Interviews
22/10/08 - Krzysztof Soszynski talks TUF 8, Junie Browning and more
Coming from Poland by way of Canada and California, light-heavyweight Krzysztof Soszynski is currently starring in Season Eight of The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC's reality show which acts as a recruiting ground for new talent.
Fighters Only: Your record is 15-8-1, which makes you quite experienced for a guy appearing on TUF. How did you come to be on the show?
It wasn't me who thought about applying for it actually. It was my wife Genevieve, she came up to me one day right before the application time was almost over. She gave me the form and said "We're going to sit down now and fill this out, and I'm going to do your interview then send it in".
The day before cut off day, we went down to LA and I introduced myself to some of the TUF producers. They kind of knew who I was from my previous fights in the IFL and HDNet fights. Two weeks later I got a call to come in and do the medicals and two weeks later I was told I was on the show.
Fighters Only: So you didn't get the four-day notice that some people get; but even with two weeks notice, did you have to start getting in shape intensively?
I'm always in shape, always in training. I fought once when I was out of shape and from that fight I learned that you always have to be in shape because you never know.
Like the UFC might call you with two weeks notice because they need you to fill in for someone who got injured. And you know Dan is always fighting, Thierry (Sokoudjou) is always fighting, there is always someone having a fight at Team Quest so I'm always training hard and always ready.
Fighters Only: Seasons of TUF have been criticized for featuring guys that are there arguably through personality not fighting ability. How would you rate the cast of TUF 8 in terms of legitimate future prospects?
Comparing this season to previous seasons... lets say the most fighters came out of seasons one and two? Our season is really close to that as a talent pool.
We've got a lot of good 205ers - Bryan Bader, two-time All American wrestler, Elliot Marshall, a jiu jitsu black belt and really solid fighter.
Vinny, he's a BJJ black belt world champion. Then there is myself, who is very experienced. I've fought six or seven UFC vets. Tom Lawler, but he is going down to 185lbs... plus all the 155ers as well.
Fighters Only: Speaking of 155ers, we saw you throw all Junie Allen Browning's stuff in the pool last week when he was acting crazy. Was it a nightmare spending six weeks with that guy?
To be honest Junie and I got along pretty good. It was when he threw that bottle that things got out of hand. He doesn't have the mental capacity to understand what alcohol does to him.
He was continually drinking, gets out of hand, can't take a practical joke - he can dish it out but he can't take it. It just escalated when he kept getting hammered.
But we were pretty cool with each other, you'll see in the next few episodes when he fights you'll see some things about me and him, we come together and help each other out with some stuff.
But him being drunk man... he got drunk a few times during the show and those were the crazy days.
Fighters Only: The UFC has been criticized in some quarters for allowing alcohol in the house. What is your take on that?
If that alcohol wasn't there, the house would probably be really boring and the show maybe not as successful. The show isn't going after the hardcore fans, its aimed at more mainstream guys and hopefully turns them into fans.
Fighters Only: So you need that drama?
You need that drama. You need the attitudes, the stories, the backgrounds. All the hardcore fighters only want to see these guys train and fight, but how many hardcore fighters are there?
To sustain the show you need the 18 to 35 year olds, who like the sport but also like that reality TV element that lets them get into it.
Fighters Only: What could you do for fun besides drink?
There is no books, no magazines, no TV... we had a basketball court, a ping pong table and a pool table. We made a chess board and had a chess tournament every week. Probably worse than prison (laughs). Not that I've ever been, but at least there you get some books and some TV time.
Fighters Only: And of course, guys who lose are stuck there until the season is over...
Imagine a guy who loses, he has nothing to be there for. So he's going to get hammered drunk and act crazy every night and try and get himself on TV. And you'll see that in the coming weeks.
So it just creates that drama. You've seen Junie, there is going to be some others coming up in the next few episodes, you'll see some craziness that goes beyond what Junie did. So I think that is going to draw some people in for sure.
Fighters Only: You were a professional wrestler for a while, how did you come to be on the verge of competing in the world's top MMA promotion?
I met Shawn Tompkins, he was the main factor In all of his. I met him at one of my shows that I promote in Winnipeg, Canada (Ultimate Cage Wars). He told me that he would take me under his wing in Ontario, Canada where he was based at the time.
Then I got introduced to Bas Rutten. I became a good friend of his and became a member of his IFL team and it just took off from there. I spent a lot of time training in California through Tompkins and Bas, and through that I met Dan Henderson.
He liked the way I trained and it all took off from there. He wanted to me to become part of the team and so I moved down to Temecula to train at the gym and also teach some classes. Then he applied for a working visa for me earlier last year and invited me to join Team Quest full time.
Fighters Only: So you've trained with a who's who of MMA already?
I said to myself, I want to train with some of the best fighters in the world. I've had the opportunity to train with guys like Rampage, Brandon Vera, Randy Couture... pretty much everybody, a Who's Who of MMA in California. Everybody was really cool, my trainers were fine with me traveling round and training with everybody.
Fighters Only: Why did you opt for Team Quest out of all the available gyms?
I had a chance to train at Xtreme Couture and become part of their team. But the Las Vegas lifestyle is just not my thing, I think I probably wouldn't have taken the training as seriously as I do being based in Temecula. That was one of the main factors. Also, I needed to work on my wrestling, which Dan (Henderson) was willing to help me with.
Fighters Only: So how is life in Temecula, CA?
Nice and quiet. Its a small, peaceful city. I'm really focused on my training, no outside distractions. We're in the gym twice a day every day as a team. We have fun after the fights but before the fights we're all business.
Fighters Only: Coming out of TUF 8, how do you see the UFC light-heavyweight division?
It's a crazy division, the top guys are all knocking each other out. Look at Keith Jardine - he's beat Forrest griffin in the past, but lost to Houston Alexander. Then he loses to Wanderlei Silva and beats Brandon Vera. Chuck Liddell got knocked out the way he did by Rashad Evans, but he also beat Wanderlei Silva recently.
It's a crazy division. But there are guys coming in that can be contenders and I see myself as one of them.
Fighters Only: And where do you see yourself in that division?
I've only been in this sport for about five years, I'm just coming into my own. I've had some tough fights, some tough losses and some good wins. I think I have developed really well.
Am I at the top of the game? Absolutely not. I still have lots to learn. But this experience has brought my skill level up, its brought my mental game on. I think I am a much better fighter because of the time in TUF. This game is 90 per cent mental and ten per cent physical.
I think its a couple of more years before I'm up there at the top, but I'm willing to wait and I'm willing to learn. Everybody's goal in this sport is to be the number one guy and it is no different with me.
I want to be there. I have the right team, the right people in my corner and the right attitude. I think my hard work ethic separates me from a lot of other fighters.
John Joe O'Regan
Attachments:
- There are no attachments for this article
