elgigante
04-19-2006, 06:19 AM
BloodyKnux.Com Exclusive Interview:Nicholas Pettas
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One on One with one of K1's Finest
We here at Bloodyknux.com have been privleged over the past year or so to bring you exclusive interviews with many of the top stars in the Mixed Martial Arts world. With the growth of our site, so grows the range of our interviews and we are now proud to expand our conversations to include the stars of the K1 world as well. Our K1/Kickboxing Staff Member John Walters was fortunate enough to interview respected K1 veteran as well former K1 Japan GP champion Nicholas Pettas. Here now is the interview for your enjoyment
--
JW- Right off the bat, Will we see Nicholas Pettas in K-1 anytime soon?
NP-Yeah good one, I am ready to go anytime. I train an average of 4 hours a day, so you give me that pass into that ring and I will be there. Honestly speaking it does not look like the promoters are willing to reach out and give me a hand. K-1 is run out of Japan, and that means that the political
issues that holding me back from getting into the ring, are not that easy to
overcome. I have spent the last 3 years trying to negotiate the possibility
of me returning to K-1, but it has as you can understand not been too
successful...But you never know, if I create a big enough fan base in the
States and everyone demands that I fight again...well, it might be an idea,
I could represent the U.S.A.! So I guess it is up to you guys to put the
pressure on them to put me on the shows. I would love to fight in K-1 USA, I
am sure I would live up to everyone?s expectations.
JW-The K-1 USA could use a good fighter like you. is there any reason you
have not fought in the K-1 USA?
NP-Well, I guess that I already answered that question above, but you know that it has sort of given me an idea. I might try and approach the promoter and ask him to get me a fight ?
JW- How fast could a top ranked boxer learn all the kicks you learned over
the past 15 years?
NP-You said it yourself, 15 years ! I think it is very hard for boxers to learn to adapt to kickboxing. I can relate to it because I had to learn how to
box, after having done Karate with no boxing at all for more than 10 years.
I can still count the times I ever got kicked in the head doing karate on my
left hand...but I can also still remember how many times I got jabbed in the
face the first time I sparred doing kickboxing!!! LOL
JW- You've seen the Grand Prix several times. You've fought and spared with
some of the best. On a scale of 1 to 10, how many low kicks would it take
you to drop Choi Hong-man?
NP- You know I actually trained him before he started Kickboxing, he spent a good 3 weeks in my gym, I sparred with him once. And I told him that today Iwas sparring him to show him what real fighting is about, it's better you learn it now that in the ring in front of thousands of people. I dropped him with a right overhand hook in the first round, and then I beat him up in the corner for the remaining time of the that round and the next round too.
I was later told that he went to the K-1 office and said he wanted out, of the K-1. But they had him on a contract so he was forced to fight. I think I did a good job as a coach because he won that tournament in Korea and later made his way to the top 8. But I don't think that answers you question, I reckon a good 4 or 5 kicks should do the job.
JW- You handled Musashi pretty easily when you fought him. why does he
frustrate most top competitors nowadays?
NP-I would not say that I handled him easily, he was a lot more experienced than I was at the time. It was only my 6 or 7th.fight and he had done more than 40 fights, when we met in the ring. But you know it had nothing to do with that, we had been set up to fight 3 times and each time he had "gotten
injured" So it was like a sniper finally getting a clear shot, I had waited
for that fight for a long time.
It was very important for me to beat him, because he was/still is the best Japanese K-1 fighter, and I felt that if I could not be the best in Japan then I would be good enough to face the world. Like when I was fighting in Karate, I became the heavyweight champion of Europe before going to World Championships, and for me that was a good measure of my standards. The thing with Musashi is that he reads you very well and then he will move as you are about to move and then he positions himself good. He can take a punch, but can't we all, I knew that once I hit him clean I had to keep punching him until he dropped and that just happened to be in the extra round, 17 shots and he was hanging up against the ropes. It was a very good day in my career!
JW- Would you consider yourself one of the top 5 kickers in the world today?
NP- No, not really...
JW-Who would you say are the other four?
NP- Thank you for the compliment, but if I had to name 5 of the worlds top kickers I would want to know what to base my ranking on? Is it how good your kicks look? or is about how effective they are? OK, based on pure effectiveness, here it comes.
Karate: Garry O?Neill
MMA: Mirko Cro-cop
Kickboxing: Nicholas Pettas...ups, I didn't say that, I guess!
Peter Aerts(right leg highkick),
Alexei Ignashov(Knees)
Buakaw (K1-Max,frontkicks and right leg middle kick)
Peter Graham for the awesome Rolling Thunder that K.O.'ed Badr Hari...
Soccer: Ronaldinho
JW- If you could pick one opponent whose style of fighting would blend best
with yours to give the fight of the year, who would he be?
NP-I think that a lot of people would love to watch me beat Musashi
again...We took 48% TV ratings the last time we fought! So that should be a
pretty good fight.
JW- How do you compare yourself with the current competition K-1 has to
offer?
NP-Well, like I said before, I train an average of 4 hours a day even when I
am not getting ready for a fight, and that is not because I don't have
anything to do. It is because so that when the time comes I am ready.
K-1 is a very big sport now, and there are fighters all over the world that
train hard. I think that sometimes we get to see fighters in there that have
nothing to do there, but I am sure that the top fighters that we see often
are truly very strong. I really couldn't say at which level I am at without
really having been given a chance to fight for it? But I know that I am a
much better fighter today than when I last fought in the K-1, last year in
October I had my comeback fight in Holland, and I won via 2nd.round TKO.
against Gokan Saki. He is fighting in K-1 Holland this year, and is a very
promising young fighter coming out of Team Golden Glory.
JW- What do you think of their current champion, Semmy Schilt?
NP-I think they should make a special category for him, I mean they have a whole bunch of fighters that are way too big for the rest of us, here let me
give an example of a good one day tournament
Fight 1: Jan Nortje Vs..Choi Hong Man
Fight 2: Semmy Schilt Vs. Bob Sapp
Fight 3: Predator Vs. LeBanner
Fight 4: Giant Silva Vs. Akebono
JW-How do you think you would do vs Semmy?
NP-With the new rules, about not holding and doing knee's, I reckon that I
have a chance as much as everybody else. But it would be a battle to
remember...
JW- Do you feel like you could go far in the K-1 Grand Prix if you were to
have a spot this year?
NP-Yeah, of course, it all depends on who you get to face in the first fight, but if you are a little lucky and are prepared well then anything should be possible. Look at Musashi, he was the runner up two times, and then the
following year he got KO?D in the first round.
JW- We all know what happened between you and Jerome LeBanner. Is there
any bad blood between the two of you?
NP- You know, it is a funny story. We have not spoken since that !
JW-Would you ever rematch JLB if the fight was proposed to you?
NP-Yes, the battle of the cyborgs, his broken arm against my broken
leg...great promotion, They could even call it "THE GRUDGE MATCH OF THE
DECADE"
JW-There was a wild reason your latest fight was canceled.What happened?
NP- My last scheduled fight in Australia got cancelled at the very last moment. And when I say the very last moment, I literally mean the last moment, because I was behind the curtain, with my gloves on warmed up and ready to go. We were just waiting for the announcement for my opponent's entry music to begin, when the Hells Angles were attacked by the Finks( Aussie biker gang) and it turned real ugly. We were not more than 20 meters away from it standing just behind a curtain, when we heard 5 or 6 shots going off. Then everybody just started running out and we ended up following the crowd down and out towards the emergency exit. After that we tried making our way back to arena, but by the time we got back up there the police and arrived and shut down the event.
Thank God that nobody innocent got hurt. The promoter Ray Matsumura, got whacked over the head with a chair when he tried to stop the fighting. I wrote a small report on my website about the whole incident, check it out if you like?
JW- Will do! Our readers can check it out here (http://www.nicholaspettas.com/)! Now, how did it feel to be the honorary Japanese representative at the K-1 World Grand Prix?
NP- It was really great. I didn't matter where I went in Japan, people would be wishing me luck. I felt like a hero, there was so much support for me, I am just really sad that I lost to Ignashov that day, he broke my nose in the second round!
JW- How many times have you had your nose, or any other bones broken in
competition?
NP- (laughs), this is just what I was talking about, I got my nose broken in the finals that day, and then I broke my shin a couple of fights after
that...Let me count all the bones I have ever broken during competition and
training. 4 toes, 2 fingers, 5 ribs, Nose twice, 4 teeth, left fibia 2 times, right shin, knee operation, hernia operation, nose operation...I think that the list still goes on, but I just can't think of anything else I would like to add here.
JW- Who is the toughest fighter you have fought and lost to?
NP- The hardest fight that I have ever had was against a Japanese fighter called Tamura Yoshihiro, in a bare knuckle Kyokushin karate rules tournament. He weighed about 112kg's when I was 94kg's we fought 3 rounds, and he ended up winning it, but I had broken my left fibia during the first round. so I
fought the last 2 rounds with a broken leg, and I actually still to this day
believe that I was robbed of the decision.
JW- What was your toughest win in K-1?
NP-I don't know, after I got dropped in the body against Fujimoto, it was hard to get back up and beat him, but I ended up dropping him twice in that
round, and by tournament rules won the fight. But it has sucked out most of
my energy, and I was really tired after that fight. So I can sometimes
wonder what would have happened if we had gone to the next round...Oh, come on! I would have beaten him anyway!
JW- What is your most memorable K-1 moment?
NP-For me as a fighter, was winning the 2001 K-1 Japan Grand Prix, during the final against Musashi, I could hear the crowd cheering my name, it was an
awesome feeling, I was meant to win that day! As a coach, it was when JanNortje beat Mike Bernardo, just for the all the emotions that were involved in the whole fight. I had done a training camp with Jan, for 5 weeks, worked
with him personally everyday. And to see that all that work finally paid off
was just great. The fight ended in the first round, Jan KO'd him.
JW- A fan of yours had recently told me you were Greek, Danish, American,
and Japanese. Is this true? And how much of each part are you?
NP-OK, let me set the record straight once and for all, I was born in Greece, Farther was an American, Mother is Danish, at the age of just 3 weeks we moved to Japan and lived there for almost 6 months, I drank Japanese made baby milk? I think that makes for a bit of Japanese...when I was about 3 and a half we moved to Denmark where I grew up. A couple of months after I turned 18 I moved to Japan and I have been here ever since. Going on 16 years! I guess if you do the math that I have been living in this place longer than I ever spent in Denmark...Does that qualify for becoming a bit Japanese? I mean there was a bit of milk powders when I was very young. Oh, my wife is Japanese and so are my kids, they are a bit of Danish too...
JW- You are an American citizen correct? Where do you currently make your
home?
NP- I live in Tokyo, but I would love to spend more time in the States.
JW- Do you have any schools in the United States? If not do you ever plan
to open a school here? If so, where is it?
NP-No, I don't have a school in the U.S. at this moment, but I am currently in the process of negotiating with partners in California to open a Spirit Gym, and we are looking at the southern L.A. area, this is something I am very excited about, and am sure it would be a great thing for the sport. I'll keep you posted when I am ready to hit the U.S. with the Spirit Gym
JW- Please do! Pro fighter Joe Lira posts at our website, said he hung out with you in Australia and you were a real cool and funny dude. Rated on a scale of 1-10, where is your comedy level?
NP-O h, I don't know, last year I played a role as a American comedian in a
movie, but we were not supposed to be funny and that was actually harder
than I had first thought. I guess that I'm a 7 on a good day...? I do like laughing that is for sure, anyone who has met me always say that
I smile and laugh a lot.
JW-When you train for a fight, what routine do you go through each day to
get ready for fight night?
NP-I try to challenge myself at all times, so I keep changing my routines. Let me tell you some of the training I do now. Mon.,Tue. Thur. Fri. 11:00~13:00 Kickboxing (sparring pads bag shadow etc.)
Mon.,Tue. Thur. Fri.13:20~14:00 Swimming 10~20 laps followed by interval
sprints of 25 and 50 m. X amount times
Mon-.Fri. 17:30~ 19:30 Gold's Gym Plyometrics and Interval running
Wed. Sat. Survival running in the Park followed by 10 x 100m. sprints and
if weather allows it pad work outside
Tue. Thur. Sat. 17:30~19:30 Weight training. I have left out the time I
spend on teaching others, so you can see that I have my hands full.
When I get ready for a fight I tend to spar a lot more and a lot heavier
than normally. I also spend some time grappling with some of the guys that
come to learn stand up from me, it gives me some experience with a more
broad aspect of fighting. I am not much of a grappler myself, but I have
been known to sprawl or shoot here and there...
JW-What do you think of all the K-1 superstars like Mark Hunt and Mirko
CroCop converting to MMA rules?
NP-I think that they are doing extremely well, I went to see Mark's last fight. He doesn't know much about the grappling game, but he is such a fighter that it doesn't matter. He will punch and fight his way out of just about anything. It is a joy to watch him fight.
JW-Would you ever consider fighting under MMA rules?
NP- I am doing an exhibition MMA rules fight in May, but that does not mean
that I am going to do MMA full time. I think it could be interesting to try it one day. Right now I am too busy doing my own stuff, that I have not seriously considered it.
JW- Was Karate Kid really your inspiration to do martial arts?
NP-Of course! Wasn't it yours? I actually didn't know why I started doing
Karate, except that one day I had made my mind up that I was going to do it.
So I started telling everyone that I was going to do Karate, which issomething that is not very popular in Denmark. And it was just as if it had come to me as a revelation. It was not until recently that I was flicking
channels on the cable, that I stumbled on Karate Kid, that I realized that
this movie had been such an inspiration to me that the one day I decided that I wanted to be strong, that Karate was the answer to my prayers. It was really weird to realize it after so many years. I can also remember the day my Dad took me to see "Enter the Dragon", and we were walking towards the movie theater and he was all excited about it, telling me that this guy
could really do something special ..But that movie did not make me want to
train, because it was like a fantasy, he was too great!
Now The Karate Kid, on the other hand was exactly me, a kid who was basically a bum that got his ass kicked and just wanted to learn. I ended up moving all the way to Japan to learn from Mas.Oyama, it was like becoming the Karate Kid but for real. I have lived the Karate Kid and come out to tell about it. I am proud to say that I probably am the only real Karate Kid, except that I sort of grew up a bit...Wax on Wax Off ! Who can forget that ?
JW- In Karate, did you ever consider doing the 100 man kumite?
NP-No, not really, I think it is truly insane to want to do that.
JW- Could you briefly describe what the 100 man kumite is for the MMA fans
at our site?
NP-100 man kumite is a test of fighting 100 fresh guys in a row 2 min. each bare knuckle karate rules. There have only been 9 people to successfully complete it in more than 40 years of Kyokushin history...And the only one who didn't go straight to the hospital after accomplishing it was Francisco Filho. His wife took him to Disneyland the day after. He does admit that it was insane, but everything for Mickey Mouse right?
JW- How does it feel to be one of the first successful foreign Kyokushin
fighters to come to Japan?
NP- I don't know, I mean, there were a lot of successful foreign fighters that came to Japan. Back in 1971 and '72 there was a man called Howard Collins that ended becoming the runner up at the 5th. All Japan tournament, and a few months after that when he announced that he wanted to go home. Sosai arranged for him to do a 100 Man Kumite, before letting him go home. There is a picture of him where he is doing a Piece sign after having completed it, which is very famous. He said he didn't want to do it, but what can you do when Sosai Oyama "asks" you if you think you can...They proper reply here is "OSU!" I think he set the standard for all other foreigners to go to Honbu for training, I do not consider myself even close to his standards. SoI guess that there is still a far way to go.
He still today runs a dojo and teaches Karate, he has since moved to Sweden where he can be found. Funny thing is that I was lucky enough to train and live with him for a month, in Japan when while he came over and stayed in the Young Lions Dorm, At the age of around 50, he still did all the same
training that I did, and even got in a few more classes here and there. He
was very impressive.
JW- How do you compare yourself to other Kyokushin fighters in K-1?
NP-I don't! It is that simple, I compare myself to myself, because it is about how I perform and not them.
JW- Smart. Is there anybody for any reason you would love to fight right this
second?
NP- Musashi! Just because right now it would clear a path for me to get
right back into the action, I would even stake my career on a fight like
that.
JW-Kyokushin vs Kickboxing. Kyokushin vs Muay Thai. compared with the
other kicking arts, do you feel any one style may have an advantage under
K-1 rules over the other? why?
NP-I guess the fact that in Kyokushin they teach you not to punch in the face, that fighters truly lack this skill. It can be very hard to get used to it
and the confidence that one might have enjoyed doing just karate gets blown
away instantly, So Karate Vs. Kickboxing is/was hard. I think that it is
easier to fight against Muay Thai, because the rhythm they have can be quite similar to karate. Mainly focusing on kicking which is something as a Karate fighter you are used to and can be easy to counter.
WORD ASSOCIATION- I give the word or statement, and you put down your
response to that word or statement!
JW- ANDY HUG -
NP- Axe Kick, which one was actually better? his or mine...he
was a great guy!
JW-Mixed Martial Arts -
NP-fun
JW-Jerome LeBanner -
NP-Revenge
JW-K-1 WORLD GRAND PRIX CHAMPION -
NP- Nicholas Pettas, it sounds good !
JW-Kyokushin -
NP- Oyama Masutatsu "God Hand"
JW-This space is for you to write anything you want about whatever you want to your fans, doubters, haters, curious MMA fans, anybody. I know you have a website as well so go ahead. This space is for you.
NP-Well, here I am a finally get some free space to say what I want, and then I don't know what to say. I guess that I have said most of it above...
Oh, yes I remember now, I wanted to tell you all about my own website,
www.nicholaspettas.com it's the coolest site for my fans, friends, piers etc. I write on it daily, so if you feel like a chat or something then drop
me a line on the BBS section. I was very exited to hear from Bloodyknux.com,
because it has been a long time whish of mine to get some kind of foot hold
in America. Now with the project of trying to bring over The Spirit Gym, and
this interview, I also recently was filmed for some reality programs that
are going to air in America. I am starting to feel a closer connection, I
can't wait to get over there and meet everybody. I guess that I might put up
a request for any promoter in America that would want me to fight on their
show, that they kindly contact me and give an offer. What do you think?
would you like to see me fight in America?
NOTE-Thanks goes to all the members who have contributed questions to this interview. Your support in the continued growth of our standup forum as well as these quality interviews are appreciated
Discuss this interview here:http://www.bloodyknux.com/forum/showthread.php?p=404523#post404523
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One on One with one of K1's Finest
We here at Bloodyknux.com have been privleged over the past year or so to bring you exclusive interviews with many of the top stars in the Mixed Martial Arts world. With the growth of our site, so grows the range of our interviews and we are now proud to expand our conversations to include the stars of the K1 world as well. Our K1/Kickboxing Staff Member John Walters was fortunate enough to interview respected K1 veteran as well former K1 Japan GP champion Nicholas Pettas. Here now is the interview for your enjoyment
--
JW- Right off the bat, Will we see Nicholas Pettas in K-1 anytime soon?
NP-Yeah good one, I am ready to go anytime. I train an average of 4 hours a day, so you give me that pass into that ring and I will be there. Honestly speaking it does not look like the promoters are willing to reach out and give me a hand. K-1 is run out of Japan, and that means that the political
issues that holding me back from getting into the ring, are not that easy to
overcome. I have spent the last 3 years trying to negotiate the possibility
of me returning to K-1, but it has as you can understand not been too
successful...But you never know, if I create a big enough fan base in the
States and everyone demands that I fight again...well, it might be an idea,
I could represent the U.S.A.! So I guess it is up to you guys to put the
pressure on them to put me on the shows. I would love to fight in K-1 USA, I
am sure I would live up to everyone?s expectations.
JW-The K-1 USA could use a good fighter like you. is there any reason you
have not fought in the K-1 USA?
NP-Well, I guess that I already answered that question above, but you know that it has sort of given me an idea. I might try and approach the promoter and ask him to get me a fight ?
JW- How fast could a top ranked boxer learn all the kicks you learned over
the past 15 years?
NP-You said it yourself, 15 years ! I think it is very hard for boxers to learn to adapt to kickboxing. I can relate to it because I had to learn how to
box, after having done Karate with no boxing at all for more than 10 years.
I can still count the times I ever got kicked in the head doing karate on my
left hand...but I can also still remember how many times I got jabbed in the
face the first time I sparred doing kickboxing!!! LOL
JW- You've seen the Grand Prix several times. You've fought and spared with
some of the best. On a scale of 1 to 10, how many low kicks would it take
you to drop Choi Hong-man?
NP- You know I actually trained him before he started Kickboxing, he spent a good 3 weeks in my gym, I sparred with him once. And I told him that today Iwas sparring him to show him what real fighting is about, it's better you learn it now that in the ring in front of thousands of people. I dropped him with a right overhand hook in the first round, and then I beat him up in the corner for the remaining time of the that round and the next round too.
I was later told that he went to the K-1 office and said he wanted out, of the K-1. But they had him on a contract so he was forced to fight. I think I did a good job as a coach because he won that tournament in Korea and later made his way to the top 8. But I don't think that answers you question, I reckon a good 4 or 5 kicks should do the job.
JW- You handled Musashi pretty easily when you fought him. why does he
frustrate most top competitors nowadays?
NP-I would not say that I handled him easily, he was a lot more experienced than I was at the time. It was only my 6 or 7th.fight and he had done more than 40 fights, when we met in the ring. But you know it had nothing to do with that, we had been set up to fight 3 times and each time he had "gotten
injured" So it was like a sniper finally getting a clear shot, I had waited
for that fight for a long time.
It was very important for me to beat him, because he was/still is the best Japanese K-1 fighter, and I felt that if I could not be the best in Japan then I would be good enough to face the world. Like when I was fighting in Karate, I became the heavyweight champion of Europe before going to World Championships, and for me that was a good measure of my standards. The thing with Musashi is that he reads you very well and then he will move as you are about to move and then he positions himself good. He can take a punch, but can't we all, I knew that once I hit him clean I had to keep punching him until he dropped and that just happened to be in the extra round, 17 shots and he was hanging up against the ropes. It was a very good day in my career!
JW- Would you consider yourself one of the top 5 kickers in the world today?
NP- No, not really...
JW-Who would you say are the other four?
NP- Thank you for the compliment, but if I had to name 5 of the worlds top kickers I would want to know what to base my ranking on? Is it how good your kicks look? or is about how effective they are? OK, based on pure effectiveness, here it comes.
Karate: Garry O?Neill
MMA: Mirko Cro-cop
Kickboxing: Nicholas Pettas...ups, I didn't say that, I guess!
Peter Aerts(right leg highkick),
Alexei Ignashov(Knees)
Buakaw (K1-Max,frontkicks and right leg middle kick)
Peter Graham for the awesome Rolling Thunder that K.O.'ed Badr Hari...
Soccer: Ronaldinho
JW- If you could pick one opponent whose style of fighting would blend best
with yours to give the fight of the year, who would he be?
NP-I think that a lot of people would love to watch me beat Musashi
again...We took 48% TV ratings the last time we fought! So that should be a
pretty good fight.
JW- How do you compare yourself with the current competition K-1 has to
offer?
NP-Well, like I said before, I train an average of 4 hours a day even when I
am not getting ready for a fight, and that is not because I don't have
anything to do. It is because so that when the time comes I am ready.
K-1 is a very big sport now, and there are fighters all over the world that
train hard. I think that sometimes we get to see fighters in there that have
nothing to do there, but I am sure that the top fighters that we see often
are truly very strong. I really couldn't say at which level I am at without
really having been given a chance to fight for it? But I know that I am a
much better fighter today than when I last fought in the K-1, last year in
October I had my comeback fight in Holland, and I won via 2nd.round TKO.
against Gokan Saki. He is fighting in K-1 Holland this year, and is a very
promising young fighter coming out of Team Golden Glory.
JW- What do you think of their current champion, Semmy Schilt?
NP-I think they should make a special category for him, I mean they have a whole bunch of fighters that are way too big for the rest of us, here let me
give an example of a good one day tournament
Fight 1: Jan Nortje Vs..Choi Hong Man
Fight 2: Semmy Schilt Vs. Bob Sapp
Fight 3: Predator Vs. LeBanner
Fight 4: Giant Silva Vs. Akebono
JW-How do you think you would do vs Semmy?
NP-With the new rules, about not holding and doing knee's, I reckon that I
have a chance as much as everybody else. But it would be a battle to
remember...
JW- Do you feel like you could go far in the K-1 Grand Prix if you were to
have a spot this year?
NP-Yeah, of course, it all depends on who you get to face in the first fight, but if you are a little lucky and are prepared well then anything should be possible. Look at Musashi, he was the runner up two times, and then the
following year he got KO?D in the first round.
JW- We all know what happened between you and Jerome LeBanner. Is there
any bad blood between the two of you?
NP- You know, it is a funny story. We have not spoken since that !
JW-Would you ever rematch JLB if the fight was proposed to you?
NP-Yes, the battle of the cyborgs, his broken arm against my broken
leg...great promotion, They could even call it "THE GRUDGE MATCH OF THE
DECADE"
JW-There was a wild reason your latest fight was canceled.What happened?
NP- My last scheduled fight in Australia got cancelled at the very last moment. And when I say the very last moment, I literally mean the last moment, because I was behind the curtain, with my gloves on warmed up and ready to go. We were just waiting for the announcement for my opponent's entry music to begin, when the Hells Angles were attacked by the Finks( Aussie biker gang) and it turned real ugly. We were not more than 20 meters away from it standing just behind a curtain, when we heard 5 or 6 shots going off. Then everybody just started running out and we ended up following the crowd down and out towards the emergency exit. After that we tried making our way back to arena, but by the time we got back up there the police and arrived and shut down the event.
Thank God that nobody innocent got hurt. The promoter Ray Matsumura, got whacked over the head with a chair when he tried to stop the fighting. I wrote a small report on my website about the whole incident, check it out if you like?
JW- Will do! Our readers can check it out here (http://www.nicholaspettas.com/)! Now, how did it feel to be the honorary Japanese representative at the K-1 World Grand Prix?
NP- It was really great. I didn't matter where I went in Japan, people would be wishing me luck. I felt like a hero, there was so much support for me, I am just really sad that I lost to Ignashov that day, he broke my nose in the second round!
JW- How many times have you had your nose, or any other bones broken in
competition?
NP- (laughs), this is just what I was talking about, I got my nose broken in the finals that day, and then I broke my shin a couple of fights after
that...Let me count all the bones I have ever broken during competition and
training. 4 toes, 2 fingers, 5 ribs, Nose twice, 4 teeth, left fibia 2 times, right shin, knee operation, hernia operation, nose operation...I think that the list still goes on, but I just can't think of anything else I would like to add here.
JW- Who is the toughest fighter you have fought and lost to?
NP- The hardest fight that I have ever had was against a Japanese fighter called Tamura Yoshihiro, in a bare knuckle Kyokushin karate rules tournament. He weighed about 112kg's when I was 94kg's we fought 3 rounds, and he ended up winning it, but I had broken my left fibia during the first round. so I
fought the last 2 rounds with a broken leg, and I actually still to this day
believe that I was robbed of the decision.
JW- What was your toughest win in K-1?
NP-I don't know, after I got dropped in the body against Fujimoto, it was hard to get back up and beat him, but I ended up dropping him twice in that
round, and by tournament rules won the fight. But it has sucked out most of
my energy, and I was really tired after that fight. So I can sometimes
wonder what would have happened if we had gone to the next round...Oh, come on! I would have beaten him anyway!
JW- What is your most memorable K-1 moment?
NP-For me as a fighter, was winning the 2001 K-1 Japan Grand Prix, during the final against Musashi, I could hear the crowd cheering my name, it was an
awesome feeling, I was meant to win that day! As a coach, it was when JanNortje beat Mike Bernardo, just for the all the emotions that were involved in the whole fight. I had done a training camp with Jan, for 5 weeks, worked
with him personally everyday. And to see that all that work finally paid off
was just great. The fight ended in the first round, Jan KO'd him.
JW- A fan of yours had recently told me you were Greek, Danish, American,
and Japanese. Is this true? And how much of each part are you?
NP-OK, let me set the record straight once and for all, I was born in Greece, Farther was an American, Mother is Danish, at the age of just 3 weeks we moved to Japan and lived there for almost 6 months, I drank Japanese made baby milk? I think that makes for a bit of Japanese...when I was about 3 and a half we moved to Denmark where I grew up. A couple of months after I turned 18 I moved to Japan and I have been here ever since. Going on 16 years! I guess if you do the math that I have been living in this place longer than I ever spent in Denmark...Does that qualify for becoming a bit Japanese? I mean there was a bit of milk powders when I was very young. Oh, my wife is Japanese and so are my kids, they are a bit of Danish too...
JW- You are an American citizen correct? Where do you currently make your
home?
NP- I live in Tokyo, but I would love to spend more time in the States.
JW- Do you have any schools in the United States? If not do you ever plan
to open a school here? If so, where is it?
NP-No, I don't have a school in the U.S. at this moment, but I am currently in the process of negotiating with partners in California to open a Spirit Gym, and we are looking at the southern L.A. area, this is something I am very excited about, and am sure it would be a great thing for the sport. I'll keep you posted when I am ready to hit the U.S. with the Spirit Gym
JW- Please do! Pro fighter Joe Lira posts at our website, said he hung out with you in Australia and you were a real cool and funny dude. Rated on a scale of 1-10, where is your comedy level?
NP-O h, I don't know, last year I played a role as a American comedian in a
movie, but we were not supposed to be funny and that was actually harder
than I had first thought. I guess that I'm a 7 on a good day...? I do like laughing that is for sure, anyone who has met me always say that
I smile and laugh a lot.
JW-When you train for a fight, what routine do you go through each day to
get ready for fight night?
NP-I try to challenge myself at all times, so I keep changing my routines. Let me tell you some of the training I do now. Mon.,Tue. Thur. Fri. 11:00~13:00 Kickboxing (sparring pads bag shadow etc.)
Mon.,Tue. Thur. Fri.13:20~14:00 Swimming 10~20 laps followed by interval
sprints of 25 and 50 m. X amount times
Mon-.Fri. 17:30~ 19:30 Gold's Gym Plyometrics and Interval running
Wed. Sat. Survival running in the Park followed by 10 x 100m. sprints and
if weather allows it pad work outside
Tue. Thur. Sat. 17:30~19:30 Weight training. I have left out the time I
spend on teaching others, so you can see that I have my hands full.
When I get ready for a fight I tend to spar a lot more and a lot heavier
than normally. I also spend some time grappling with some of the guys that
come to learn stand up from me, it gives me some experience with a more
broad aspect of fighting. I am not much of a grappler myself, but I have
been known to sprawl or shoot here and there...
JW-What do you think of all the K-1 superstars like Mark Hunt and Mirko
CroCop converting to MMA rules?
NP-I think that they are doing extremely well, I went to see Mark's last fight. He doesn't know much about the grappling game, but he is such a fighter that it doesn't matter. He will punch and fight his way out of just about anything. It is a joy to watch him fight.
JW-Would you ever consider fighting under MMA rules?
NP- I am doing an exhibition MMA rules fight in May, but that does not mean
that I am going to do MMA full time. I think it could be interesting to try it one day. Right now I am too busy doing my own stuff, that I have not seriously considered it.
JW- Was Karate Kid really your inspiration to do martial arts?
NP-Of course! Wasn't it yours? I actually didn't know why I started doing
Karate, except that one day I had made my mind up that I was going to do it.
So I started telling everyone that I was going to do Karate, which issomething that is not very popular in Denmark. And it was just as if it had come to me as a revelation. It was not until recently that I was flicking
channels on the cable, that I stumbled on Karate Kid, that I realized that
this movie had been such an inspiration to me that the one day I decided that I wanted to be strong, that Karate was the answer to my prayers. It was really weird to realize it after so many years. I can also remember the day my Dad took me to see "Enter the Dragon", and we were walking towards the movie theater and he was all excited about it, telling me that this guy
could really do something special ..But that movie did not make me want to
train, because it was like a fantasy, he was too great!
Now The Karate Kid, on the other hand was exactly me, a kid who was basically a bum that got his ass kicked and just wanted to learn. I ended up moving all the way to Japan to learn from Mas.Oyama, it was like becoming the Karate Kid but for real. I have lived the Karate Kid and come out to tell about it. I am proud to say that I probably am the only real Karate Kid, except that I sort of grew up a bit...Wax on Wax Off ! Who can forget that ?
JW- In Karate, did you ever consider doing the 100 man kumite?
NP-No, not really, I think it is truly insane to want to do that.
JW- Could you briefly describe what the 100 man kumite is for the MMA fans
at our site?
NP-100 man kumite is a test of fighting 100 fresh guys in a row 2 min. each bare knuckle karate rules. There have only been 9 people to successfully complete it in more than 40 years of Kyokushin history...And the only one who didn't go straight to the hospital after accomplishing it was Francisco Filho. His wife took him to Disneyland the day after. He does admit that it was insane, but everything for Mickey Mouse right?
JW- How does it feel to be one of the first successful foreign Kyokushin
fighters to come to Japan?
NP- I don't know, I mean, there were a lot of successful foreign fighters that came to Japan. Back in 1971 and '72 there was a man called Howard Collins that ended becoming the runner up at the 5th. All Japan tournament, and a few months after that when he announced that he wanted to go home. Sosai arranged for him to do a 100 Man Kumite, before letting him go home. There is a picture of him where he is doing a Piece sign after having completed it, which is very famous. He said he didn't want to do it, but what can you do when Sosai Oyama "asks" you if you think you can...They proper reply here is "OSU!" I think he set the standard for all other foreigners to go to Honbu for training, I do not consider myself even close to his standards. SoI guess that there is still a far way to go.
He still today runs a dojo and teaches Karate, he has since moved to Sweden where he can be found. Funny thing is that I was lucky enough to train and live with him for a month, in Japan when while he came over and stayed in the Young Lions Dorm, At the age of around 50, he still did all the same
training that I did, and even got in a few more classes here and there. He
was very impressive.
JW- How do you compare yourself to other Kyokushin fighters in K-1?
NP-I don't! It is that simple, I compare myself to myself, because it is about how I perform and not them.
JW- Smart. Is there anybody for any reason you would love to fight right this
second?
NP- Musashi! Just because right now it would clear a path for me to get
right back into the action, I would even stake my career on a fight like
that.
JW-Kyokushin vs Kickboxing. Kyokushin vs Muay Thai. compared with the
other kicking arts, do you feel any one style may have an advantage under
K-1 rules over the other? why?
NP-I guess the fact that in Kyokushin they teach you not to punch in the face, that fighters truly lack this skill. It can be very hard to get used to it
and the confidence that one might have enjoyed doing just karate gets blown
away instantly, So Karate Vs. Kickboxing is/was hard. I think that it is
easier to fight against Muay Thai, because the rhythm they have can be quite similar to karate. Mainly focusing on kicking which is something as a Karate fighter you are used to and can be easy to counter.
WORD ASSOCIATION- I give the word or statement, and you put down your
response to that word or statement!
JW- ANDY HUG -
NP- Axe Kick, which one was actually better? his or mine...he
was a great guy!
JW-Mixed Martial Arts -
NP-fun
JW-Jerome LeBanner -
NP-Revenge
JW-K-1 WORLD GRAND PRIX CHAMPION -
NP- Nicholas Pettas, it sounds good !
JW-Kyokushin -
NP- Oyama Masutatsu "God Hand"
JW-This space is for you to write anything you want about whatever you want to your fans, doubters, haters, curious MMA fans, anybody. I know you have a website as well so go ahead. This space is for you.
NP-Well, here I am a finally get some free space to say what I want, and then I don't know what to say. I guess that I have said most of it above...
Oh, yes I remember now, I wanted to tell you all about my own website,
www.nicholaspettas.com it's the coolest site for my fans, friends, piers etc. I write on it daily, so if you feel like a chat or something then drop
me a line on the BBS section. I was very exited to hear from Bloodyknux.com,
because it has been a long time whish of mine to get some kind of foot hold
in America. Now with the project of trying to bring over The Spirit Gym, and
this interview, I also recently was filmed for some reality programs that
are going to air in America. I am starting to feel a closer connection, I
can't wait to get over there and meet everybody. I guess that I might put up
a request for any promoter in America that would want me to fight on their
show, that they kindly contact me and give an offer. What do you think?
would you like to see me fight in America?
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