Mariusz Pudzianowski: "I Love To Prove People Wrong"

http://thegarv.com/Mariusz-Pudzianowski-I-Love-to-Prove-People-Wrong.html

Mariusz "Dominator" Pudzianowski did not quite live up to his nickname in his fight with Yusuke Kawaguchi (11-1) in Poland on Friday, but he did come away with a decision victory. Now the Polish strongman is set to face Tim Sylvia on May 21st. In this article by Przemek Garczarczyk and Tim Hobscheid, Pudzianowski addresses the critics who say that with just two MMA fights under his belt, he is not ready for the experienced former UFC champion.

WORCESTER, Mass. (May 9, 2010) – “I love to prove people wrong”

Mariusz “Dominator” Pudzianowski was in a great mood after his win over 11-1 Yusuke Kawaguchi in Katowice (Poland). “Only people who don’t know me would think that not winning by KO against Kawaguchi would discourage me before the Tim Sylvia fight in Worcester. I will be there May 21, stronger and better than ever. I needed a MMA lesson and I got one” – said Pudzianowski in this exclusive interview.

Przemek Garczarczyk: How tough was it for you to fight for the full 10 minutes in the ring?

Mariusz Pudzianowski: It was tough. I just wanted to be too spectacular, too entertaining. I wanted to please the fans, and I paid the price for it. Of course, I was never in any danger of losing the fight. Kawaguchi never delivered any significant pain, but you could tell that he was 11-1. For me, it was just my second MMA fight ever, basically my first against an MMA fighter.

PG: Some of the American MMA blogs suggested that if you fight the same way, you have no chance to win against Tim Sylvia. They’ve said that maybe you should postpone your fight in the States because you’re not ready for a former 2-time UFC champion.

MP: Only people who don’t know me would think that not winning by KO against Kawaguchi would discourage me before the Tim Sylvia fight in Worcester. I will be there May 21, stronger and better than ever. I needed a MMA lesson and I got one. The worst case scenario would be winning against Kawaguchi in 60 seconds and not going through this whole two round ordeal, not having a full ten minutes of MMA School. Now I know what should be done to win. I was very close to knocking him out a couple of times in the first minute, but I didn’t take my time to recognize what was going on and finish Yusuke with one or two full power punches. I decided to go for more shots with less power. It was an error that somebody who is learning the sport would make, but I’m a very quick learner and will prove it against Sylvia.

PG: You lost your breath very quickly which prompted speculation that you don’t have enough stamina to go the full distance against top echelon MMA fighters, like Sylvia.

MP: Let all of my detractors think that, its good news. I just started with crazy speed, and you can see when I’m in the ring that I’m fighting guys half my weight. It will change; I will deliver my power with more control. I don’t care about people who don’t believe in me. I actually like to prove everybody wrong. Those are probably the same people who said that I couldn’t win against Marcin Najman, and then that Kawaguchi would certainly finish my MMA career, because he is a professional, and I’m just having fun with this sport. Nobody ever lost or won the fight talking. It’s the same situation as in 2009, when American Derek Poundstone told everybody before the World Strongest Man competition that he would destroy me, that I’m only good enough to carry his luggage. And what happened? I was second; he was fourth at the Worlds.

PG: Physically are you fine?

MP: I’m perfectly fine. I have some scratches, but it’s nothing to write home about. I’ll take a couple days off, and then come back to train and fly to the States. It’s my competitive nature. I already can’t wait for the moment I’m introduced to fight Tim Sylvia. My plans have not changed – I still want to be a MMA world champion.