Post-PRIDE BUSHIDO SURVIVAL 2nd ROUND Interviews
08/28/2006
Tatsuya Kawajiri & Mitsuhiro Ishida

Pride Fighting Championships: That was an amazing KO and you declared your return.
Kawajiri: This is a new start for me.
Pride: Were you planning on declaring your return if you won?
Kawajiri: Well, I could feel that I was getting stronger.
Pride: Were you able to train at 73kg?
Kawajiri: I focused on power in June. This time I did a lot of things to work on stamina and speed. My body remembered how to fight at 73kg. I'd like to be able to fight at 70kg and 73kg separately in the future.
Pride: What will you do if you have to fight in SHOOTO?
Kawajiri: I have to defend my title within two months and I will be able to fight at both 70kg and 73kg.
Pride: You were cornering Ishida. What did you say to him?
Kawajiri: I told him that if he believes in himself, everything would be fine.
Pride: Your team is on a roll. What will the three of you focus on now?
Kawajiri: We were all born in the same area, train together, and we're friends so we want to improve each other and become stronger.
Pride: You've declared your return. What has changed for you over this past year?
Kawajiri: I think I simply grew during the year. Stamina, speed, technique. As a fighter, everything has improved.

Pride: How is your right arm?
Ishida: It didn't hurt because the arm-bar wasn't on perfectly but it looked bad.
Pride: Was there any damage to your right arm?
Ishida: None at all.
Pride: You handled his submissions very calmly in the first round. Did you expect his submissions?
Ishida: I didn't have any problems with his setups because I knew he could grapple. I never let my guard down.
Pride: You didn't look satisfied at the end.
Ishida: I'm glad that I won but I felt bad for the customers.
Pride: You said that you wanted to think about a title match after this fight was over.
Ishida: It just finished so I still haven't thought about it. I will (think about it) after I calm down a little more.
Pride: Do you still feel that you want to bring your desire to everything you do?
Ishida: Of course, I do but right now I just want to relax. I want to rest.
Pride: You probably feel that you can compete with the world's best after today's fight.
Ishida: Kawajiri's fight was great. I don't known about mine. We're both competitive.
Pride: How about that last attack?
Brennan: We were both trying to punch but I didn't see his. I don't know which one hit me.
Pride: How about the knee kick that you took? Any damage?
Brennan: No damage from the knee. I went down after the right punch. I wanted to stand as much as possible.
Pride: What was your impression of Kawajiri?
Brennan: It was just 29 seconds so I don't have much of an impression. I knew he was a good fighter.
Pride: I know they aren't easy to compare but how does Kawajiri compare to Gomi?
Brennan: Gomi fights smart. He can fight standing. Kawajiri is better than Gomi at wrestling so I wanted to fight him standing. I knew it would be hard to take him down.