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How did you get to know Denis Kang?
He told me a while ago he would come live in South Korea and when he came he visited my gym. He taught me a lot of techniques that only a world class fighter would know. I learned so much from him. He is a great hyung (older brother).
Do you spar with him often?
How is your shoulder?I learned a lot about cage wrestling and jiu jitsu. He actually doesn't like to do too much standup sparring and avoids it. He says he’s too old for that now (laughs). He teaches me so much about grappling and wrestling. I plan to visit his new gym often.
What do you think about the upcoming match between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes?I can do jiu jitsu and basically everything else. It’s not 100 percent yet. It’s hard for me to throw big swinging punches still. My left shoulder was like that too, but it eventually healed. I'm hoping the same happens to my other shoulder.
Why do you want Aldo to win?I have fought Aldo and trained with Chad Mendes. Beyond technique and all that stuff, as a person Mendes is stronger. I sensed that he was strong while sparring with him. While Aldo is much weaker as a person than I had thought. I think I was a bit intimated and overestimated Aldo in our fight. I want Aldo to win, but I have a feeling Mendes will beat him.
When’s your next fight?There is a part of me that wants revenge. I said this before my fight with Aldo, but my biggest and first true goal in my MMA career was beating Aldo. I can’t see anyone else as champion yet. So I want Aldo to still remain Champion
When do you think your fight will be officially announced?Around September. The fights I am getting offered are Clay Guida, Dustin Poirier, and Dennis Bermudez. Everyone else is either injured or has a fight already.
I think the fight will be revealed around May. Based on the opponent, I will train for different scenarios. I basically train the way I have always trained. My shoulder is not yet 100 percent, but I trust it will get better. I just want to have a fun fight.
Anything you want to say for the fans?
I felt a lot of different things after watching my senior Dong Hyun Kim’s fights. He really left a big impact on me. He made me realize that for an MMA fighter it’s not about being entertaining on variety shows or talking in the media, you have to express yourself in the cage. That’s the correct and cool way for an MMA fighter. For a while I was feeling differently about that, but my senior Dong Hyun Kim made me see I was wrong. I really felt and learned a lot from his fights. In the same way, I am going to show myself in the cage.
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