Denis Kang

Pride Fighting Championships: You're 28? Denis Kang: 27.

Pride:	6'?
Kang:	5'11".
Pride:	What's your weight for the fight?
Kang:	The weight is set at 90kg.
Pride:	You're with American Top Team.
Kang:	Yes.
Pride:	You represented Canada in the Abu Dhabi Championships in 2003.
Kang:	Yes.
Pride:	You won the Spirit Martial Challenge last year in Korea and that really put you on the map.
Kang:	Yeah, the Grand Prix.
Pride:	In Korea, you've done a TV commercial as well, right? Have you done anything else?
Kang:	I did the commercial for Everlast and modeling shoots for them. I'm doing another commercial next week.
Pride:	What's the move to American Top Team been like?
Kang:	It's been amazing. There're awesome training partners there. A lot of guys my weight that are also professional fighters. Everybody trains together every day. They have good coaches.
Pride:	You're one of the type of fighters that diehard fans have been waiting for. You're here now. What're your thoughts on finally being here?
Kang:	To be honest with you, everybody keeps telling me "you're fighting in PRIDE. Wow. You must be so excited." I am excited but at the same time, it's just another fight. After the fight, I'll be like woo-hoo, I just fought in PRIDE, but for right now, it's just another fight.
Pride:	What do you know about your opponent?
Kang:	Not too much. I've seen two of his fights. He's a southpaw and an ex-rugby player so he seems like an athletic guy who got into MMA a little bit later. He likes to ground and pound from the top. He looks like a tough, athletic dude.
Pride:	You're known for your ground-game and submission skills. Where do you feel with your standup game now on a scale of 1-10?
Kang:	I'd say a 7.5.
Pride:	Are you going to submit him tomorrow or knock him out?
Kang:	It's whatever happens. Every fight goes to the ground but they all start standing. So, I've got to stand with him in order to get him to the ground. Who knows what will happen on the way to the ground.
Pride:	What's been the biggest change since you've joined American Top Team?
Kang:	The biggest change is having training partners every day that are there, are professionals as well and will help you out. The huge training facilities are a bonus, as well. Back in Vancouver, I had great training partners but they live in different cities. It was a little bit tough. A lot of the time I would find myself on my own. At American Top Team, I don't have to worry about that.
Pride:	Any other goals for this year?
Kang:	Taking over PRIDE.
Pride:	Anything else?
Kang:	No, that's it.
Pride:	What are your hobbies?
Kang:	Fishing lately. My girlfriend just taught me how to fish.
Pride:	Where are you based?
Kang:	Ft. Lauderdale.
Pride:	You're aware that in Japan it's not just about your skills, but also about the show.
Kang:	Yeah, I know that. You know, I'm as much a fan of the sport as I am a participant. If I'm in a boring fight, I get bored myself. I've got to do something exciting. I've got to have some fun, too.