"I put too much pressure on me instead of going in there and doing what I do best and that's fight. I knew he was a good fighter. I knew he was good on the feet and quick, but for some reason, I didn't show up," stated "The African Assassin" Sokoudjou as he talked about his loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 79. Check out what else he had to say about Machida as he reflects on the loss and looks forward to redeeming himself against Kazuhiro Nakamura at UFC 84. Plus, Sokoudjou shares his thoughts on Dan Henderson's loss to Anderson Silva and much more.
PC: Sokoudjou, it's been rough for Team Quest lately. How are you doing?
ST: I would say pretty good, but as you said, we've had a bunch of losses. It's kind of tough.
PC: I know you guys suffered 2 losses at UFC 82 with Chris Wilson as well as Dan. What did you think of Dan's performance?
ST: Well, I don't know what to tell you because he came out good in the first round, but I don't know what to tell you. I have to watch the fight again and get a closer look. He came out and did what he was supposed to do in the 1st round and then things changed in the 2nd round.
PC: I don't think he attempted a takedown in the 2nd round until he got hurt.
ST: Yeah, he got hurt on his feet and then from there, it was his downfall.
PC: What did you think of Chris Wilson's performance? I think he earned some serious respect.
ST: I think a little bit of grappling will help him a lot. He came and trained with us a few weeks and he improved a lot on his takedown defense and all of that, but I think in a couple of months, if he keeps working on his takedown defense and his ground game, he will be somebody to look out for.
PC: I know you suffered a tough defeat in your debut against Machida. How do you feel you performed?
ST: I just didn't show up. I choked and I got my ass kicked. There are no excuses about anything. I just didn't do what I was supposed to do.
PC: Machida is a very tough guy to prepare for and fight. Did you think he would be that strong and elusive?
ST: I knew he was a tough guy, but he got the win. I beat myself before the fight. I put so much pressure on myself before this fight. Usually, when I go into a fight, I treat it just like practice. I put too much pressure on me instead of going in there and doing what I do best and that's fight. I knew he was a good fighter. I knew he was good on the feet and quick, but for some reason, I didn't show up.
PC: What were your nerves like before you left your locker room for that fight against Machida?
ST: It's one of those things to where you come in and think, "Ok, this is what I will do." Going in there, I felt great, but things just didn't go my way. One thing started going wrong, then another thing and then another and I could never get myself back together pretty much and do my thing.
PC: Do you feel like a lot of pressure is off of you now that you've gotten that first fight out of the way?
ST: Yeah, I mean, now it's just a matter of me making sure I perform. I got my first UFC fight out of the way and now I have to go there and do my job to make sure this doesn't happen again.
PC: I know you felt disrespected after the fight. Can you tell us about that a little bit?
ST: Yeah, you know, this is a sport where you gotta respect people and he was a little disrespectful. Well, next time we meet, I will make sure I disrespect him as much as I can. I gave him all of the respect that I give anybody that I know and even people that I don't know, but that was disrespectful for him to come on TV and say what he said. I'm not going to take it personal because of who I am, but as far as business is concerned, next time I see him, I will disrespect him as much as I can.
PC: He's fighting Tito Ortiz on the same card you will be fighting Nakamura at UFC 84. Who do you like in that fight?
ST: If Tito can take him to the ground and do his thing, then I think Tito will win the fight, but not if Tito stands with him because Tito lost against Chuck because of his boxing. I think Machida is good on his feet, but not as good on the ground. Tito has to do what he does best and that's get him on the ground and break his nose or something.
PC: Did you go right back into training after the Machida fight or did you take some time off?
ST: One of the mistakes I made is I kept training the whole time from the time I had my last fight in Pride up until my fight in the UFC. I was supposed to have like 3 fights from the last one I had in Pride and I was training the whole time. I might taken a day off, but that was really a bad move for me. I kind of took some time off now and thought about things and then I got back in the gym to help Dan train and I'm about to start my own training camp next week for my fight. I'm going to try and be smarter and train as hard as I can and not get burned out. That's a mistake I made, but I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen again.
PC: I know you don't want to sound like you're making up excuses, but I have to ask you about this. I heard from a reliable source that you were training boxing with Freddie Roach for the Machida fight and had a pretty bad shoulder going into that fight. Is that true?
ST: (laughing) Let's put it this way, I've never been healthy in any fight. All of the fights I had, I've been injured somehow, but that's not the reason I lost. I didn't show up, like I said, and I got my ass kicked. I had some injuries and couldn't do some things, but that doesn't mean I couldn't win the fight. I had my shoulder messed up, but I had one good shoulder and I could've used my kicks and my knees so I can't use that as an excuse.
PC: We didn't see any of those hard leg kicks you became known for in Pride or the lethal striking you had there. What will be the difference in May against Nakamura?
ST: This time, I will make sure I show up and then you'll see the old Sokoudjou.
PC: Do you think Dan Henderson will fight at 185 or 205 in his next fight?
ST: Dan is the kind of guy that doesn't care about anything. If he fights at 185 or 205, it doesn't matter, he'll fight. I don't think he has any issues at fighting in either one of those weight classes; he'll fight anybody. He will fight at heavyweight if he had to.
PC: Nakamura has fought everyone. You name them and he's fought them. What do you think of his fight game?
ST: He's a judo guy and a brawler and he usually has good cardio as well. I've been watching most of his fights and I kind of looked up to him when I got into Pride because that's one of the judo guys that made it in Pride. I've seen him fight a lot of times. I'm pretty set on my gameplan and I'm ready to start training.
PC: Even before you got into the UFC, you told me you wanted to fight the best. Is that still the case?
ST: I just lost my first fight in the UFC. I don't have a choice as far as picking and choosing who I want to fight so I want to go in there and redeem myself and then say I want to fight such and such. For now, whoever they send my way I'll just go in there and fight my best and make sure I look good, but for now, I will fight anybody.
PC: How did you like it out there in Ohio man?
ST: It was kind of crazy because they had this Arnold Classic and all of the ladies were bigger than me out there. Those girls had bigger biceps than my leg. It was scary! I got scared because I've never seen women bigger than me. I thought I was big, but it made me think twice now. Other than that, Columbus was a great city. It kind of sucks Dan lost, but I had a good time out there. It wasn't that bad!
PC: When do you think we'll see Matt Lindland fight again and where?
ST: He's going to be fighting some time soon. Where? I haven't had a chance to talk to him. In the midst of Dan getting ready to fight and all of the commotion going on, I haven't had a chance to talk to him, but I think it's some time soon.
PC: Did you get down in the dumps after the Machida fight or was it a learning experience for you that you just want to grow from?
ST: It was a learning experience. I didn't get down to where I wanted to kill myself, but it was like, "This sucks. I gotta make sure I come back stronger." In the meantime, people lost money and I felt I let a lot of people down and I felt kind of bad for them. Next time, I'll make sure I get their money back by killing somebody in the ring.
PC: Whose idea was the Predator's mask? I liked that.
ST: (laughing) Actually, I bought it for Halloween and the day before Halloween, the company that I brought it from calls me and tells me it wouldn't be back in time. I had it like 2 weeks after Halloween and didn't know what to do with it and I had a fight coming so I was like, "Well, I'll use it!"
PC: It's always a pleasure my man. We have to start hooking up more man. Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
ST: I just want to apologize for all of the people I let down and I'll make sure they get their money back the next time.
