Post-fight VIDEO interview with Cro Cop

Translation

What was your first impression after your UFC debut?
Mirko: It was all a bit weird to me. The rules are different too. Some things are allowed, some are not; but, it was OK.

In Nevada, knees and kicks aren’t allowed to fighters with their knees on the mat. Having fought mostly in Japan, is it difficult to adjust?
Mirko: Yeah, I kept in mind that I couldn't use my knees and kicks. The rules of the game are different; and, I need to adjust. For me it's easier to fight under PRIDE rules; but, I'll do fine.

What do you think of your first UFC opponent, Eddie Sanchez?
Mirko: I think Sanchez was scared a bit, constantly backpedaling, running away from me. I was forced to chase him around.

Why was PRIDE's theme played as your entrance song?
I made that call because of reasons I’d like to keep to myself.

When will you fight for the UFC title?
Mirko: Third fight probably, or maybe even fourth. Against Sylvia or Couture, we'll see.

When is your next fight?
Mirko: In Manchester on April 20th. I don't know who my next opponent will be yet.

What do you think about the support shown from U.S. Croatians?
Mirko: It was really nice. The atmosphere was different; the event venue was smaller; but, it was very interesting. The fans are much louder than the crowd in Japan.

Did you have some problems with injuries?
Mirko: A few minor injuries were troubling me, nothing too serious, but enough to distract my focus from the fight. I’ve had trouble with injuries for the past 20 days. This was one of the toughest fights for me because I had my left leg drained at Dr. Bucan's clinic just 10 days ago. We considered canceling the fight; and, even Dr. Bucan suggested I should skip the fight. It was tough for me, not because of Eddie Sanchez, but because of all those injuries. I had problems with my left ankle and both shins; plus, the big toe on my right foot was swollen. Nothing too serious, but it ruined my focus on the fight; and, I felt really bad.

Do you prefer PRIDE or UFC?
Mirko: Well, there are some things that are different from a promotional aspect; but, I don't want to make any comments. I'm a UFC fighter now; and, that's it. Both organizations have done a terrific job. Some things are different, like the crowd. They “boo” if the fight isn’t interesting. In Japan, they don't do that.

Have you talked with organizers after the fight, they surely were satisfied with you, basically that which they wanted they got?

Mirko: We had short talk. Immediately after fight I retreated. I was exhausted. Preliminaries for this fight were hard for me. I was constantly struggling with some injuries. Small ones which didn’t affect fight itself much, but they were big enough to distract me. For about 20 days I was in injured, and I waited for it all to pass. This was one of hardest fight in my career because of that. There was option to cancel the fight but I didn’t want to do that, so we found compromise: I fought but under sedatives. It was really hard for me, not because of my opponent but because of those injuries, really it was never like this before.

Will those injuries have any effect in preliminaries for new fight?

Mirko: No, I will recover in about ten days than I will start preparing for Manchester.

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Source: www.nokaut.com