Fighthype.com caught up with MMA heavyweight Brad Imes to discuss his recent win in the WFC over Zak Jensen. Imes talks about the departure of Robbie Lawler and Matt Hughes from the Miletich camp and what it's like to join Shinya Aoki and Nick Diaz in the small fraternity of fighters who have successfully pulled off a submission victory via gogoplata. You don't want to miss what he had to say about the tough time that Pride fighters have had adjusting to the UFC and much more.
PC: How's everything been going with you?
BI: It's been going real good.
PC: Congratulations on your win over Zak Jensen.
BI: Thank you!
PC: What's up with a fighter 6'7 and over 250 pounds finishing a fighter with a gogoplata?
BI: (laughing) It's something I've been working on for a while. I do a lot of yoga so my flexibility is pretty good. I've always wanted to finish someone with it. Zak was a really good wrestler, but he wasn't real skilled in Jiu Jitsu and I caught him with it.
PC: When he was attempting takedowns, did you feel he was getting his arms real deep in?
BI: He was
I guess he wrestled at Northern Illinois and played football there and transferred to Augsburg his senior year. He was a good wrestler. We pummeled against the fence for a little while and then I pretty much just gave up my back and rolled for a kneebar. I couldn't finish the kneebar so I just pulled guard and pretty much went right into it. I went into rubber guard and pulled my shin up to the back of his shoulders and when he postured up, I just pulled my leg across. He did pick me up a couple of feet from that position and I hooked his leg so he couldn't get me all the way up and slam me back down. He pretty much went out like right after that.
PC: Did he tap or go to sleep?
BI: No, he didn't tap. He went unconscious. The ref jumped in and stopped it because I was pulling on his head like, "my God, maybe this doesn't work as good as I thought it did." Then the ref jumps in and I'm like, "What are you stopping it for?" I let him out of it and he just flopped over like a dead fish. I was like, "Oh, I guess it does work."
PC: I know you train in Miletich with Ben Rothwell and I've seen him attempt a couple of gogo's. Is that something you guys work on together?
BI: Yeah. You know, that's funny because after that fight, my cornerman sent out a text to everybody and me and Ben is always like, "I'm going to get a gogo." I think I pulled it off maybe once in practice. He was telling me he's going to land it first and he's been working on his rubber guard so when he found out I pulled it off, he called me saying, "You son of a bitch."
PC: I was shocked when I heard you pulled that off.
BI: Yep. I'm trying to get better in everything. My grappling is really coming along and so is my positioning on the ground as well. Hopefully all of these submissions I'm getting, people will stop trying to take me down.
PC: I did a little research and I couldn't find another heavyweight that had finished a fight with a gogoplata. Do you know if you're the first to do so?
BI: Yeah. Apparently, I'm only the third person to ever pull off a gogoplata.
PC: Damn!
BI: Yeah, me, Aoki and Nick Diaz. Go figure Brad Imes (laughing). Throw my name in there with those guys; that's funny.
PC: It's just odd seeing a guy your size do that. I'm impressed just seeing Rothwell attempt them.
BI: Ben can pull them off. He's pulled it off a couple of times at practice. Ben is a pretty flexible guy too.
PC: For readers that don't know exactly what a gogoplata is, could you explain it to them. Is the stress more on the shoulder that's locked in there?
BI: It's a choke. You choke people on your shin. You lock there arm in with your leg when you pull your arm over their shoulder and then you pull there head down into your shin and it cuts their circulation off; kind of like doing a rear naked choke.
PC: How do you feel about your overall performance?
BI: I think I'm really building my skill level and just really getting a lot more fights. A lot of it is inexperience. I'm getting all of these fights now. I'm fighting about every month and now I'm not really nervous before my fights. Before I fought Heath, I was pissing down my leg. It was my first PPV and I was fighting Heath Herring, you know? He is an excellent fighter and for the first 2 rounds, I really did not fight. I was just trying not to get my ass kicked instead of just fighting. The 3rd round I started to let things go, but by then, I was already on queer street since the 1st round; he clocked me pretty good with a hook. The 3rd round I almost knocked him out and then I took his back and then I went for some dumb ass armbar which I don't even remember doing. I was walking in queer world. My manager told me about it after the fight. He was like, "why did you go for that armbar?" I said, "I did what?" He says, "the armbar you went for after you kneed him in the face." I didn't even remember. I was like, "just stop telling me about it." I don't need to hear that. Just tell me I got my ass kicked and leave it at that.
PC: The UFC seem to thrive on fighters that come to fight and win, lose or draw, you definitely do that. Is your goal to get back into the UFC?
BI: I would like to fight in the UFC again and more than anything because the UFC and Dana invested a lot in me being on the show and everything afterwards. I'd like to get back and pay them back for that. All of my fights in the UFC were exciting, but I was never able to pull out a win in any of them. I would like to get back, but I'm not in any hurry. Right now, there's good money out there and I'm actually making more money right now then when I was in the UFC. I could build my record back up and get my experience up and the money will still be there when I go back. It will only get better. I'm really enjoying myself right now. For a while there, it kind of became like a job to me. I'm having a lot more fun with it now and not because I'm fighting on smaller shows and against guys I can throttle over, but I'm just kind of prioritizing my life better. I'm definitely enjoying myself a lot more now.
PC: You've finished your last 3 fights by 1st round submission. What was your thought process after losing to Herring? Was it to step back and rethink your career, because I'm sure fighting in the UFC, you put a ton of pressure on yourself?
BI: There was a lot of pressure because I really wanted to do well. I wanted to do well for Dana and Pat and all of the people that invested time and effort in me doing well. I wasn't really fighting for me. I'm just having fun now. In my last fight, I rolled for a kneebar and went for a gogo; just having fun. I'm just trying to do crazy shit. If you can't go out and have fun, then what are you doing? My fight a few months ago against Lucero, I climbed his back kind of like how Marcelo Garcia did against Ricco and of course he didn't stand up long.
PC: I was about to say I was surprised he could hold you.
BI: No, the London Bridge came tumbling down pretty quickly. I find that I fight a lot better when I'm enjoying myself.
PC: Robbie Lawler and Matt Hughes recently left the Miletich camp. How does that impact the camp and do you keep in touch with those guys?
BI: You know, Matt wasn't really up in Iowa very much. He was working on his form a lot and he would really only come and train right before a fight. Robbie really didn't spar and grapple with guys very much. He worked out with guys, but not much grappling or anything. Them not being there really don't affect our training a whole lot, but having guys like that associated with the gym brings a lot of prestige. I wish them the best in what they do. I understand they want to go out and start their own place and I hope they keep a positive relationship with Pat because he's done so much for both of them and all of us. There's going to come a day when I want to start my own thing, but for me, it will be when I get done fighting. I don't want to have to deal with that crap right now while I'm training for a fight. I can't even run my own life, let alone running a gym right now. I talked to Pat about it and he told me he probably could have done a lot better in his career if he hadn't opened his own gym. I want to concentrate more on myself. Being a fighter, you almost have to be selfish.
PC: What are your thoughts on the lack of success from the Pride fighters going into the UFC?
BI: I have my own theory about that, but I don't want to call anybody out on it. The United States Athletic Commission is a lot more strenuous. That's a possible explanation for it. Another being maybe they weren't as good
and plus the UFC, it's different fighting from Pride. The cage adds a whole other aspect to fighting. They don't stand up fights right away; they allow guys to work on the ground. Maybe they're just having a hard time adjusting, but I have a feeling there's more to it. You watched some old Pride fights and you see guys go balls out for a full 10 minute round and I don't care how great of shape you are in, it's hard to do that without some kind of help.
PC: Brad, it's always a pleasure speaking to you. Keep me updated on your fights. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
BI: I'd like to say thank you to WarriorWear for sponsoring me. Through all of my fights, they've stayed with me even after I left the UFC. I want to thank Ben Rothwell for being my training partner. He helps me train for all of my fights. I practice my gogo's on him (laughing) disrespect. I like to thank Mike C (Ceznolevich); he has been a good punching bag letting us beat the crap out of him. You have to make sure you print that. I also need to say go Missouri Tigers. They are 4-0 right now.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]