Issue 188

February 2020

The veteran heavyweight still has the hunger to tackle new foes and “beat people's asses”

The word on the street was that nobody wanted to fight you. What does that say about the Bellator heavyweight division?

Bellator said they were looking for opponents and no one wanted to take it. Ronny Markes put his hand up and said he was willing to get in there with me. Thankfully, he wanted to have a go of it and see where he stands in the world and I appreciate him for it. If you were to look over my career, I’m not the guy who gets called out very often, if at all.

What are your thoughts on some of these younger guys stepping up in order to make a name off of you?

How else are you going to do anything worthwhile other than to go forward and do the things that are difficult, to strive for something and try to exceed in an area where no one thinks you will? You don’t earn the riches and save the princess by sitting by and watching the dragon. You have to go out and slay it. 

What does it mean to have the opportunity to fight in front of servicemen and women with the USO and Bellator collaboration?

At their core they are just people, too. They enjoy watching fights and other sporting events. They are like anyone else, man. They want to go out there and enjoy themselves. I think it’s pretty cool that Bellator puts this together so that they get the opportunity for us to serve them in a sense. It doesn’t matter where we are. If we were in Brazil in front of the Brazilian military or any other military service in the world at large, I think it is always worthwhile to sit down and acknowledge these people that go out there and defend and protect what they think is right. I’m glad to be able to give a show in front of the US military audience.

For a fighter who is a legend and has accomplished so much, what are your motivations at 42 years of age?

I still want to beat people’s asses. That’s pretty much it. 

Speaking of beating people’s asses, one of the fights that is out there for seemingly every Bellator heavyweight is a potential scrap with the great Fedor Emelianenko. What would it mean for you to finally get that fight?

It would be incredible. I would love to have the opportunity to be able to share the ring with such a compatriot. He is someone I hold dear. I would love it. I would absolutely love it. Beyond that, fighting Ryan Bader and taking the belt off him, those are the things in Bellator and in the heavyweight division that I have my mind set on and my goals set for.

We see how intense you can be in many different aspects of your life. When the cage door shuts, what is going through your mind and your mindset in the fight?

My only friends in the world are those people that are at my back in my corner and that’s it. That’s the way I see it.