand. The area we specialize in is based is psychology. The only thing they are really concerned about is concussions, being doctors. Other than that, they see it as making me as a very healthy young man and more so when I get older.
Pride :	Do they understand what the sport is about?
Newton :	Yeah.
Pride :	Do they watch your fights?
Newton :	Yes.