Fans, if you missed the free chat session with former PRIDE light heavyweight star Sokoudjou, check out the entire transcript to see what he had to say about his future plans and much more. Answering questions directly from the fans, Sokoudjou talked about when we can expect to see him fighting again and who he'd like to be fighting next. "The UFC is where I would love to fight," stated Sokoudjou and you don't want to miss his thoughts on Shogun Rua, Quinton Jackson, Tito Ortiz, Brandon Vera and Fedor Emelianenko as he reminds everyone that he's a "fighter for hire" and is "looking for work right now". Check it out!
thehype: FightHype would like to welcome Sokoudjou to tonight's chat session
SOKOUDJOU: What up Fighthype!
mosleyfan: obvious question...but....When can we expect to see you fight again?
SOKOUDJOU: Hopefully by mid-September.
SOKOUDJOU: That's what I'm training for!
skankpunch: did u sign with elite xc?
SOKOUDJOU: No, because they sent us a contract and we had an attorney go over it and we never came to an agreement.
SOKOUDJOU: Im unemployed right now!
SOKOUDJOU: Fighter for hire!
SOKOUDJOU: I'm looking for work right now. Is there anyone who wants to hire me?
jaz: In an ideal world, who would you want to fight next?
SOKOUDJOU: I would love to fight Shogun or Tito, but it seems like I will never be in the UFC and Shogun has someone lined up!
mikerg: How many weeks do you train for a fight?
SOKOUDJOU: Usually it's eight weeks. We usually have 8 weeks to prepare for a fight. I started my camp at the beginning of the month, so hopefully by September.
mosleyfan: Is it tough to train and mentally stay focused when you're not even sure if you'll be fighting?
SOKOUDJOU: Yeah, its really tough because your focus is not on any certain fighter. It's really tough. You dont have a gameplan or anything.
skankpunch: so what orgs are you talking with? Is the UFC not offering u enough money?
SOKOUDJOU: Put it this way, the UFC is where I would love to fight, but the UFC is all about protecting people. I'm hoping to get a call saying "Forrest Griffin can't fight, do you want to fight Shogun?"
SOKOUDJOU: That's my dream.
SOKOUDJOU: I told them screw the money. I want to fight this and that person, but they wanted me to fight nobodys.
jaz: How do you think Rua will do against Forrest Griffin?
SOKOUDJOU: Well, to tell you the truth, I would love for Forrest to call in sick!
teetoe: How has your boy Dan Henderson been looking in preparation for his fight with Rampage?
SOKOUDJOU: He's been looking good. He's been beating people up every day!
muaythaifan: Any chance we might see you fight Fedor?
SOKOUDJOU: After my fight in Japan, we went to a Bodog show. My manager said Fedor is the guy standing between me and my dream car; a Benz CL600
SOKOUDJOU: I would love to fight him!
SOKOUDJOU: We are both unemployed so maybe we can fight for a job.
mikerg: Whats weaknesses do Fedor have in your opinion?
SOKOUDJOU: His stand-up sucks.
mosleyfan: What do you think about Liddell-Jardine being a PPV fight while Rampage-Henderson is free on Spike and in England no less? Do you think Dana is showing favoritism to a couple of fighters who just got knocked out?
SOKOUDJOU: Dan isnt really known in the US. It's better for Dan to be on free TV for exposure. You cant say UFC without saying Chuck, so it would be good for Dan to be on free TV.
SOKOUDJOU: It's good for Dan and Chuck is just so marketable.
thehype: good answer
SOKOUDJOU: Thanks.
skankpunch: Can you give us specific names u asked for in the ufc, and names the ufc wanted u to fight instead? who gets the better of each other in practice between matt lindland and dan henderson?
SOKOUDJOU: They're friends, but in the ring, they hate each other. I will just give one name. I asked to be on the card with Dan on free TV and I asked for Michael Bisbing and they basically asked me if I was on crack.
SOKOUDJOU: I dont want to name any names they offered me and start some shit.
thehype: obviously they weren't anyone you felt were elite
SOKOUDJOU: Exactly!
jaz: Where were you training before you hooked up with Dan and Team Quest?
SOKOUDJOU: I was doing my own thing. Everywhere, but nowhere. I hooked up with Dan in 2004. They told me I had potential, but I needed to work on my striking. All I knew was Judo.
SOKOUDJOU: I went to various gyms and learned other things and told them to give me an opponent.
teetoe: Do you ever see yourself fighting Dan Henderson some time down the road?
SOKOUDJOU: If they give me 10 million dollars and they want me to get my ass kicked. No, we would never fight. What's the point of it? We're from the same camp.
muaythaifan: in your opinion, who, besides yourself, do you think are the top five or so light heavyweights in the world?
SOKOUDJOU: I'm not really into rankings. To me, a ranking is when all of the guys fight each other in a tounament and prove who's #1, #2, #3 and so on. I respect every single fighter, but until we have the tounament, I won't say who's #1 or #2.
muaythaifan: and if the UFC offered you the fifth best light heavy, would you be willing to take that fight?
SOKOUDJOU: Who's that?
SOKOUDJOU: If they give me Shogun, I wouldnt care about the rest of them.
muaythaifan: I meant the fifth best in your opinion...but you kind of already answered
SOKOUDJOU: But who do you think is the 5th best?
muaythaifan: good question
muaythaifan: not sure who would be 5th best
muaythaifan: maybe Liddell or Ortiz or someone like that I guess
muaythaifan: but obviously the UFC isn't offering those guys
mikerg: Do you think Tito is overrated?
SOKOUDJOU: Tito has a good marketing plan behind him. I dont know if he's overrated. I never thought about it. Good question. I dont know?
SOKOUDJOU: I'll put it this way...when was the last time he finished a fight before Shamrock?
mosleyfan: Brandon Vera, who they just announced was returning to the UFC, has commented in the past that he'd be willing to move down in weight to fight Chuck Liddell. Do you think he'd be as willing to fight you?
SOKOUDJOU: We train together from time to time. We've had some good sessions together. This is a business and if you put enough money up, fuck it, we can train after the fight .
skankpunch: who do like in the couture v. gonzaga fight? I got u at number 5 in the world by the way behind shogun, henderson, ramapge, and chuck. Not to say u can't beat some of these guys they have just accomplished more up to this point.
SOKOUDJOU: Thats a tough fight for Randy. Gonzaga is a tough grappler. I'll say Randy, but he has a lot of work.
jaz: How would a Rampage-Sokoudjo fight play out?
SOKOUDJOU: I dont know. The only answer is for me to fight him. That's a tough one!
thehype: FightHype would like to thank Sokoudjou for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with us tonight.
SOKOUDJOU: Be good FightHype and I'll chat with you guys again soon!
[Editor's note: skankpunch was the lucky winner who got an opportunity to speak directly with Sokoudjou on the phone immediately after the chat session was over.]