10 Questions With Boban Simic (10/29/2010)

[DarrickPatrick]

10 Questions With Boban Simic (by Darrick Patrick)

Boban Simic is a professional mixed martial artist who has competed in organizations such as King of the Cage, Corral's Combat Classic, Xtreme Fighting Organization, Capital City Cage Wars, and Total Fight Challenge. At the time of this interview, his next scheduled match is against Tony Johnson in King of the Cage at KOTC: Infusion on November 13th, 2010.

Darrick: What was the road that led you to professional mixed martial arts competition?

Boban: I have always liked to fight ever since I was a little kid. I always had to be known to be the strongest kid my age in school. If there was a bully thinking that he's bad, I had to beat him up and show the other kids who I am. I loved to fight. As for how I got into MMA, I always used to train and lift weights to try to make myself extremely strong. Not for any sport, I hated sports, but just because I always felt that I had to be the strongest. I got to a point in my life where I was broke and I was in a neighborhood with a lot of gangbangers and crime. I lived in a building where I had access to big basements and decided with my two cousins that we should do some underground street fighting with the bangers on the street for money in the basements, like our own fight club. Whenever they wanted to act tough with us, we would just ask them if they'll put money on it.

A friend of mine heard that I was trying to do this, so he started talking with some people about me doing street fighting in places like bars where they'd put money on me. He started calling out some people in the community who thought they were tough to see if they'd fight me. Anyways, to make it short, another friend heard about all this and he came to me telling me that I didn't have to do it that way. He said that I can make money the legit way in the sport of fighting. He could put me in a cage fight, but I'd have to train for three months first. So, he took me to my first MMA school. Wow, I was excited! I didn't know you could get a cage fight that easy and fast, all I knew about was the UFC.

I trained for three months and got my first fight with a big Candian Pankration champion. He was about 6'5'' and 280 pounds. I knocked him out in 47 seconds. I had his blood all over me and I felt bliss for the first time in a long time. I knew then that this was for me. I had done boxing and sparring, but this felt way more exciting than boxing. Like I said, I don't like sports - especially team sports, but I like to fight and that's why I got into it. I get to fight people for money and not get arrested.

Darrick: Who are some of the people that greatly influenced you while growing up?

Boban: Me. I don't get influenced by others. All the males in my family are fighters though. My father was a Greco-Roman champion in Serbia and I've heard that my grandpa was a boxer and a bad ass. My uncle was one of the baddest street fighters I've ever met. He used to do Karate but his experience comes from the street. He taught me how to punch with two knuckles, the overhand, and a few other tricks. My cousins are as tough as me as well. My cousin Nebojsa had two amateur fights that he won and my cousin Lazar is a former KOTC champion. It's not really influence as much as I feel that it's in my blood.

Darrick: What brings you the most fulfillment out of martial arts?

Boban: I don't feel freedom in life. We are controlled and enslaved by this system. You can't really be yourself. In the cage though, under all of those eyes, sometimes you can feel escape. Sometimes it's just you alone in that cage and you can feel a little freedom in there. You can occasionally forget that everyone is watching. Sometimes in violence you can let out what society suppresses in you without the worries of being arrested. The more I do it though, the harder it is to feel that pure feeling. With being a professional fighter, you have to worry about rules and bullshit like that - but yeah, it's ironic but it seems like the only freedom you can feel in this world is by being locked in a cage.

Darrick: Your next scheduled fight is against Tony Johnson on November 13th. What are your thoughts about this upcoming match?

Boban: I'm not thinking too much about it. It's just another fight. He's bigger than me, looks strong, appears to be light on his feet with good stand-up, good at wrestling, and he was a former KOTC champion. I don't see any reason why I can't knock him out though, so you know it's going to be exciting for sure. I always fight exciting. I hope it's a war, I like fights that are war.

Darrick: Do you have any words of advice for other individuals looking to compete in MMA?

Boban: It's a sport. It is politics. It's not real fighting since there are rules, but it's as close to it as you can get legally. You can make money and it's fun to get paid to beat people up.

Darrick: Who are a few of the people in the sport that you highly respect?

Boban: I don't really watch MMA too much. I don't particularly relate to the majority of the fighters and really don't even like any of them except for Fedor Emelianenko. The reason I like him is that he seems like a real fighter. A lot of these guys in MMA are just jocks or yuppies who train a lot, but I don't see any real heart in them. However, I do see it in this guy Fedor. He's just a natural fighter who is born that way, the training just helps. Even without the training, I bet he'd still be kicking ass. When he comes out to fight, he comes out not looking excited at all. He looks like it's no big deal. I like that because I come out the same way - all slouched down, no bounce or nothing. Just calm. It's people like that who aren't scared. People who try to stare their opponents down and showboat are really just trying to convince themselves that they aren't scared, but deep down they are. He's really the only famous fighter that I like.

Darrick: Outside of MMA, what are your other interests?

Boban: Not much. Food, I guess. I don't go out too much, except to eat or drink espresso. I love espresso! I used to draw a lot and write poetry. I'm artistic but not so much lately since I started fighting. Other than fighting, life really bores me.

Darrick: Tell us something about you that most people don't know.

Boban: Most people don't know a lot of things about me and I think it's best that way. Sometimes I feel like the more you tell people about yourself, the more it becomes just an image which blinds people from the real you. I like to surprise people, so I won't tell much here.

Darrick: What is your oldest memory?

Boban: I don't think I can really go past about age four or three. I remember when I was around three years old, maybe two. I had blonde hair at that age and I remember eating corn on the cob and enjoying it so much. It's weird how such small things get stuck in your memory. Why these things? Why do they feel so special?

Darrick: If you were stuck in a bomb shelter for the rest of your life, what three items would you take in with you besides food and water?

Boban: An espresso machine and all that's needed to make espresso, my box of arts and poems, and a big mirror with a gun. Yeah, I know you know what that's for. You got a problem with that?

FOR OTHER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS BY DARRICK PATRICK:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=4974388&blogID=343519835

You can also check out Boban Simic in the following places:

Official Boban Simic MySpace Profile:

http://www.myspace.com/nightfingers

Official Boban Simic Facebook Site:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Boban-Simic/524992822

Boban Simic on Fight Finder:

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Boban-Simic-21173