IRISH WHIP FIGHTING EXCLUSIVE: RAMEAU THIERRY SOKOUDJOU INTERVIEW

I caught up with The African Assassin late last week to discuss his contract situation, the EliteXC fall out, the prospect of fighting Dan Henderson, his thoughts on Fedor, and more! He's one of the least interviewed and most talked about stars in all of MMA and he had some extremely interesting things to say during the course of our half hour conversation. Sokoudjou opens up inside!

Ben Zeidler: Do you still have family in West Africa or have they all moved to the U.S. with you?
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou: I actually still have family all around the world. I’ve got family in Russia and in Finland.

BZ: With your two most recent knockouts putting you near the top of the Light Heavyweights, who is next in your crosshairs? Who do you have the most desire to fight?
RTS: At this point, I don’t really know. I’m not tied down to anyone or any organization. I wanted Shogun, but as of now, no one is lined up. I don’t have a job, man! (Laughs) It’s hard to call anyone out when you don’t have a job.

BZ: Having been the underdog for both you Nogueira and Arona fight, do you enjoy having the underdog role better and being able to shut up all your critics?
RTS: It really doesn’t matter to me, you know? Every time I take a fight, I’m going to beat the other guy whether I’m the underdog or not. No matter who he is, I just want to fight the best guys and have good fights.

BZ: You've certainly showed MMA critics and fans around the world that you can strike, but you’re also 2001 US Open Judo Champion; do you plan on utilizing your judo skills more often in your fights to come?
RTS: You know, it’s all about strategy. Nogueira and Arona are Jiu-Jitsu guys and I thought I’d have to do that. I thought I’d have to be with them on the ground and I trained for that. You don’t always know how the fight is going to go, but I do train for the strengths of other fighters.

BZ: How hard was the transition from the gi in Judo to the no-gi situation in MMA? Do you find a lot of your judo techniques ineffective now that the gi is not present?
RTS: (Laughs) Even as of today, I tried a judo throw and I got yelled at. I’m still making the transition and learning what I can do and what I can’t.

BZ: Are there specific skills (be it wrestling, jiu jitsu, boxing, etc.) that you plan on focusing more so than others?
RTS: It really depends on who I’m fighting. Whether it’s a boxer or a wrestler, I’ll train differently to get ready for a specific fighter. What the other guy can do changes my game plan, and what my training looks like.

BZ: In your words, what happened with the EliteXC deal?
RTS: There were too many changes on the contract. And I guess the details were never hammered out. Man, I’m not a lawyer and they hand me some 20 page contract for me and Parsons to look over, but that’s not my job. My job is to fight. We had a lawyer check it out; I don’t know exactly what happened but we chose not to sign. I just want to train and get ready instead of dealing with contracts.

BZ: Leader of your Team Quest camp, Ryan Parsons, stated that you are now waiting to sign with K-1, is still the case?
RTS: I’m unemployed…that’s all I can say right now. I wish I could tell you, man.

BZ: Do you prefer fighting in a cage or in the traditional ring?
RTS: Wherever the money is, man! Cage or ring, I don’t care, baby! I guess, though, that the cage is easier for me because I can lean on it when I get tired. But when it comes down to it, no matter where I am, the guy across the ring from me is a fighter and so it doesn’t really matter.

BZ: How did you originally meet Dan and was he the one who really sparked your interest in MMA?
RTS: I met him in November before his Nakamura fight. They were looking for a judo guy to help him train and they called me in and he beat me up bad. I was 240 and he was 183 and he still beat me up pretty bad. Then, they called me in again before Machida. I used to think that MMA was just a bunch of guys in their underwear in a cage, but after training with them, I really respect the sport.

BZ: Have you gotten a chance to help your manager and fellow Team Quest fighter, Dan Henderson train for his upcoming bout with Jackson?
RTS: We started a couple weeks ago and he’s beating everyone in the room and working hard. He’ll be ready.

BZ: Will you be in Henderson’s corner at UFC 75?
RTS: I'll probably be in his corner if he wants me there. It would be a great honor.

BZ: How do you think Henderson matches up against Jackson, and what's your prediction for the fight?
RTS: Come on now! Obviously, Dan will win the fight quite easily.

BZ: If the money was right and the opportunity arose, would you ever step up to the plate to fight Dan Henderson for the belt?
RTS: Well, would you pay to see Dan knock me out?

BZ: Absolutely. (Laughs)
RTS: (Laughs) He beats me up enough in practice and I don’t need to be embarrassed on TV.

BZ: Hell, I’d fight Dan Henderson if the money were right.
RTS: Shit…that would suck, man.

BZ: Who in your opinion is the greatest of all time?
RTS: It takes a lot to step into the cage and give everything up so I’d have to say everyone. Everyone who trains to fight. So many guys put everything into training and never get their first fight.

BZ: Do you think Fedor is unbeatable? If not, what are his weaknesses?
RTS: No one is unbeatable, it takes the right guy with the right strategy. When Cro Cop fought him, he was able to show us that Fedor isn't perfect and I think that if the right striker came along, he would be able to beat him. He’s human so someone will come up with a game plan and someone will beat him.

BZ: How do you rank yourself amongst the other fighters in your weight class?
RTS: I’m just another fighter. (Laughs) You’d like it if I said I was the best, wouldn’t you.

BZ: Yep. Tell me you’re better than all of them.
RTS: (Laughs) No way, man. You know how to figure that out? Get us all in a tournament and have a point system based on type of win and strength of win. The numbers will tell you who is the best. To me, it doesn’t make sense because I come from a judo background and other guys do not. We all have our own strengths. There’s a difference between being in the Olympics and different MMA organizations. It is all too different to have rankings. Rankings don’t mean anything to me, I’m just a fighter.

BZ: So, you’re only 23 years of age, and you’ve obviously got a huge future in front of you. Are there any other specific goals or things you want to accomplish outside of your fighting career?
RTS: I’d like to get a degree. All of my brothers have two masters and I want to go back to school. Maybe I’ll become a doctor.

BZ: Now, what is your take on this ongoing steroid issue amongst fighters?
RTS: Cheating has always been a part of the game. Lots of people say if you don’t cheat, you aren’t trying hard enough. Some people just make the wrong decisions and I’m not familiar with those kinds of things. I think it’s bad for the sport because those guys who are doing it…what will happen next, you know? Everyone will do it and it will get out of control.

BZ: Are there any sponsors you’d like to thank? Or anything we can plug for you?
RTS: Yeah, go check out africanassassin.com

BZ: Anything you’d like to say to your fans?
RTS: I hope to have two fights by the end of the year. I just want to entertain people and have a good fight, that’s it.

BZ: Okay, I have to ask flat out. Are you signing with the UFC?
RTS: I wish I could tell you tonight, man. I wish I could tell you tomorrow, but as of today Ryan Parson is still working on it.

BZ: Give me a call when you know where you’re headed. We’d love to be the ones to break the story.
RTS: All right man, send me a text or write to me on myspace with your email and I will keep you updated and let you know as soon as I find out where I’m going.

BZ: Sounds like a plan. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me tonight.
RTS: No problem, man.

BZ: Talk to you later…
RTS: Okay, sounds good.