Tatsuya Kawajiri

Pride Fighting Championships: What did you think of your opponent? Tatsuya Kawajiri: It felt like it was the first time for him to be in the ring.

Pride:	Are you satisfied with the win?
Kawajiri:	I should have been able to knock him out. I?? not satisfied because I wasn?? able to make my punches hurt him.
Pride:	How is your injured hand?
Kawajiri:	I took good care of it so it?? fine today.
Pride:	What do you think about fighting Gomi, now that you have a victory in BUSHIDO?
Kawajiri:	I think I'd rather fight here a little more, let the fans understand me, and then fight him once everyone says they want to see us fight. I want it to be an extreme fight.
Pride:	What was it like fighting in the BUSHIDO ring for the first time?
Kawajiri:	Fighting is the same no matter which ring you do it in. From the fans' reaction and the atmosphere, I thought this is the greatest ring in the world.
Pride:	What did you learn from this fight?
Kawajiri:	Don't get sucked in by the atmosphere when you are doing the ring check, and go into the fight with a clear image of everything what you are going to do.
Pride:	Edwards said that he would like to fight you again.
Kawajiri:	When I lost twice in Shooto, it was a long rode back to a rematch, so I don't want to fight him again until the situation demands that we must. When the time comes, I'll fight him in PRIDE or Shooto. I'd also rather fight someone that I've never fought than someone I've fought before.
Pride:	Kotani also said that he wants to fight you.
Kawajiri:	I'm happy that I'm recognized enough to be called out. I think if we both keep winning, we'll meet up soon enough. It's not that I don't want to fight him.
Pride:	Did Shooto's boss, Sakamoto, have anything to say to you, as the Shooto representative?
Kawajiri:	He told me to stick out my chest and fight with confidence. It's just a few words but that was the greatest thing he could have said. I was really happy that I had finally been recognized by Sakamoto.
Pride:	Is there anyone you are interested in besides Gomi?
Kawajiri:	I'm not sure. I don't know everyone's names well so if they are in the same weight class and they are strong, I want to fight them.
Pride:	The Japanese fighters lost the first half of the card.
Kawajiri:	I thought that, as a Japanese, it was regrettable and I wanted to have a good fight to lead in the second half.
Pride:	Were you watching the fights from your dressing room?
Kawajiri:	Yes, I was watching.
Pride:	What was your impression?
Kawajiri:	I thought Mishima's loss was really unfortunate. We used to train together and when I was a new guy, he really took care of me. Of course, I know better than anyone how strong Mach and I think he will get even better in the future.