brutus
10-17-2008, 11:10 PM
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PC: How is everything going?
LG: Everything is going great man. I'm having a really solid training camp and feeling real good.
PC: How much of a setback was the postponement of this event for you?
LG: For me, in the beginning, for financial reasons, it was kind of hard. It just had me set back because I trained so hard for the fight. When we really sat down and thought about it and weighed all of the options and brought people in for this training camp, it worked out in my favor by a long shot. I was able to have Duane Ludwig come down for 3 weeks. He's the guy that has been teaching me all of my standup and just being able to work with him for that extended period of time and then have another month with Coach Jackson after that, it worked out in my favor for sure.
PC: Your standup looked really good against Takaya and I'm sure working with Ludwig only enhanced it, but Pulver is a different kind of striker. How have you been preparing for the angles he gives his opponents as well as his southpaw stance?
LG: Jens is…it's like you said, he is a different kind of striker. He makes mistakes as everybody does. We capitalized on Takaya making small mistakes; that's how I was able to pinpoint him out with accurate shots and I'm hoping to do the same thing with Jens. I also think that if I could take him down a couple of times in the beginning of the fight, that is going to open up my standup. If he has to worry about me taking him down, it always opens up your standup and that's what we are hoping to do.
PC: We've only seen you for a very short period this year being that you got Takaya out of there so quickly. Are you feeling sharp in the gym?
LG: Yeah man. Everybody in the gym is telling me that I'm making leaps and bounds every day. It's a lot crazier now with the way that the training sessions go because I'm on the A team now. I'm not on the beginner's squad anymore.
PC: How beneficial was it to your career to move down to 145?
LG: I think that first fight showed a lot, but I think after this fight, it's going to answer all of the questions about me moving down to 145. Other than having "Cowboy" at 55 and me and him being best friends, that would have been kind of tough after one of us would have been waiting to move aside to get a title shot or something like that. Now, me being at 45, it makes more sense of everything man.
PC: Jens is coming off of a hard fought 5-round fight with Urijah Faber. Do you feel a win over Jens should line you up for the Faber/Mike Brown winner?
LG: Yeah, I definitely think that's a fight that everyone is going to want to see. They saw Jens bring Urijah through hell for 5 rounds, but if I can get through Jens, I think I will have earned a shot for sure. Who else is in line? There are some guys out there that I'm sure think they're deserving of a shot, but I've been in a big fight already and this is another one for me. I don't know how many obstacles you have to go through to get a title shot, but if I have to, I'll fight again; anybody. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get a title shot, but I feel like I'm next in line.
PC: You banged it out with Roger Huerta for 3 rounds at 155. Do you think that weight class was too big for you or could we possibly see you there again?
LG: I don't feel like any of the 55er's could knock me out or anything, but their size as far as their wrestling is where I feel their weight is the difference. As far as striking, there ain't a 55er out there that I'm worried about. "Cowboy" is up here pointing at himself like he could knock me out (laughing). I feel like if I can dominate at 45, the plan is to dominate 45 for as long as I can. I'm not going to do like Urijah. I'll defend the title a couple of times there, but he said on record a couple of times that their was nobody at 45 for him, but me, I'll jump right back up to 55 because I'm always looking for bigger and better challenges.
PC: You went through a lot earlier in the year with the arrest and drug allegations. Are you looking for an impressive showing in this fight to put all of that behind you?
LG: That whole thing was a real tough situation for me. It made me appreciate life and what I'm doing with my life now and it made me open my eyes to a lot of things that I had done in my past. It made me regret a lot of things, but after this fight, for sure it's going to make it that much easier to deal with. Right now, it's like a grain of salt, but I want to get it out of the way and get it swallowed. This fight is going to answer a lot of questions for me and where I need to be and what I need to be doing. I can't wait until November 5th.
PC: With all that you were going through, you haven't been really active this year. Is that something you are hoping to change in 2009?
LG: Man, if I do what I think I'm going to do against Jens and get in there and get out the way I'm planning, I will fight again in December if they let me. I'm looking to fight as many times as I can next year. This year felt like I started off real strong and then I had the little setback and now I'm just looking to capitalize on a healthy year of fighting.
PC: Good luck on November 5th. I always look forward to your fights. Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
LG: I want to thank all of my training partners at Jackson's, TapouT, all of my sponsors, "Cowboy" who is over here yelling his own name. We got a good group of guys and we're like family so Jens, here I come!
I'm glad garcia is out of his troubles and back into his focus. this should be a great fight.
PC: How is everything going?
LG: Everything is going great man. I'm having a really solid training camp and feeling real good.
PC: How much of a setback was the postponement of this event for you?
LG: For me, in the beginning, for financial reasons, it was kind of hard. It just had me set back because I trained so hard for the fight. When we really sat down and thought about it and weighed all of the options and brought people in for this training camp, it worked out in my favor by a long shot. I was able to have Duane Ludwig come down for 3 weeks. He's the guy that has been teaching me all of my standup and just being able to work with him for that extended period of time and then have another month with Coach Jackson after that, it worked out in my favor for sure.
PC: Your standup looked really good against Takaya and I'm sure working with Ludwig only enhanced it, but Pulver is a different kind of striker. How have you been preparing for the angles he gives his opponents as well as his southpaw stance?
LG: Jens is…it's like you said, he is a different kind of striker. He makes mistakes as everybody does. We capitalized on Takaya making small mistakes; that's how I was able to pinpoint him out with accurate shots and I'm hoping to do the same thing with Jens. I also think that if I could take him down a couple of times in the beginning of the fight, that is going to open up my standup. If he has to worry about me taking him down, it always opens up your standup and that's what we are hoping to do.
PC: We've only seen you for a very short period this year being that you got Takaya out of there so quickly. Are you feeling sharp in the gym?
LG: Yeah man. Everybody in the gym is telling me that I'm making leaps and bounds every day. It's a lot crazier now with the way that the training sessions go because I'm on the A team now. I'm not on the beginner's squad anymore.
PC: How beneficial was it to your career to move down to 145?
LG: I think that first fight showed a lot, but I think after this fight, it's going to answer all of the questions about me moving down to 145. Other than having "Cowboy" at 55 and me and him being best friends, that would have been kind of tough after one of us would have been waiting to move aside to get a title shot or something like that. Now, me being at 45, it makes more sense of everything man.
PC: Jens is coming off of a hard fought 5-round fight with Urijah Faber. Do you feel a win over Jens should line you up for the Faber/Mike Brown winner?
LG: Yeah, I definitely think that's a fight that everyone is going to want to see. They saw Jens bring Urijah through hell for 5 rounds, but if I can get through Jens, I think I will have earned a shot for sure. Who else is in line? There are some guys out there that I'm sure think they're deserving of a shot, but I've been in a big fight already and this is another one for me. I don't know how many obstacles you have to go through to get a title shot, but if I have to, I'll fight again; anybody. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get a title shot, but I feel like I'm next in line.
PC: You banged it out with Roger Huerta for 3 rounds at 155. Do you think that weight class was too big for you or could we possibly see you there again?
LG: I don't feel like any of the 55er's could knock me out or anything, but their size as far as their wrestling is where I feel their weight is the difference. As far as striking, there ain't a 55er out there that I'm worried about. "Cowboy" is up here pointing at himself like he could knock me out (laughing). I feel like if I can dominate at 45, the plan is to dominate 45 for as long as I can. I'm not going to do like Urijah. I'll defend the title a couple of times there, but he said on record a couple of times that their was nobody at 45 for him, but me, I'll jump right back up to 55 because I'm always looking for bigger and better challenges.
PC: You went through a lot earlier in the year with the arrest and drug allegations. Are you looking for an impressive showing in this fight to put all of that behind you?
LG: That whole thing was a real tough situation for me. It made me appreciate life and what I'm doing with my life now and it made me open my eyes to a lot of things that I had done in my past. It made me regret a lot of things, but after this fight, for sure it's going to make it that much easier to deal with. Right now, it's like a grain of salt, but I want to get it out of the way and get it swallowed. This fight is going to answer a lot of questions for me and where I need to be and what I need to be doing. I can't wait until November 5th.
PC: With all that you were going through, you haven't been really active this year. Is that something you are hoping to change in 2009?
LG: Man, if I do what I think I'm going to do against Jens and get in there and get out the way I'm planning, I will fight again in December if they let me. I'm looking to fight as many times as I can next year. This year felt like I started off real strong and then I had the little setback and now I'm just looking to capitalize on a healthy year of fighting.
PC: Good luck on November 5th. I always look forward to your fights. Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
LG: I want to thank all of my training partners at Jackson's, TapouT, all of my sponsors, "Cowboy" who is over here yelling his own name. We got a good group of guys and we're like family so Jens, here I come!
I'm glad garcia is out of his troubles and back into his focus. this should be a great fight.