POST PRIDE OPEN WEIGHT GRAND PRIX 2006 INTERVIEWS
05/08/2006
Tsuyoshi Kosaka & Mark Hunt

Pride Fighting Championships: Are you really retiring?
Kosaka: This was my last fight, yes.
Pride: Did you feel that you were at your limit?
Kosaka: Yes, I thought so.
Pride: You were shaking your head after the fight.
Kosaka: I don't remember very well. I didn't understand why the fight was over.
Pride: You were shaking your head because you thought you could fight more.
Kosaka: I didn't understand why they stopped it.
Pride: Have you seen the fight yet?
Kosaka: I haven't seen it yet.
Pride: Do you regret your loss?
Kosaka: I regret it. Everyone feels regret when they lose.
Pride: Did you give everything you had?
Kosaka: If I lose a fight, I haven't given everything I had but I think it was a good fight.
Pride: Your attacks were incredible. Was that because you were thinking about winning?
Kosaka: I wanted to win so I wasn't thinking of anything but pushing forward.
Pride: What is your impression of Hunt?
Kosaka: He's heavy. At 131kg, he's the heaviest guy I've ever fought...
Pride: How did his punches feel?
Kosaka: You can't worry about being hit. This was my last fight but I want to be a martial artist for the rest of my life. I will continue working to become stronger. I will attack, not be attacked.
Pride: Did you think you would win when you got his back in the 1st round?
Kosaka: Easy wins don't happen. You keep pushing forward and the results will show themselves. I just want to keep moving forward.
Pride: Since you don't remember the last part of the fight, do you think you were losing consciousness?
Kosaka: Maybe I was. I was really out of it.
Pride: Why did you keep moving forward?
Kosaka: Because of my strong feeling. I think that's the most important thing for martial arts. The loser can't say that, though.
Pride: Any message for the younger fighters?
Kosaka: Never forget that you should always be attacking.
Pride: Any message for the Osaka fans?
Kosaka: I'm happy that I was able to fight in my favorite place.
Pride: Who do you think will win the Grand Prix?
Kosaka: I can't think about that right now.

Pride: It was a tough fight.
Hunt: It was a hard fight but it was a good fight.
Pride: Which part was hard?
Hunt: It was hard to think of a way to finish Kosaka.
Pride: How much did you know about your opponent before the fight?
Hunt: I've only seen 2 of his fights, one in the UFC and his last PRIDE fight.
Pride: How was it fighting him?
Hunt: I felt that he's an incredibly tough fighter. He was so tough that I had to really think about how I could knock him down.
Pride: When did you realize that Kosaka was unconscious?
Hunt: I think he was almost unconscious 2 or 3 times but then he would come back with a knee-kick.
Pride: Did it feel like any of your punches finished him?
Hunt: I thought I had finished him 2 or 3 times but he wouldn't fall down. I thought this is a tough guy.
Pride: Did you know that Kosaka was going to retire?
Hunt: Of course I knew about that before the fight but I also wanted to go to the 2nd Round so I didn't think about it.
Pride: What did you think when Kosaka had your back?
Hunt: I was just thinking about escaping.
Pride: Did you think you were in trouble?
Hunt: No.
Pride: What do you think was the main reason for your win?
Hunt: I think it's because I'm always trying to figure out how to win.
Pride: Who do you want to fight next?
Hunt: Like today, I don't choose my opponents. I will leave it up to the promoter.