"MAX isn't Masato's anymore, it's mine."

[broncofan]

http://www.k-1.co.jp/en/news/2009/1030_max_01.html

Making a clean sweep of the competition, Giorgio Petrosyan of Italy stands tall as MAX's new world champion. Now he must face his first challenge as king as he gears up to battle MAX's most popular fighter Masato. In this interview we explore the newly-crowned fighter's thoughts about the tournament and the upcoming match at Dynamite!! on New Year's Eve at the Saitama Super Arena.
Making sacrifices to get here

-- To start with, congratulations on your win.
Petrosyan: Thanks.

-- How does it feel to get the MAX world belt?
Petrosyan: I finally feel like I'm a champion. Right after I won, it felt like a kind of blessing but hadn't really set in yet. When I was in the ring and looked at the results, that's when it finally hit me.

-- What was the path to becoming the new champion like?
Petrosyan: I did Thai boxing before I started K-1 three years ago. Three years have gone by now.

-- Did it seem like a long time?
Petrosyan: It was pretty hectic, but I did my best. It took a lot of self-sacrifice for all that training. And finally I accomplished what I'd set out to do.

-- Semi-final (vs. Yuya Yamamoto) you showed us a new attack style tonight, from the very opening.
Petrosyan: Since I'd gotten his weakness down, I figured I could get him.

-- His weakness?
Petrosyan: Didn't you notice in the match?

-- What part?
Petrosyan: Hehehe. I think he gave it away in front of everyone, but his weakness is that his defense isn't so good.

-- So you went on the offensive.
Petrosyan: I thought I'd attack him from the beginning.

-- Were you trying for a counterpunch?
Petrosyan: I threw a strong punch and it hit him. Just what I'd gone for. But it's because Yamamoto's face is so rock-hard that my hand ended up like this.

-- Is that when you hurt your hand?
Petrosyan: Yeah. I think it was right then. Then it kept on hurting when I was fighting Souwer.

I thought Buakaw had won

-- I saw the part where you went on the offensive. Didn't that take a lot of guts?
Petrosyan: It was a bit of a challenge. I want to show a different technique every time I have a match.

-- Did you change your style after getting criticized after that match last July by Tanikawa? After the match in July, Tanikawa gave you some pretty frank advice
Petrosyan: That's also true. He told me to. But it's my own style too.

-- I think it's gotten easier for you to show your fans how strong you are.
Petrosyan: I think it's easier since I got a KO.

-- From now on, people are going to want to see more of that attitude.
Petrosyan: All I think about once I'm in the ring is winning. But I get that the fans want to see a KO. I want to do that for them when I can.

-- Can you tell us what you thought of your match with Souwer?
Petrosyan: I beat him when we fought each other in Milano before. This was like a revenge match. I thought I'd want to end this match the same way. And I wanted to prove that I'm the stronger one.

-- Was your strategy to throw punches starting in the first round?
Petrosyan: I didn't really have a strategy. My strategy is just to win. That's it. Before the match, I don't try to do anything like predicting how it's going to go. I just decide based on how the other guy moves.

-- How did you prepare when you observed Souwer in the semifinals?
Petrosyan: I watched the match. But actually I thought Baukaw had won.
Souwer never got a hit

-- It was a surprise.
Petrosyan: I wasn't surprised. It was close, but Baukaw won. I think Japan wants some aggression, or that kind of thing...

-- Did it change your impression of Souwer?
Petrosyan: When I met him at an interview, he said he was in his best shape and it seemed that way. But that wasn't the case in Milano. That time was just a single match, but this time was a tournament. You can't compare. The environment is way too different.

-- When did you know for sure that you were going to win?
Petrosyan: I don't know the exact moment, but it was like the exact match as before except I was getting in even more punches this time. There wasn't any moment in the match where it hit me that I was going to win. I thought about it a bit, but I couldn't be sure until the end.

-- It felt like Souwer wasn't making any hits.
Petrosyan: He never got me even once.

-- How did you avoid his punches?
Petrosyan: I'm always looking for a perfect win. I've had four fights in Japan so far, so you know what I mean. I look for everything and keep my opponent from attacking.
K-1 is the biggest event of its kind in the world!

-- So now what do you think of K-1?
Petrosyan: It is the biggest event of its kind in the world, and its the only place you can find the strongest fighters in the world. All the world's best dream about being here and winning this crown. I also dreamed about it. I made that dream come true, but the dream doesn't end here. I'm going to keep moving forward and get stronger.

-- Your next goal?
Petrosyan: First, to fix my hand.

-- So far, no MAX champion has ever won two years in a row.
Petrosyan: Of course, I will try. It's always important to be the first to try new things.

-- What did you think about being challenged by Masato?
Petrosyan: I knew he would want to fight the champion. I shouldn't have been so surprised.

-- So you accepted?
Petrosyan: Sure. Why not? I'll fix my hand and then get ready for the Masato fight.

-- There is talk about it being 5 rounds so there is no doubt about the winner.
Petrosyan: Is that up to Masato?

-- No, I believe that is Mr. Tanikawa's opinion...
Petrosyan: You mean, Masato, right? I'll accept those terms.

-- If you end it quickly, it won't matter how many rounds, right?
Petrosyan: That's right.

Masato had already decided

-- Tanikawa said something about 10 rounds.
Petrosyan: That's the first time to hear that. You never know what will happen, so I guess anything's possible.

-- Until now, the general opinion was that MAX is Masato.
Petrosyan: I'm sure the Japanese fans think so. He's a Japanese fighter. But MAX doesn't equal Masato in my opinion. He's from the past.

-- So MAX doesn't equal Masato.
Petrosyan: It's mine, now. Right? That's what I think.

-- It depends on if the fans accept you.
Petrosyan: In Europe, the result is everything.

-- People didn't think Masato would choose you as his last opponent.
Petrosyan: I thought he was joking at first. I know he's serious now.
-- Joking?

Petrosyan: There was a rumor... but I thought, no way! I couldn't believe that he wanted to fight me.

-- You thought he would avoid you?
Petrosyan: He already decided, right?

-- He's already talking about it.
Petrosyan: I'm looking forward to it!

-- Are you going to celebrate more when you get back to Italy?
Petrosyan: I think all of Italy will celebrate with me.

-- You're a national hero.
Petrosyan: In this sport, you mean. An Italian has never made it this far before.

-- Do you have a message for Masato?
Petrosyan: Even if it's 5 rounds, the result will be the same. Well, I don't like to talk big so I'll see you on New Year's.