[xJ2 Alter Ego]

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/box...t&lid=tab7pos2

Interview between Rampage and Zab Judah. I edited to get it to fit on the forum, took out some of the pointless crap. The link is there if you want to see the whole thing. Kinda long but a good read.

ESPN: OK, so let's talk about the two sports. Which sport is better?
Rampage: Well, I'm not here to say what's better. I'm here to say what's different. MMA is different. [There's] a lot more things to look out for. I think we should be called fighters, and boxers should be called fighters. Because they are boxing and we're fighting. We've got knees, elbows, kicks, slams, submissions and wrestling.
ESPN: So tell us about boxing why boxing is a better sport.
Judah: I wouldn't say it's better. It's no better or worse. Boxing is boxing and what they do is what they do.

ESPN: What's more fun to watch?
Judah: I would say MMA. There is a lot of blood and excitement.
ESPN: So you love to watch MMA fights?
Judah: Yeah. I go to a lot of fights.
Rampage: I'm going to have to agree with him on that. De La Hoya and Mayweather was the last big fight, and I think I'm the only one who got knocked out in that fight. I fell asleep twice. I woke up and the fight was still going on.
Judah: I was asleep, too.
Rampage: I love boxing, though. I now train boxing and that's why I'm knocking folks out. I got that fancy footwork like a boxer trying to work on ducking and weaving. I watch it but sometimes I end up taking a nap.
Judah: I'll be the bad guy. The Mayweather-De La Hoya fight was garbage.

ESPN: What would make MMA bouts better?
Judah: I don't like when they be on the ground too much. And they're down there for a long time. I could see them standing up a little bit more.
Rampage: I agree with him on that, too. I don't like that. If I was a referee, as soon as they go to the ground, if they ain't doing nothing, I would break it up.
ESPN: What would you change about boxing?
Rampage: I don't like when one boxer grabs too much. Why you want to hug up on him? That's two men in there sweating. If I was a boxer I'd be like, "Man, don't hug me."
ESPN: But you've done some grounding and pounding in the octagon.
Rampage: Yeah, I'm on the ground and pounding, but it's action. It's not just laying on him and wrestling on him on the ground. When I take somebody down to the ground, I'm still trying to knock them the hell out even though we on the ground.

ESPN: Zab, how long would Rampage last in a boxing ring?
Judah: He would be fighting heavyweights like Klitschko and Shannon Briggs. Them some big dudes.
ESPN: So, would he last 30 seconds?
Judah: No, I mean, he's a fighter.
Rampage: I don't know. Like he said, them some big guys. I probably wouldn't last too long in the boxing ring.

ESPN: Zab, how would you do in the octagon?
Judah: Give me about 30 seconds. As soon as I go down, it's over. I quit.
ESPN: Would you ever entertain the idea of training for a year and trying it?
Judah: I actually trained in MMA before, and it's not me. As soon as you kick me and knee me, it's over. We could punch it out. But knees and all that? I'm done.
Rampage: Yeah, that hurts a little bit more than punches. When I get punched in the face, it really doesn't bother me that much. But a kick to the leg? That really hurts.
ESPN: Rampage, if you spent six months doing just striking, how would you do in a boxing match?
Rampage: It depends on who you put me in there with. If you put me in there with a chump, I might lay his ass out. But if you put me in there with one of those top guys, I might swallow some teeth.
ESPN: OK, so a year from now, you vs.Wladimir Klitschko?
Rampage: I wouldn't fight him for anything under $10-$20 million.
Judah: That's right. Get the money. It's all about the money.
Rampage: If you put a couple of million in there, I'd try and whoop his ass.

ESPN: Do you think that there are guys out there who could cross over and try the other sport?
Judah: I think Ricky Hatton would do pretty well in that sport. I probably could do it. I can do anything that I put my mind to. I mean, if I focus my mind, I could do it.

ESPN: How would Zab Judah do against Sean Sherk?
Rampage: Sherk would just try to take him down the whole fight. That wouldn't be an exciting fight. Give him somebody that doesn't have that much wrestling experience that likes to punch, and that would be an exciting fight. If I trained you for a year, teach you how to fight MMA style, man, you'd go out there and knock some folks out. But Sherk, he just tries and take people down the whole time.
ESPN: So you could turn Zab into a good MMA fighter?
Rampage: I like the way he punches. You got to be aggressive in MMA and he is very aggressive.

ESPN: Zab, could you train Rampage to box?
Judah: Definitely. He's a strong fighter. I could get him ready in like three or four months.
Rampage: That's all I would need training him, too. All he really needs is takedown defense and jiu-jitsu defense. He don't even need to work on standup.

ESPN: A lot of people who are either MMA or boxing fans don't think a guy can cross over and be successful.
Rampage: I think people can, because of kickboxers. I did some kickboxing and I did all right, and I'm a wrestler. But boxing is a little bit different. I saw some kickboxers go into wrestling and get their ass handed to them, you know. I saw vice versa as well. It's just different, depending on who you put them in there with. I'm willing to represent the UFC. I ain't no coward. I'll go into the boxing ring and fight somebody but I ain't fighting no big-ass heavyweight who is really tough. Give me an old has-been.
Judah: Larry Holmes or somebody.
Rampage: Yeah, give me somebody who is like half dead who retired 10 years ago. Pay me like $10-20 million and I'll put on a good show.
ESPN: If somebody offered you $20 million tomorrow to do it, would you do it?
Rampage: Tomorrow? Hell, yeah, I'd cancel my fight I got right now.
ESPN: You honestly would?
Rampage: For $20 million? What's wrong with you? I'm from the streets of Memphis. $20 million to cancel my fight I got? Man, hell yeah.
ESPN: You would drop your UFC belt and go fight a boxing match?
Rampage: I can go buy another belt that looks just like that. That's a good payday for a mixed martial artist. We're not making the big money like the boxers.

ESPN: The heavyweight boxing champion used to be the toughest man in the world. Now who's the toughest man on the planet? And don't say Steven Seagal.
Rampage: Steven Seagal? Hell, no, he's a fat ass. He got a beer belly just like Chuck Liddell. Did I say that on camera? My fault. Nah, I think Fedor Emelianenko from Russia is one of the toughest guys on the planet.
ESPN: Are you scared of Fedor?
Rampage: I ain't scared of no man.
ESPN: Would you fight Fedor?
Rampage: For $20 million, I'll fight Fedor, his momma, his daddy, his brother, his cousin.

ESPN: Zab, when you talk to boxers, do they like MMA? Do they watch it?
Judah: Yeah, we go to the fights all the time in Vegas. It's a brutal sport. I love it.

ESPN: Rampage, do MMA guys watch boxing?
Rampage: Yeah, a lot of MMA guys watch boxing. We look up to a lot of them. A lot of us train boxing. But I like the referees. They look funny. I go to see what the referees are doing. That's kind of amusing to me.

ESPN: What's a better finish? Knockout or chokeout?
Judah: Knockout.
Rampage: You can knock them out, but when you choke them out they can't do nothing.
Judah: But when you choke somebody out it takes longer than knocking somebody out.
Because when you choking somebody out, you got to sit there and hold them until they go to sleep. Knockout, it's one punch .

Rampage: I'd rather watch a knockout.
Judah: Yeah, he likes knockouts. See his last fight?
Rampage: Yeah, that's my thing.

ESPN: Better promoter, Dana White or Don King?
Judah: I'm going with Dana.
Rampage: I'm going to go with Dana White because that's my boss!

ESPN: What's better, three-minute rounds or five-minute rounds?
Judah: I like five.
Rampage: But would you like to have a fight with 12 five-minute rounds?
Judah: Yeah.
Rampage: That's crazy, man. I like the five-minute rounds, too.

[xJ2 Alter Ego]

just realized it was already posted... after all that hard work <_< ... ah well

[DMFC]

I didn't like Rampage's views on standing up fighters on the ground...that is a huge disadvantage for grapplers. Sometimes it takes time to set up their submissions, its not going to happen immediately...just because its not flashy doesnt mean its not action!

[Cincyman07]

LOL!!

"For $20 million, I'll fight Fedor, his momma, his daddy, his brother, his cousin."

That's great.

[Crack Music]

ESPN: Better promoter, Dana White or Don King?
Judah: I'm going with Dana.
Rampage: I'm going to go with Dana White because that's my boss!

lol awesome

good article too. Its always cool to see some love and humility being shared between the two sports.

[CDF47]

Originally Posted by Cincyman07

LOL!!

"For $20 million, I'll fight Fedor, his momma, his daddy, his brother, his cousin."

That's great.

That was funny as hell. Plus, he said he wanted to fight a boxer who was old and retired for 10 years and half dead for $20 million. That was some funny shit.

Good interview.

[CDF47]

Originally Posted by Cincyman07

LOL!!

"For $20 million, I'll fight Fedor, his momma, his daddy, his brother, his cousin."

That's great.

Double post.

[CDF47]

Originally Posted by Cincyman07

LOL!!

"For $20 million, I'll fight Fedor, his momma, his daddy, his brother, his cousin."

That's great.

Triple post.

[jaywest]

Originally Posted by Cincyman07

LOL!!

"For $20 million, I'll fight Fedor, his momma, his daddy, his brother, his cousin."

That's great.

Yeah that's gotta be my favorite part.

[Laurier]

Rampage vs. Wladimir Klitschko

That matchup had never entered my mind before. Crazy idea.