FULLY LOADED INTERVIEWS
10/24/2005
Mirko Filipovic & Josh Barnett

Pride Fighting Championships: This event had a sub-title of "Starting Over" (only in Japan). How do you feel about this?
Filipovic: It was a very important fight. I put pressure on myself by fighting Josh, a former UFC Champion, 7 weeks immediately after I lost to Fedor. I'm glad it turned out the way it did.
Pride: You had the advantage on the ground. Was this in response to Barnett saying that you don't have a ground game?
Filipovic: I was completely better on the ground. I think I had an advantage over Josh 2 or 3 times.
Pride: You took some knees in the thigh.
Filipovic: There was no damage at all.
Pride: You still seem to be tired from the last fight. What do you think?
Filipovic: This was definitely a short period for my body. The theme of this event was "Starting Over", and my opponent was Josh, so I thought this is something I have to do as a fighter.
Pride: What will you do from now?
Filipovic: I'll leave that up to Pride.
Pride: How about New Year's Eve?
Filipovic: I will be back.
Pride: You said before that you would like to fight Nogueira on New Year's Eve.
Filipovic: Anybody will be fine. That's for PRIDE to decide.
Pride: When would you like to fight Fedor?
Filipovic: If Pride will put the fight together, anytime.
Pride: You will probably have to fight Fedor in next year's Heavyweight Grand Prix. What do you think about that?
Filipovic: I'm always ready.

Pride Fighting Championships: Do you agree with the decision?
Barnett: I completely agree. I just didn't think it would go the way it did.
Pride: Has your shoulder completely healed?
Barnett: It's healed but it's not 100%.
Pride: Did it have any effect on the fight?
Barnett: There was no effect at all. The only effect it might have had was that I didn't train enough.
Pride: Was a standing fight one of your strategies?
Barnett: Yes and no. Don't you think so now that you've seen it? I wanted to take it to the ground and finish it there. I'm an MMA fighter and that's a big strength for me. I've knocked out Takada and Kitao with kicks. If it had been K-1, I probably would have done that and I probably would have won. My biggest problem is that my conditioning isn't good and I didn't train enough. I didn't have enough stamina.
Pride: How much training did you do? How much time do you think you would need to win?
Barnett: I had a month and a half. Normally, if I had a month I would have been doing a pro-wrestling tour and training for an MMA fight, so I don't think the problem was the length of time. It's difficult to do pro-wrestling and train for MMA at the same time. I can't say exactly what the problem was this time but the entire reason for my loss is that I didn't do what I needed to.
Pride: What is your next goal?
Barnett: I have several goals but I need to take another look at myself. I know to think about it for a while. This was my 36 th fight since I was 18. I know everyone expects a lot from me.
Pride: Pressuring him life Fedor did made it hard for him to attack you. Do you think that will work for everyone?
Barnett: I don't think it will work for everyone. Mirko is quick, smart and strong. He listens to what his corner man says. Fedor's fight went very well. Even if we have a rematch, I don't think my strategy will change much.
Pride: What do you think about Mirko's ground skills?
Barnett: Mirko is really a basic fighter but he's smart and his way of attacking was good. That's any important point and I was tired. I clinched with him but it didn't go well. He used the corners well, too. I think that strategy was sent from his corner. I was tired and wasn't able to respond to that.