On his mental state: "My mental state right now? I want to eat some food. I am starving (bitter smile). I really don't have much information on Melchor Barracuda but the opponent doesn't has nothing to do with it. It's all about how much I can impose my will. If I bring my best, I'm confident I can beat anyone. The opponent doesn't matter." On his previous comments about wanting a title match: "If I want to fight for the belt (at NYE) of course this fight now is a must-win. But I need to win and win convincingly and then go for the belt. There's no way I can drop this fight. I'm very fired up." On who he thinks will win, Hansen or Aoki: "I don't care either way." On his diet: I haven't had any white rice in about four weeks. I can't wait to chow down. I have been eating very small portions, like what a girl would eat, of 5-grain rice. On his weight cut: "Normally, I start cutting weight one week prior to the fight. But this time, I started four weeks prior. I wanted to see if that works out better for me. I want to win and then go have some good food." On the differences of his weight-cut routine this time: "I thought it would help me rid useless fat and would also decrease my power. But actually my power, stamina, and concentration is very good. I like this method better. All that's left is the fight. Before the weight-cut I was at 83kg, and now 3.5kg to go. From here, it's just water." On Melchor's comment that he's looking to KO Kawajiri: I'm only interested in striking, so I'm also looking for a KO. If we're both going for a KO, it should make for a good fight.
