Issue 134
November 2015
Hollywood star and karate expert Dolph Lundgren on punching Andrei Arlovski in the face and making movies with Randy Couture
Original Mauler
Long before Alexander Gustafsson’s UFC campaign, Sweden’s first action hero was boxing Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV. The third dan black belt and two-time European karate champion reveals how MMA could have been his calling.
Q&A
Q: What first got you into martial arts?
A: My dad was an engineer, an officer with the Swedish government, and he was a tough guy and a real disciplinarian, and that’s why I started martial arts, because he was a little rough with me growing up. I wanted to feel strong in my teenage years – feel like a man.
Q: In 2008 you boxed UFC pioneer Oleg Taktarov, but it’s your fight against Andrei Arlovski we really want to hear more about...
A: (Laughs) Andrei is a really soft and gentle guy actually. We had a great fight in the movie Universal Solider, but he didn’t have much experience and was actually having some trouble faking punches. Eventually, he just said, “Punch me in the face for real.” I was kicking him up against walls and he was just bouncing back and coming at me. I’m glad he’s having so much success again in the UFC.
Q: Why did you choose to train karate?
A: I actually started with judo, but I got bored of it and sick of all the time spent on your back. I wanted to punch and kick, and that’s how I found karate. I studied Goju-ryu first and then I did kyokushin. I studied under Brian Fitkin, a Brit who’s a seventh dan now, competing in point fighting.
Q: With your kyokushin and judo base, would you have tried MMA if it was as big back then?
A: Absolutely. Kyokushin tournaments today are different from when I fought in them. Now you can’t hold, you can’t throw, but when I started it was, like, dojo fighting. You could do roundhouse, you could sweep the guy and you could deliver the finishing blow. You could even strike the face, you just had to pull your punches. But, of course, sometimes it would escalate in the dojo and there would be blood everywhere. It was a real fight.
Q: Which fighter in the sport today do you admire most?
A: I like (Lyoto) Machida a lot. He’s a guy who I can relate to because of my background. He’s kind of taken that kyokushin point scoring style and run with it a little bit during his time in the UFC. I also like the fact he’s never acted up in the ring. He shows humility and respect. Those are important aspects for a martial artist.
Q: When you were filming The Expendables franchise, did the cast ever train together?
A: Me and Sly have trained together a few times, but he likes to play the Rocky soundtrack so... (laughs). No, but all the guys on the movie got along, it was all good fun.
Q: You worked with Randy Couture too, on The Expendables, how cool is he?
A: He’s the nicest guy you could ever wish to meet. He’ll sit quietly discussing his family, then he’ll work across the room and throw a stunt guy on his back and break a few bones without breaking a sweat. He’s a great guy.
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