It was probably a hard fight for the fans to understand but I think as a competitor, there were high-level techniques and the content of the fight itself was deep.
Pride:
Were you able to get an advantage on the ground?
Kikuta:
I wanted to finish him. He's strong. He's good at not letting you finish him. He knew when I was trying to finish him.
Pride:
Did you have a strategy?
Kikuta:
Not really. I expected him to strike, so I was going to grapple. I was looking for the one punch I needed.
Pride:
Did you give any thought to the length of his gi sleeves?
Kikuta:
I didn't think about it at all. I tried for a choke this time but his collar was in the way. Other than that, it was fine.
Pride:
You were using his collar to choke him?
Kikuta:
No, it was a naked choke.
Pride:
Do you always use that anaconda choke?
Kikuta:
I use. I thought it would it would finish have, so I was disappointed.
Pride:
You've trained judo before. How does it feel to actually fight a judo player?
Kikuta:
Judo has a lot of players that are strong in MMA. There are a lot of good things in MMA, like leg locks and sweeps, and I wanted to show that it's not so easy here. In particular, I couldn't beat them in junior and senior high and university, so in terms of grappling, it was a complete victory for me and I'm happy. Even under judo rules, I think the difference would have been clear, so I'm happy.
Pride:
Out of 100 points, how many points would you give today's match?
Kikuta:
From the fans' perspective, 10 points. In terms of the complex I have regarding jujitsu, and as jujitsu grappler, 80 points.
Pride:
How did you feel being in PRIDE after so long?
Kikuta:
It's a difficult ring. It's always difficult but this time was also difficult.
Pride:
Will you continue next year?
Kikuta:
It's been 3.5 years since the last time, so it may take another 3.5 years. If I have the opportunity though, I would like to.
Pride:
This is your first fight in a year. How many fights will you give us next year?
Kikuta:
I will do my best.
Pride:
What do you think about Kondo's fight?
Kikuta:
I've only seen it on TV but it was Kondo's style from start to finish, so I wouldn't have been surprised if he had won. Hmm. It'd difficult to comment on this. I think he did everything he could. There is such a thing as a decision though, so it's probably tough for him.
Additional Kikuta comments:
What I wanted to say in the ring was that I was able to overpower him and it was good that I was able to show how far MMA fighters can fight.
Pride:
How do you feel about today's fight?
Makoto Takimoto:
I don't want to make excuses so I will just say that I wasn't strong enough.
I lost, so in the end you could say that it worked against me. But I understood that before I went into the fight, so that is also telling of my true abilities.
