"I don't know if there is, per se, any weaknesses in his game, but I think my strong points should be able to overwhelm him. It's just a matter of taking the fight to him and imposing my will," stated mixed martial artist Brian Gassaway as he talked about his upcoming October 11th clash with Mike Pyle at "Night of Combat II." Check out what he had to say about the fight and much more.
PC: How is everything going?
BG: Same old same man. Just doing my thing.
PC: How is training going?
BG: It's going real good. I have a great training camp so everything is falling into place.
PC: Mike Pyle is a tough guy. What do you think of his fighting abilities?
BG: As far as a fighter, I have respect for him. I've seen him fight a few times and just looking at his record and the type of people he has fought, I think he's very well-rounded and he's a tough guy. He's definitely a top heap fighter.
PC: His strengths are definitely on the ground. Would you like to keep this fight standing?
BG: Most people that I fight, they prefer to take me down and I don't see it being any different with him. I think he's going to try and take me down, but I'm going to probably try to keep this fight standing. I think that's where I excel and I fight better. I think he definitely has an edge on the ground so it will be pretty interesting to see who could impose their will.
PC: In his fights that you saw, did you see any specific weaknesses?
BG: I don't know if there is, per se, any weaknesses in his game, but I think my strong points should be able to overwhelm him. It's just a matter of taking the fight to him and imposing my will.
PC: You won 3 fights in a row and then lost your last one by decision. How anxious are you to get back in there?
BG: I just like to fight and, on paper, yeah that's a loss, but if anybody actually saw the fight, I could hardly call that a loss. I've had some bad decisions before and I think, at best, you could've called that a draw. But it is what it is and I've learned from that fightm as well as all of my other fights, and I just want to get in there and try to do my thing.
PC: You seem to stay in great shape. What keeps you motivated in this sport?
BG: A brother gots to eat (laughing). If you're working and you don't enjoy what you're actually doing, then it is hard to motivate yourself to get in there and do your thing day in and day out. I've been doing this for 12 years and I'm not letting up anytime soon. It's just a passion of mine and that makes it that much easier to go in a few times a day and actually train.
PC: How did this opportunity present itself for you Brian?
BG: It all started from Gary Klusty. I started working with him and he opened up some great doors for me. I have nothing but respect for the guy and I'm going to continue to work with him for quite a while.
PC: What would be the perfect ending to this fight for you?
BG: Knockout! I love to end fights with knockouts and if you look at my record, I really don't have a lot, but like I said, a lot of people prefer to try and take this fight to the ground so it's kind of hard to catch somebody like that. I would definitely prefer it to be by knockout, but a win is a win and as long as I fight 100%, then I'm going to come across the winner anyway.
PC: Mike Pyle, just 2 fights ago, was fighting for the EliteXC title. Do you think a win over him could get you the credibility you are looking for?
BG: Yeah and I think Mike Pyle would definitely be the guy to do it. He's pretty well respected in the fight community and I think a win over him would be big for anybody. Once I beat him, my name will be out there again and I can start climbing that ladder.
PC: Good luck Brian. Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
BG: I just want to thank my training camp, Gary Klusty for setting this up and everybody that has helped me out throughout the years.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]