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BOB
SAPP Bob ‘The Beast’ Sapp vs. Bobby Lashley
©
Marc Wickert Special
thanks to Bob Trieger On June 27, 2009, MMA fans will be treated to a
huge main-event showdown at the Ultimate Chaos MMA spectacular in
Mississippi when 6’5” 350lbs. Bob Sapp (10-4-1) comes
thunder-crashing in on 6’2” 255lbs. Bobby Lashley(3-0-0), in what
the latter is understandably describing as a “Battle of the Giants”.
Sapp was an offensive lineman in NFL for four years
and earned the prestigious Morris Award before switching careers to
professional wrestling, kickboxing and mixed martial arts. In 2005
he became the K-1 Japan GP Champion and, having bench-pressed in excess
of 600lbs, is one of the strongest and most explosive fighters in MMA
today. Bob Sapp was taking care of some domestic duties in
Seattle, Washington, when Knucklepit.com caught up with him.
“One of my dogs got into trouble running around with my other dog and
he sprained his leg, so I was just looking after him. But he’s
fine now.” Bob is otherwise resting up between training
sessions at the time of this interview and will shortly return to the
gym. “When I wake up in the morning I do running, plyometrics
and get my mind ready. Then about four or five hours later I do
MMA training, which I’ll be doing shortly.” Bob, is your upcoming
battle with Bobby Lashley in a cage or a ring? “I think it’s in a cage.” Will that suit you? “Dude, I hate the cage: The last cage I lost in,
so I’m trying to redo everything to get rid of that stigma.” How has your preparation
for this fight been going? “Preparation for this upcoming fight is great.
Although I didn’t win on May 26 (against Ikuhisa Minowa), it’s still
pretty easy to stay in shape from that fight and just loop over to this
one, so I’m doing very well.” It’s being unofficially
billed as ‘the kickboxer vs. the wrestler’. Is that a fair
description of what it’s going to be? “Yeah, that is a very fair description.
I’ll be trying to keep on my feet and throw some big powerful punches
and kicks just so I can take him down. That is absolutely
correct.” What weight do you expect
to be on June 27? “I’m planning to be down to 330 to 350, so
let’s see if I can stay in that range.” Bobby has said of you:
“His weakness is in the gas tank”. How is your cardio going? “It’s going good, and yes, my weakness is going
to be in the gas tank when I always step forward with
one-hundred-percent power and effort. I don’t save my gas for
anything. Most fighters save theirs so they can win some time
throughout the match – pace themselves. I don’t do that.” When did you work with Sam
Greco? “A few years ago, but he helped me throughout my
entire career in kickboxing and some in MMA.” You and Bobby both have
huge fan bases from your professional wrestling careers. Has some
of your pro-wrestling background helped to make you such an entertaining
fighter in MMA? “Yes, it has. And it’s great too because the moves in pro-wrestling, you can use them in MMA to really hurt somebody. It’s the best.”
You’ve fought a lot in
Japan. Will it be nice to showcase your skills in America? “Oh yeah, it will be great fighting in front of
my home crowd, so I’ve got to do it.” Have you been working a
lot on your takedown defense? “Yes.” If this fight does go to
the ground, could Bobby be in for a few surprises? “He has no idea, but I’m very good with my
ground game. And anyone who comes from a wrestling background
isn’t used to taking these punches, so we’ll get it all right by the
fight day.” Bobby claims he’s going
to go toe-to-toe with you. Do you believe he will? “No, I think we’ll see him get down and dirty
and try more of his techniques on the ground.” Do you believe you can
stop that happening with your sprawling? “No, I’m not worried about the ground:
There’s not too much to be afraid of. It doesn’t win a victory
for you and it’s not a big deal. If he takes me down I just flip
him over and ground’n’pound him until the referee stops it or
he’ll stand up and try to run from me and I’ll get him that way.
That’s happened to me plenty of times before – it’s really kinda
irrelevant. A lot of wrestlers think, ‘Let me see if I can get
him down so I can show I’m a wrestler’. Go ahead!
That’s the wrestling game; it’s got nothing to do with fighting.
If he gets me down, let him see if he can hold both shoulders to the mat
and see if he can make me tap out.” You’ve said that Bobby
has never been hit by anybody like you. If you land a clean shot,
will that be the end for him? “Yes.” Is there any way this bout
will go the distance? “No, Bobby and I both know that.” Do you believe Bobby will
be out of his league against you? “I do.” Will your size, speed and
powerful strikes be what win this match for you? “Yes, they will.” Bob, is there anything
you’d like to add? “Bob ‘The Beast’ is back to put Bobby out on his back.”
For more on Ultimate
Chaos: www.theultimatechaos.com. The
Power-Packed Card: Bob
“The Beast” Sapp vs. Bobby Lashley Controversial Dutch
heavyweight Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (35-13-3)
takes on 3-time UFC title challenger Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo
(16-8-0) in an intriguing co-feature. Former King Of The Cage and
Gladiator Challenge champion Javier “Showtime” Vasquez (12-2-0)
meets dangerous lightweight Din “Dinyero” Thomas (24-8-0),
star of The Ultimate Fighter 4; Canadian lightweight sensation Chris
“The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (12-1-0) faces 4-time World
Muay Thai champion William “The Bull” Sriyapai
(12-4-0).
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