Gomi interview

Nexus 6 · 10-10-2007, 05:48 AM

For those of you who were looking for the Gomi interview that was deleted from the site the other day, here it is:

TOKYO -- Although we had agreed beforehand to meet in his gym for the interview, I cannot help but feel somewhat awkward entering Takanori Gomi's (Pictures) Kugayama Rascal gym.

Soggy and disheveled from the sudden onset of cold, rainy days here in Japan, it only adds to my uneasiness at being so carefully watched as I walk through the door and introduce myself. Gomi and his students are polite but curious and circumspect. Without more than the usual forms observed in the exchange of greetings, I know instantly that I am an intruder here.

While somewhat difficult to read, it is clear that Gomi is guarded about the idea of being interviewed by the Western press. His questions about the news site I work for, what it specializes in, and what its reach and status are in the general scheme of things is a giveaway to his concerns. Given the delicate nature of his situation, his trepidation is understandable.

"I'm in the gym pretty much all day," he explains with a smile, "so I don't really have access to the Internet or the different news sites."

While some may view his caution as unique, this is not entirely so. The truth of the matter is that most high-profile fighters in Japan act the same way. His manager, a Mr. Ichikawa, is required to sit in on the interview to interject and comment on questions that either he or Gomi feels are too sensitive to talk about.

"What exactly will be the theme or shape of your interview?" Gomi asks.

I explain that the Western MMA community has been curious as to his status in the past nine months, and where and when they will see him fighting next, now that PRIDE has changed hands and has since been unable to continue.

For better or worse, the word "contract" comes up during my explanation, prompting the beginning of a long and delicate negotiation of information that, until now, has only been anecdotally referred to by those in the business who have attempted time and again to bring Japan's best and brightest fighters to compete in the West.

"I can't really comment on the specifics of my contract status," he replies quickly. "The situation is a little too delicate, right now."

I ask if he can elaborate, but once again he is wary to volunteer much information.

"To be honest, we can't really disclose the specific terms of his contract," Ichikawa says, "mostly because of its vagueness and our likewise unclear relationship with the new PRIDE entity. Thus, our position has become somewhat complicated."

In an attempt to reword the question and ask why he hasn't simply followed in the footsteps of his PRIDE peers -- Mirko Filipovic (Pictures), Mauricio Rua (Pictures), Dan Henderson (Pictures) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) -- I bring up the example of fighters who have opted out of their contracts to compete in other organizations.

"PRIDE invested very much in [Gomi]," Ichikawa says. "As Gomi is the lightweight champion of PRIDE, he is also the symbol of PRIDE, so his position is very different from everyone else."

The implication, though unsaid, is clear.

As an exceptionally important prospect given his history, Gomi and his manager feel they are being carefully observed, and that as such, any statement or action they make, big or small, could significantly affect the future of his career if not carefully weighed beforehand.

"This is my career," says Gomi heavily. "It's best to be safe."

Be that as it may, when further pressed about the future, Ichikawa responds, "All we can definitely say is that we're currently listening to and entertaining all offers being sent to us, although we cannot yet comment on their specifics or what our stance is on them."

Being that the interview will be featured in a Western publication, the question of whether they have been approached by the UFC arises, and what they think or feel about the American MMA giant.

"We have indeed been approached by the UFC," confirms Ichikawa, offering no more and no less.

Gomi chimes in regarding the UFC deal as well as Dana White's open challenge to PRIDE's fighters to prove themselves in the Octagon. "Actually, I'm honored to have been offered the opportunity," he says. "I'm ready for that -- ready to prove that I'm still the best in the world."

Further discussion of his future plans are tabled upon Gomi's final declaration on the topic: "I'm ready for the next step. Beyond that, I can't say, but I am ready."
Next: Then and now

Nexus 6 · 10-10-2007, 05:49 AM

Part 2:

Then and now

The nature of the interview thus far has been clear: Gomi chooses to play his cards close to his chest and not reveal the details of his status or his future plans.

Being that this is what most MMA fans would naturally want to hear, especially in light of the fact that Gomi has largely been unavailable to Western press since his loss to Nick Diaz (Pictures) this past February, it is disheartening that the answers are not as forthcoming as most would like.

As the No. 1 lightweight in the world in many rankings, Gomi realizes and acknowledges the gravity of his stock and the interest it has generated. Yet, acting as if the thought of him as the best in the world was little more than the natural conclusion, it's clear the PRIDE lightweight champion has become somewhat used to the attention.

It's not difficult to see why. Gomi has consistently been at the top of his weight class throughout his nine-year career.

His rise to prominence began long before Western fans were able to enjoy his landmark performances in PRIDE's Bushido series, as the recently turned 29-year-old fighter began his storied career in Shooto.

Gomi recalls his formative years with much more clarity and detail than his potential future.

"I actually started getting interested in fighting at age 16, when I started boxing and wrestling," he says. "The UFC had already begun, and MMA was starting to grow, here in Japan. I enjoyed watching and respected fighters like Rumina Sato (Pictures), and I thought that Shooto was much more sports-like compared to some of the other options."

A then 9-0 Gomi would eventually face the charismatic Sato in a showdown for the welterweight title when former champion Caol Uno (Pictures) vacated the belt on the eve of winning it, opting instead to pursue a career in the UFC. With the Shooto title picture to be determined by pitting the top two contenders -- Gomi and Dokonjonosuke Mishima (Pictures), at the time -- it was Sato who filled in for an injured Mishima.

"With fighters like Uno leaving for the UFC, I felt it was my responsibility at the time to step up and face him," Gomi says. "I needed to, especially if I wanted to continue growing as a fighter."

Regarding winning the Shooto welterweight championship, Gomi also recounts his feelings over the coveted title: "It was my belief that if you make it in Shooto, you can make it anywhere else in the world. Shooto first, then you can graduate.

"At the time, I was a very cautious fighter," Gomi continues. "My focus was on not losing, so my performances weren't exactly what I'd liked. At first I believed that maybe it would be best to just retire if I lost the championship, but I eventually changed my outlook. When I lost to (Joachim) Hansen, I thought, ‘Now is the time to go to the U.S.' I believed that in order to grow, I had to leave Shooto in order to take the next step."

While Gomi would not be the first to leave the fierce proving ground of Shooto for the promise of greener pastures stateside, the former champion also entertained the prospect of entering K-1 MAX. Although MAX would relegate him to only showcasing his superlative striking skills that has since become his trademark, it was the only domestic option available to him at the time.

Yet it was the promise of testing his mettle against one of the UFC's top lightweights in the form of B.J. Penn (Pictures) in Rumble on the Rock that kept the Fireball Kid in MMA.

"I couldn't turn down that fight," Gomi says. "It was going to be my first fight in the cage, and B.J. Penn (Pictures) was a top fighter from the UFC. I had to find out how I would do against him.

"My first cage experience was unique in that I learned a lot, and I was satisfied at having fought Penn, despite losing. That fight gave me the answers I needed. It taught me that, ‘Wow, there really are very strong fighters out there,' and that that was where I needed to be to challenge them and grow further."

When I ask whether or not he would like to have a second shot at Penn in the UFC, or even try his luck at the current lightweight champion, Sean Sherk (Pictures), Gomi quickly responds with a smile.

"If it's possible someday, of course," he says. "I want a third belt. Sherk is a top fighter for sure. He's very strong and has great control, both from on top and against the cage. I think that in order for me to fight him, I'd need to step-up my weight training and get stronger to match his strength. I hate the idea of being taken down and put on my back, but Sherk looks like the type of fighter who is so strong and stiff, it would be easy for me to maneuver my way up underneath and keep the fight standing. He is indeed an elite-level fighter, but I can beat him."

Despite earlier admitting to a schedule that keeps him out of touch with most MMA news, Gomi is indeed aware of Sherk's recent run-in with the California State Athletic Commission for a positive steroid test, allowing me to ask him related questions about his thoughts regarding North American athletic commissions, drugs and Nick Diaz (Pictures).

"The commissions in America seem very strict," Gomi says. "If anything, it's more like boxing and other American sports, where winners and winning are most important. So, I understand why they have to be so strict, because it makes them more legitimate."

Regarding the unified rules, a thoughtful Gomi continues, "America is a very rich country, so it seems to me as if their standards are very high. I think the rules in American MMA and the UFC focus more on fighter safety and feel very natural to me. In this way, maybe American MMA is more sports-like, since most of Japanese MMA comes from professional wrestling."

Gomi goes on to comment on what he personally believes was his worst fight, a loss against his latest nemesis, Nick Diaz (Pictures), as well as his feelings on Diaz's marijuana use.

"I hate drugs and the idea of performance enhancing drugs. I don't use them, I never will, and my students never will either, because they have no place in my gym," Gomi vehemently proclaims. "I don't want to insult anyone or say anything rude, but I'm not too sure what the American perspective is toward drugs. For that matter, while I don't agree with Nick Diaz (Pictures)'s lifestyle choices because I heard he uses marijuana, I still respect him and appreciate his attitude toward fighting. I also don't think he actually used marijuana before the fight or that he used any purposefully for the fight."

Since losing to the Cesar Gracie (Pictures) fighter, Gomi has had time to look back and collect his thoughts on his pivotal final fight. According to him, it was a fight that he feels he should have won.

"I had just come off of a long New Year season," Gomi says. "I had just won a big fight [against Ishida] on New Year's Eve and had a number of commitments to fulfill that I just didn't have enough time to focus and prepare for the fight. I remember hearing about Diaz a long time ago, when I was still a Shooto champion. He was an undercard fighter on one of the shows I fought on, and I remember that he said he wanted to fight me then, but it didn't get to happen until recently.

"I wasn't in shape for that fight. Although technically, Diaz tested positive for marijuana, so maybe he wasn't exactly in the best shape either, I guess. I walked in unready and paid for it. I regret not being in shape, but next time I promise that I will be. My outlook now is to try and showcase everything that I can do in the ring. If I'm not prepared to do so, it will be another regret that will be with me forever.

"I should have won that fight. I really should have won that fight. But … sometimes a loss is the best medicine for one's career, you know?"

With the specter of Diaz haunting his otherwise impressive career to that point, Gomi certainly wants a second shot at redemption against the blazing bomber. However, if his stateside return isn't in the cards just yet, he will have more than enough on his hands on his home turf of Japan in the form of current HERO'S lightweight tournament champion, Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti.

"‘JZ' is certainly a top fighter," Gomi says. "He's young, energetic, extremely powerful, and his submission and wrestling skill are excellent. Furthermore, he has a really mean right hook. He also strikes me as the kind of fighter who takes very few chances, especially on the ground, so a fight with him would be a great challenge. To be honest, I don't think I could say what the outcome would be in a fight between the two of us, other than it would be an entertaining and challenging one."

With the prospect of also being able to go to K-1 HERO'S in his future, I broach the subject of whether or not he feels he will be challenged there. The West's perception of HERO'S, especially on the Internet, has been such that HERO'S matchmaking is sub-par when compared to many Western promotions or even rigidly structured organizations such as Japan's Shooto. In Western MMA discourse, K-1's focus appears more often to be on entertainment, rather than the advancement of the sport.

To say that Gomi is somewhat surprised at this assessment of K-1 HERO'S is one thing, though according to his answer, the focus on entertainment is a natural and acceptable conclusion to him that he has never quite questioned.

"It's necessary, so it's not really a bad thing," Gomi says. "You can't have title fight after title fight after title fight, because most people will not be able to follow it and get involved. You need to have entertainment for those who don't watch too often or may be watching for the first time to say, ‘Ah, those fights were entertaining. Let's watch this show again, next time they put on one.' Besides, doesn't your country enjoy fighters like Charles Bennett (Pictures)?"

vincent_vega · 10-10-2007, 05:50 AM

Why was it deleted?

Nexus 6 · 10-10-2007, 05:51 AM

Last Part:

Explaining to him that "Krazy Horse," while entertaining, does not often occupy the higher echelons of MMA discourse in the West elicits a laugh and an understanding nod from the PRIDE lightweight champion.

"Yeah, I don't know how America sees Bennett," Gomi says with a nod and a smile. "Actually, I like him and don't like him at the same time. I think he's incredibly strong and can knock anyone out, and I acknowledge that he has excellent showmanship, which is something I would like to have myself … but I don't know about him.

"But at the end of the day, fighters are still fighters, and fights are still fights. All of us train just the same as each other, and we still fight each other, just the same. The main attraction is us and what we do. It doesn't matter if it's for a title or just for entertainment. MMA, to me, is how fighters connect and communicate, in a way. In the ring, age, seniority, ethnicity, the gym you come from, etc. All that does not really matter beyond the fight. If you step into the ring, we are all the same. We are all brothers, and that's the truth of the relationship we have."

Uncertain future

While Gomi is more than willing to offer commentary on past achievements, as well as his various trials and tribulations, the discussion often tends to veer back to what his future will entail. Despite it happening almost naturally, it is at these points that further comment from Gomi becomes difficult.

For my part as a reporter, I do my best to reword my questions to work around his inability to give concrete answers, while still trying to eke out what little revelations of truth are possible under the circumstances.

It is a trying and often frustrating task. Despite the fact that I feel Gomi wants to say more, I have to respect that he is looking out for his future, as his silence evokes the feeling of a man at a critical juncture with his hands tied.

Gomi and his manager obviously want the best for him and his career, but they tread with great trepidation for fear of giving too much away. It is in this fear that I find my most salient questions deflected or answered vaguely in a roundabout way, which confirms previous accounts of Dana White's negotiations with Japanese organizations such as PRIDE.

Without definitely or directly saying what they mean, they walk a tightrope as they do their best to say what they can without rocking the boat; while no toes are stepped on, Gomi does not stand on ground with complete certainty.

Without adhering to the West's stereotypical notions of Japanese culture or iconoclastically opposing them with anecdotal experiences of my own, I must admit that I have a difficult time negotiating a middle ground with Gomi and his manager.

Asking Gomi directly about his future, particularly when he believes that I may be prying too deeply, is perhaps not exactly the most ingratiating thing I could have done, though as a journalist, it is a necessary evil.

My sensibilities as a Westerner and a reporter clash with the social mores of "minding one's own business is best." This, in conjunction with their meticulous image-consciousness, where even the smallest bit of information if admitted out of hand could adversely affect Gomi's future, makes for a formidable obstacle to overcome.

While this is a surprising revelation for Westerners, it is a stark truth for Gomi and his manager. As products of their own culture and environment, they are only acting according to what they feel is best, and it is a logic that we will invariably have to come to terms with, in much the same way Japanese fight sports will have to come to terms with Western interest.

At the end of the day, perhaps the most we can take away is that while Gomi does indeed value his privacy, he also values his status as one of Japan's premier fighters while continuing to represent his country and challenge himself against the world's finest in the lightweight division.

"I've had so many high-profile fights in Japan, it might actually be good for me and my career to take that next step and go abroad to continue fighting," he says. "The world is a big place, and the challenges are out there. As a Japanese champion, I want to set a good example for the next generation of fighters here. Representing and proving Japan is still strong and has the best fighters is important to me.

"If anything, I want to remember and honor the many people that helped me get this far. My teacher, Noriaki Kiguchi, and fighters like Rumina Sato (Pictures) for example. Twenty, 30 years down the line, I want to be remembered for helping Japanese fighters by paving the way and training them to be strong."

Given the fact that some of PRIDE best contributions to the UFC have not fared well lately, I ask Gomi if he feels any pressure to perform should he somehow finally appear in the UFC.

"No, not in particular," he says. "But maybe the rumors are true. Maybe they were overestimated when compared to their UFC counterparts. However I'm a champion, and champions like me are totally different."

Given the brash veteran's impressive performances, garnering him a storied 27-3 record spanning nine years of imposing competition, wherever he ends up, he may very well be right.

Only time will tell.

Addendum

It has been eight days since I interviewed the PRIDE lightweight champion. How quickly things change.

As was widely reported, Zuffa handed down the order to officially close the PRIDE office on Oct. 5, essentially relieving the PRIDE staff of further obligation since the former MMA giant would thenceforth cease to exist.

Also "staff" to some degree, the talk has been that fighters who remained under contract to PRIDE have also similarly been released. As such, I attempted to contact Gomi and his manager to see if their stance has changed since we last spoke. To date, neither has responded.

There are choices, likely more pressing in light of recent events, that lay heavy on the crown of today's lightweight king, and perhaps they are the reason he has remained silent.

Regardless of where Gomi finds the stiff challenges he said he needs in order to grow as a fighter, he knows fans will inevitably follow to see how the last of the PRIDE kings fares.

In the final estimation, that's all that matters

Nexus 6 · 10-10-2007, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vincent_vega

Why was it deleted?

As far as I know, no one has determined why it was deleted, apart from some speculation about the content not being received well by Gomi and/or his management.