"It's very important to be inside of his range because you want to be inside where you can't get caught with the elbows, kicks, and all this other good stuff. But at the end of the day, he's going to have to use his wrestling pedigree to beat this guy. He's gonna have to use his wrestling and all of his ground tools against this guy
we're coming home with that title. I'm very confident with that. Everybody on the team has done their part and now we're here and ready to go," stated Rosendo Sanchez, the boxing coach for undefeated UFC light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier, who talked about the upcoming showdown this Saturday with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Check it out!
PC: Daniel Cormier is going for the light heavyweight title on Saturday night against Jon Jones. How has preparation been leading up to the fight?
RS: It's going real good. He looks great and as good as we expected. Everybody's on the same page.
PC: As a trainer, I'm sure you look for certain things to feel like your guy is ready. What were you looking for from DC to see if he was indeed ready to go?
RS: I just wanted to make sure everything was on track with his sparring and his training in the gym. I know he's got other obligations with his media stuff and the FOX thing, but he's a professional and he handles it alright.
PC: What is it like being the boxing coach for an Olympic level wrestler? How important is it for you to make sure his hands can keep up with his wrestling credentials?
RS: It's hard because he's at such an elite level and for him to bring me in because he liked what I was doing and I'm just working on the basics and making sure he's able to do different things. He just learns and picks up everything so fast. It's hard, but he respects what I do and appreciates it. That's a good thing; we both growing as a team and getting better.
PC: You being a former boxer and having trained several boxers, you understand distance and range well, especially you being a shorter guy. Jones is a very long fighter. I'm sure you have preached the importance of range to DC and more importantly him finding his range.
RS: It's very important to be inside of his range because you want to be inside where you can't get caught with the elbows, kicks, and all this other good stuff. But at the end of the day, he's going to have to use his wrestling pedigree to beat this guy. He's gonna have to use his wrestling and all of his ground tools against this guy.
PC: When you look at Jon Jones, what do you think of him as an opponent and a champion?
RS: He's an elite athlete. He's great in a lot of areas. I think the most dangerous thing that I can see in the standup part is his elbows. I'm not talking bad about his hands or anything, but I don't feel threatened with the power of his punches, but it's more in the elbows. That's what I'm seeing and I think you just have to be tight with your hands and be out of range to where he can't use that to his advantage.
PC: What was your initial reaction to DC going down to 205?
RS: I thought it was a great idea. DC has always been a heavier guy at heavyweight, so to go down to 205 made him that much more explosive. Now he has speed, power, and he didn't lose anything dropping down to 205. Plus he's got a great coach that helps him make weight and cut weight properly. Tyson Griffin helps him out a lot with cutting the weight and that was half of the battle, just cutting the weight properly. He has somebody on his team that knows how to cut weight as a fighter himself and that helps tremendously. Even with all of his media obligations, he stays on top of things. Everybody is on the same page, everybody is working together, and that's the beauty of this. Once you get somebody like Daniel, who is an Olympian and getting ready to fight for the title, and we're coming home with that title. I'm very confident with that. Everybody on the team has done their part and now we're here and ready to go.
PC: What would it mean for you as a coach to see DC capture that title and be a part of it?
RS: It would be an honor. I would be so proud of him. For me personally, it would be another accomplishment that I have accomplished in my life. I've been blessed to be in this position. I have been with him for about 2 ½ years. He's respected me and believed in what I do and it would just take my career as a coach to the next level.
PC: Is this just about the win or would you like to see DC win in a certain manner? What would be the perfect fight in your opinion?
RS: I want him to look explosive, look good, and to look sharp; not just getting a win. I want him to show the world what a great athlete he is and not just people looking at him as the guy that got lucky. No! He's explosive and I want him to show that. I want him to make it a dog fight and show the world that it wasn't a lucky win, it was a very dominant win.
PC: I wish you guys the best of luck. We will talk after the fight for sure. Is there anything else you want to say in closing?
RS: Thank you, Percy. That's it.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]