TEAM USA EAST vs. TEAM RUSSIAN LEGION Interview

[keithlewis]

Reed Wallace - MMA Interview "attached" for Russias' Largest Newspaper "METRO" regarding TEAM USA EAST vs. TEAM RUSSIAN LEGION in M1 World Championships Dec 3rd‏



- Can you tell some words about yourself (age, how long you are working in MMA, favorite fighter and all what you want to say about your person)

My age is a secret and only FSB and myself know this information but I can say that “one is as young as one feels”. I founded my company White Chocolate Management http://www.whitecm.com in 2004 with Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez who is still my favorite fighter personally because he became like a son to me. On Dec 12th he will fight BJ Penn for the UFC World Championship Title Belt.

The fighter I have the most respect for and am a fan of is FEDOR Emelianenko. Beside his record and his fighting skills, he has the professionalism and style of no other fighter in the marketplace today. I believe he is the most intelligent fighter in MMA as well. He is simply put; “The Greatest Fighter Ever to fight in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts”.

For myself, I have chosen this sport as my passion in life so I work in all areas of the industry. Our companies manage fighters, Revolution Fight Club, LLC. produces events & content http://www.RevolutionFightClub.com, The Ultimate Ring Girl http://www.UltimateRingGirl.com looks after the careers of many beautiful women and soon we will be announcing some great news of some strategic relationships we have been working on in the recent months.

Working with M1, Vadim Finchelchtein , Apy Echteld and all the wonderful people in the organization has been a true pleasure for myself so I can say that “being able to spend time and energy on my passion and with my family give me a “rich life. I also live on the beach in Miami and to walk out in the morning and feel the beach and ocean all year, “is a gift of life”.



1. Have you ever been to Russia before? impressions/expectations/maybe some fears?

Haha! Great question but beware what you ask! Yes, I lived in Moscow from 1991-1998 and those were the best years of my life. There is not enough room in your paper to put all my thoughts and fond memories, it would take a novel to cover it all.
Russia for me is a country with a great culture and history. My grandparents were Russian and I was fortunate enough to be able to live and work in Moscow right after the fall of communism in 1991 until just after the collapse of the ruble and banks in 1998. One might say “Boris Yeltsin years”. It was a great time to be living in Moscow and I think I will write a book about these times “if I get the time”! ;-) The only fear I have is that when I visit Russia next week, I may not want to return to the USA !


2. Your team: style/fame in us/best event you participated?

Our Team USA EAST has a very diverse style we are very similar to America with a “mix of culture”. We have the Brazilian & African-American Mix. America’s culture is a mixture of all other nations and we reflect that culture. We will demonstrate Brazilian Jiu JItsu, I think the fans will be given a treat in the finals. I have had the honor to work with some of the great trainers in MMA who have helped me with the training and securing our team fighters, I would like to thank some of them now. Carlo Malta, Roger Krahl, Cesar Carneiro, Tony Schiena , Pedro & Gui Valente, Hermes Franca, Rigan Machado and many others that have helped advise and provide White Chocolate with their knowledge, experience and efforts to give us the great TEAM USA EAST ! I apologize for all those I did not mention, there are too many. Lastly, I should mention Vadim Finchelchtein, Apy Echteld and Dan Lambert, his American Top Team , a GREAT VISIONARY who along with the Gracie Family; is as much responsible for the popularity of the sport of MMA today as anyone.

I also want to add that without TapouT support of Dan Caldwell & Damon Caldwell we might not be here today and we also need to thank Full Tilt Poker and John Erminio for being a great sponsor to help make the M1 Challenge World Championship Cup Finals the most important International MMA event of 2009 !


3. When will you arrive? How long will it take you to prepare for your match with Team Russian Legion?

We will arrive this week in St.Petersburg . We have been preparing all our lives for this moment. The fighters are ready and will just need to adjust to the weather and time changes.


4. squad: changes while season/fitness at the time?

We have had many changes in the squad this season and it’s been a difficult adjustment due to injuries and other matters but we feel this squad is strong and ready to meet the M1 Challenge !


5. opinion about opponent?

This is a very strong opponent with deep talent. The Team Russian Legion has a great coach in Armen Danelyan and we have great respect for him and his team. All of the fighters are very well-rounded and possess great skills and heart. We know we are in for a battle and do not underestimate the abilities of any of the Team Russian Legion fighters. They are all great athletes and champions.

I have personally had the honor and pleasure to meet Coach Danelyan and the Team Russian Legion fighters during some past M1 Challenge events and I am very fond of them all. For me personally I want to wish them all great success at this Championship and in life. Its always difficult when you have to compete against those you have great respect and admiration for.


6. Is final big achievement for your team or only victory will satisfy you?

This is a difficult question. No one ever chose us to be in the finals. We were the underdog against Team USA WEST and our fighters came out with “hearts of lions” and swept the first 3 fights out five. Our welterweight Gerson “Indio” Dos Santos ( trained by the great Brazilian Master Frontin Cuhna ) had to fight in the larger middleweight category due to schedueling and was a much smaller man than his opponent . The fans will remember this fight, it was the fight of the night. He speed, skill and determination was surreal. It was a fight for to remember and those to see, who haven’t seen it. He made us all proud !

Of course it’s a great honor to even participate in such a great organization as M1 and to be in the finals is also like being in “a dream”. We will come and represent our country and detiny will determine the outcome. We are proud just to be here and as a guest of Vadim and mother Russia.

Lastly, none of this would be possible without my friends, family and partners at White Chocolate. Connie Coopersmith, Danielle Forsythe, Jose Toirac and Shanna Perry.