Gilbert Yvel

Pride Fighting Championships: 28 and 187 cm? Gilbert Yvel: Yes.

Pride:	What's your official weight for this fight?
Yvel:	100kg.
Pride:	Are you still with Golden Glory?
Yvel:	No, I'm with Vos Gym.
Pride:	When did you leave?
Yvel:	About 2 years ago.
Pride:	Known for your flying knees. The last time we saw you here was against Don Frye.
Yvel:	No, that wasn't my last fight. It was against Jeremy Horn.
Pride:	Still known for the nice high kick against Gary Goodridge. What do you think about returning to Japan to face Minowa?
Yvel:	I'm happy to be back in one of the highest places in the world. I'm proud of that. I'm happy to get another chance to show what I can do.
Pride:	How's the training going? Have you lost some weight?
Yvel:	Yeah. For this fight, I was like 108kg and I had to drop down to 100kg. For this fight, my mind is set on training and more training. I'm really focused for this fight. I don't think I've ever trained this hard for a fight in my life. I started running and cross training.
Pride:	Have you seen any of Minowa's fights?
Yvel:	I saw his fight against Stefan Leko.
Pride:	Not much to see there.
Yvel:	Yeah, it was over quickly.
Pride:	You're a very good striker. Is that what you want to do with him or are you confident with whatever he gives you?
Yvel:	Yeah, I'm just gonna do my thing. If we go to the ground, I can do a lot more.
Pride:	How long have you been training in jiu-jitsu?
Yvel:	I don't know how long. Maybe three, four years.
Pride:	Who do you train with now?
Yvel:	John Lewis and I do a lot of wrestling, for takedown defense, with people from Holland.
Pride:	How long have you been working on your wrestling?
Yvel:	I was already training that for four or five years. I never use it, though. I let him come to me. Don't try to finish everything in one second.
Pride:	You are known as being a bit of a showman in fighting, too. What kind of personality do you want to show tomorrow?
Yvel:	I don't know. My goal is just to win the fight. To go in and do the best I can.
Pride:	And no yellow cards.
Yvel:	(laughing) Well, you never know what's going to happen.
Pride:	Still known as "The Hurricane."
Yvel:	Yeah.
Pride:	Where do you think you've improved the most since we saw you last in PRIDE?
Yvel:	Especially mentally. When I was young, I wanted to be Champion. So, I became Champion. Then I wanted to go to Japan because it's the place to be. Then I want to go to PRIDE because that's the thing. Then, I come to PRIDE and I'm at the top. I had some differences with my old trainer..
Pride:	Do you think the success came too fast for you at your age?
Yvel:	No. I think I know the game better now. Now, I fight the game like everyone's fighting. The right way to fight it.
Pride:	You take it more seriously now?
Yvel:	Yeah, everything more serious. My mind is on training. No more going to the disco.
Pride:	Any new hobbies that you've picked up...that we can talk about? (laughing)
Yvel:	No, it's still the same. Women. PlayStation. Motorbike.
Pride:	What city in Holland are you from?
Yvel:	Amsterdam.
Pride:	You've been with Vos Gym for two years?
Yvel:	Yeah.
Pride:	Talking about Minowa, your opponent, he's obviously a little smaller than you are. You say that you are mentally focused but people know that you are the type of fighter than can end the fight at any time. Is quicker better?
Yvel:	No. When I went in before, I just wanted to win and hit them with one punch. That's never going to happen. Then, I was like "Oh, shit. What did I do wrong?" Now, I train so hard, I've got so much air. I just try to stay relaxed and pace myself. If I'm on the ground, I don't panic. I just relax. If I'm on the ground, maybe he puts an arm-bar on me. Maybe he submits me but fuck it, after the fight I will know that I did everything I could.
Pride:	You know that in Japan it's entertainment, first and foremost.