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29/10/09 - Kang: "I am looking to make a major statement"
Denis Kang believes his forthcoming match with Michael Bisping at UFC 105 “is probably the biggest fight of my career” and “one which will put me on the map in the UFC”. With just over two weeks to go until the fight, Kang is focused on the potential fruits of victory. “I am in good place, mentally and physically. I am ready. This is the right fight at the right time for me.
“This is one of the biggest fights on a UFC card and being in Bisping’s hometown in England where he is very popular there will be a lot of attention on it. I’ve fought in PRIDE FC tournaments, but UFC in my view is bigger than PRIDE was and this is a major fight on the card,” he says.
“This will really show the world that I am in the UFC. I was really disappointed with my UFC debut against Alan Belcher in Dublin in January. I feel I was controlling the fight but made a stupid mistake and ended up losing a fight I was winning. It happens, but I’ve worked hard since then not to make the same mistake again.”
“I took this fight right away when it was offered to me. I’ve wanted to fight Bisping ever since I came to the UFC. He’s got a big name, and he is usually in good fights the fans care about and I think I will beat him so, obviously, he’s someone I looked at as a great fight for me and my career.”
With both Kang and Bisping going into the fight off the back of stoppage losses in their last outings, it is a crucial encounter for both men. But Bisping has the home town advantage, with the fight being in the city of Manchester, near the Clitheroe village he calls home. Does this faze Kang?
He says not. “I’ve fought in other guy’s hometowns before and beaten them. I guess it sucks for the fans who are paying to see their guy win. Sorry. Bisping had it in his last fight against Dan Henderson, being the guy everyone wants to lose, and it can affect you. If they boo me, it will affect me but in a positive way. If they are booing, it means I am winning because if Bisping is kicking my ass they will be cheering.”
In fact, Kang expects to have something of a psychological advantage going into the fight, given that Bisping’s loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 was by way of KO so massive that it is an early frontrunner for KO of the Year for the World Mixed Martial Arts Awards that are being staged in Las Vegas later this year.
“He’s got a lot of issues to deal with, for sure,” says Kang. “It was one of the worst KO’s in MMA history, that KO against Dan Henderson. It was the kind of KO where his chin may never be the same again, who knows? He may get in there and not trust his chin at all no more, or he may fight very aggressive to prove his over that loss already.”
In the past, Kang has struggled most with fighters who present a submission threat. His most recent losses have been by triangle and guillotine respectively, often coming after he appeared to lose concentration and fall into a trap. But Bisping is not known as a submission fighter an Kang does not see him as a threat in that area.
“I think he’s a very tough fight for me, for sure. He’s not great at any one thing in terms of offense, and I don’t think he’s very strong, but he’s great at winning and he’s got great cardio; his stamina never runs out. I pride myself on my cardio but I look at him as someone who will be able to keep the pace with me,” is Kang’s analysis.
“I’ve noticed a couple of times with him, he’s fresher in the last round than his opponents and it will probably be the first time he won’t have that advantage going into the last round. I am a better athlete than he is, but I expect him to keep pace with me if it goes three rounds. If it were a five round fight I’d expect to wear him down and have more in the championship rounds, but I guess not over three.”
Kang claims he cannot see any way that Bisping can beat him, despite the fact that the Brit’s only career losses have been to Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson. Kang acknowledgers this, but it means little to him. “He knows how to win. He’s been put in difficult positions before and got out to win. He’s well rounded and aggressive,” he says.
“But I don’t see how he beats me. I hit harder than he does, I think I am faster and have better submissions. My wrestling is better than his. He is very good at avoiding submissions, so we will have to see how it goes. I am not looking for a submission or a knockout in particular, I just want to make a statement in this fight. However I beat him, I am looking to make a major statement.”
John Joe O’Regan
John.fightersonly@gmail.com
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