—How is your current condition?
I plan to knock my opponent out, and trained with the intention on doing so. I feel great, in excellent condition.

—How do you feel being chosen to fight for Rizin?
When the offer came to fight for Rizin, I was so happy. After my opponent was named, I went straight into fight mood and in order to knock out my opponent, I have trained as hard as I possibly could have.

—Can you give us your thoughts on your opponent, Maike Linhares?
His ground game is excellent and he has great physical strength.

—Going up against a fighter like that, what kind of fight do you want to fight?
I want to knock him out within 1 minute of the match starting, before he even has a chance to breath. That’s my plan.

—You recently fought Marlon Sandro who is from Brazil. Are you confident in fighting Brazilian fighters?
It doesn’t matter what country they come from. It doesn’t matter if they are American, Brazilian. I have been fighting foreign fighters since I was little, so I feel more at ease fighting them rather than fighting Asian fighters. They are easier to fight for me.

—You will step into the Rizin ring as a representative of Road FC. What are your thoughts on this?
In a nutshell, there is no thought of losing. I am going to win.

—After this fight is over, what kind of year would you like 2016 to be?
I don’t plan on taking a break, even if I win I will keep going. I want to enhance my value as a fighter through victory in this fight.