"My velocity. I'm a killer (laughing). I'm going in there to hurt. I'm going to light up his chin all day. I got a lot of respect for Tony. I think he's a great opponent, but I'm going in there to hurt him, man. That's just what I do...This fight is going to be a test for both of us," stated Bellator heavyweight Raphael Butler, who talked about his upcoming clash with Tony "Hulk" Johnson at Bellator 148. Check it out!
PC: We get to kick off the Bellator year watching the big men throw down. How is everything going?
RB: Everything is going great. Everything is fine like it's supposed to be. Everything is on point. My team is telling me that I'm on point. Everybody likes the way I am looking right now. I'm just really excited for this fight.
PC: Speaking with Tony, he feels he's finally with the right conditioning coach and that that's going to be his advantage. What do you think your advantage will be against Tony Johnson?
RB: My velocity. I'm a killer (laughing). I'm going in there to hurt. I'm going to light up his chin all day. I got a lot of respect for Tony. I think he's a great opponent, but I'm going in there to hurt him, man. That's just what I do.
PC: Are you expecting a fast pace fight from him or for him to use his wrestling and try to slow this fight down a little?
RB: Just going by what I have seen from him before, I am expecting him to push the pace, grapple me, and try to push me against the cage and try to wear me down, man, and that is what I've been training for. I've been training for somebody that's going to try and push me and get me tired and outwork me. This fight is going to be a test for both of us, but mainly for me. Everybody always say the heavyweight's conditioning is their downfall and with a heavyweight like me, you haven't been able to see my conditioning because I've been knocking everyone out, so we will see how it goes.
PC: This is as typical of a fight as it gets as far as you having the boxing background and him more than likely attempting to wrestle. How important is distance for you in this fight?
RB: It would definitely make the fight easier for me if I kept my distance and timing on point. But again, with a fight like this, where he knows...I'm sure Tony knows he can't outstrike me. He would be silly to think that he could outstrike me, so I'm expecting him to try and push the pace and put me on alert mode. If I'm in alert mode, it's better for him. That's the type of fight that I'm expecting from him; for him to work me, try to push me against the cage, and try to make me feel like I can't outwork him. That's not going to happen because I feel like I can outwork anybody.
PC: Now that your fight has been moved to the main card, does that change your approach at all?
RB: A fight is a fight, whether it's highly publicized or not, we still gotta get in there and win. My job as a fighter is to get in there and win no matter who is watching or not. Being on the main card is good for me.
PC: Tony said he's hoping a win either gets him a title fight or at least one fight away from a title shot. I'm sure you're hoping for the same thing.
RB: Absolutely! I feel like this fight will definitely put me in the position to start lobbying for a title shot. Tony Johnson came in out of nowhere and beat the former champ. That automatically made him the guy to look at. He's beat the guy who has held that belt already. And Volkov is actually a guy I wanted to fight when I first got into Bellator because he had the belt. But now that Tony Johnson beat the guy that I wanted to beat, I gotta want to beat Tony Johnson now.
PC: Obviously he feels he's a better fighter and he feels his conditioning is much improved, but going by what you have previously seen from him, what do you think of him as an opponent?
RB: I believe that he is a real good opponent. I think the people that have underestimated him in the past is the reason why he's beaten some of the names that he's beat and that's why I'm not doing that. He's been underestimated in the past and he's won, so I won't make that mistake.
PC: Tony said the perfect ending for him would be to knock you out in the first round. What would be the perfect ending for you?
RB: I've always said my perfect fight is for me to go in there, the bell rings, and I hit dude once and he goes down. That's the perfect fight for me, but obviously I'm not expecting that to happen, but if it does, I'm going to Vegas because my luck is up there (laughing).
PC: I wish you the best of luck and I look forward to this fight. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
RB: Nah man, I'm good. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]