Interviews with Rena, Vadim Nemkov, Kanako Murata, Yuki Motoya, Anna Malyukova, and Shinji Sasaki.

Friday, April 15th, 2016 – We are two days out from Rizin 1, presented by Top. The event is being held in the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya and the fighters have given us their thoughts and feelings on the upcoming fights.

Rena “Her first experience being knocked out will be against me”
Fight 9: 51kg limit, shoot boxing rules. 3 x 3 min. rounds.
Rena Kubota (112/51kg) vs. Cyndi Alves (112/50.8kg)

Rena: I am really excited right now. Because this fight is shoot boxing rules and I have been able to train hard and be myself. I am used to this. The last time I fought was in an MMA fight and it was a different environment to what I was previously used to. I was so nervous for that fight but I feel great for this one, totally relaxed. This is my chance to show the world what shoot boxing is about. I will be myself, enjoy my ring entrance, smile and try my best.

Q: Could you please tell us your thoughts on your opponent?

A: I know she is going to come at me with all she has. I think she is going to be a bit of a pain in the ass (laughs) to be honest.

Q: Alves has replied to you saying you’d knock her out, by saying that nobody has ever done that before. Do you have anything to say to that?

A: She hasn’t experienced that before, but she’ll experience it for the first time when she fights me.

Vadim Nemkov: “I’m so happy to be fighting in Japan again”
Semi Main: Rizin MMA rules, 93kg.1R 10 mins, 2,3R 5 mins.
Vadim Nemkov (204/92.6kg) vs. Karl Albrektsson (205/92.9kg)

Nemkov: I really loved being part of the New Year’s Eve Rizin event, because the tournament is a really good idea. I also loved it because of the way the fans cheered us, they are so passionate. I’m so happy to be fighting in Japan again.
As far as the fight this time, I haven’t really thought too much about it. I have no injuries, and my preparation has been spot on.

Q: Could you please tell us your thoughts on your opponent, Karl Albrektsson?

A: I watched his fights online. His is a very good striker and a very tough fighter. I think we can put on a really good fight, and I am looking forward to it. I gained some invaluable experience fighting in the New Year’s Eve Rizin event but was defeated in the second round of the tournament. I put this down to a miss on my behalf.

Q: What do you believe it means to fight in Japan?

A: I love Japan and I especially love the Japanese MMA fans. They are so knowledgeable on MMA and that’s why I am so happy to be fighting in Japan.

Kanako Murata: “One day at a time, I am getting stronger”
Fight 4: Rizin Female MMA rules, 53kg. 3 x 5 min. rounds.
Kanako Murata (117/52.9kg) vs. Natalya Denisova (115/52.2kg)

Nemkov: I really loved being part of the New Year’s Eve Rizin event, because the tournament is a really good idea. I also loved it because of the way the fans cheered us, they are so passionate. I’m so happy to be fighting in Japan again.
As far as the fight this time, I haven’t really thought too much about it. I have no injuries, and my preparation has been spot on.

Q: What are your thoughts on tomorrow’s weigh-in?

A: I am just thinking about cutting weight. When I was wrestling, I was 55kg but I am now 2kgs lighter. I did everything I had to in preparation for this fight and I imagined the fight while I was training.
I have primarily been training at Sasaki’s “Me, We, Reversal” gym with Takeshi Yamazaki and Kazunori Yokota. One day at a time, I am getting stronger. When I was a child, I did Judo so we practiced a lot of take downs, how to take my opponents balance etc.

Q: Could you please tell us your thoughts on your opponent?

A: She likes to throw punches from the mount position, and is always on the front foot attacking. I think she’s a real tough fighter.

Q: What are your thoughts on her striking?

A: Her striking is the finished product. Very solid.

Q: Will Saori Yoshida be coming to watch the fight do you think?

A: When I was in training camp, I bumped into her. She wished me well in the fight and told me to keep injury free.

Q: Yoshida has said that you are well suited to MMA because of your fighting spirit.

A: I’m happy to hear that, I usually don’t talk to her about those kinds of things.

Yuki Motoya: “I will knock Nascimento out, and show everyone I am stronger than Chute Boxe fighters”.
Fight 5: Rizin MMA rules, 56.7kg.1R 10 mins, 2,3R 5 mins.
Yuki Motoya (N/A) vs. Allan Nascimento (125/56.5kg)

Motoya: I feel great and I’m ready to fight. I lost my last fight to Felipe Efrain (the fight was ruled a no-contest as Efrain didn’t make weight) and he is the number two Chute Boxe fighter and it seems like Nascimento is the number 1 fighter. I will knock Nascimento out, and show everyone that I am stronger than Chute Boxe fighters

Q: Could you please tell us your thoughts on Allan Nascimento?

A: He has a good ground game. He’s tall and has good reach. I cannot be careless against him. Because he is a team mate of Felipe Efrain, I expect that he knows a lot about me.
I’ve learnt from my mistakes in my last fight and I think this fight will go a lot different. I’ve fixed my errors and I’m ready to win.

Fight 11: Rizin Female MMA rules, open weight. 3 x 5 min. rounds.
Gabi Garcia (209/95kg) vs. Anna Malyukova (200/91kg)

Anna Malyukova: I still feel some jetlag so I’m not all that refreshed. In saying that however, my preparation for this fight has been great.
I’ve known about Rizin since watching their first event on New Year’s Eve, and before that I was a big fan of Pride and watched it a lot. I was a big fan of Fedor, being that we are both Russian.
That is why I am so excited, it’s a dream come true to be able to fight in this ring. I had a pro MMA fight last September and I won by TKO. It wasn’t a big event like Rizin is, but it was my pro MMA debut. This fight will be my second MMA fight, and will also be my opponent Gabi Garcia’s second pro MMA fight too.

Q: After watching Garcia’s debut, do you think you’re a better fighter?

A: I can’t comment on that as we have never fought each other before. I just have to train hard, that’s important.

Q: Are you someone who is quite calm, and then suddenly transforms when you get in the ring?

A: Yes, that’s correct (laughs).

Fight 8: Rizin MMA rules, 70.3kg.1R 10 mins, 2,3R 5 mins.
Daron Cruickshank (154/70.05kg) vs. Shinji Sasaki (154/70.01kg)
“As long as you can do MMA, it doesn’t matter where in Japan one lives”.

Sasaki: I feel great and I’m ready to fight. If I win or lose, I just want to put on a good fight and leave a lasting impression on people. My opponent is from one of the top overseas federations, and I think he is a really good fighter.
He has extradimensional strength, from another world. Instead of focusing on tactics, I want to fight and realize my true potential.
The number one thing for me is to show everyone that even fighters in the rural areas have the ability to take on the best in the world.
It doesn’t matter if you are not from the Kansai or Kanto areas, if you train hard and do your best, someone like me from the rural areas of Japan can fight on the big stage. As long as you can do MMA, it doesn’t matter where in Japan one lives.
Sakuraba is also fighting on this card. Everyone around me grew up watching him and drew inspiration from seeing him do so well. He made me want to do MMA. I am so happy to be on the same card as him and fighting in the same ring as him. Everyone else feels the same too. It is now up to me to show everyone what I can do.