An Empathetic Champion
Upon hearing that his Tatsuya Kawajiri appears to have escaped relatively injury free Aoki said, gI am glad to hear that Kawajiri isnft badly injured. Usually I donft care about my opponentfs injuries. I wonder if this means I am getting soft. Honestly. Ifm a little surprised by the feelings myself, but nonetheless I am happy he isnft hurt.h He went on to explain to the press the reasons why he has been less than cooperative recently. gAfter losing at Strikeforce I felt that everyone around me, even the fans, were my enemy. I felt like I had to fight everybody. Everyone was my enemy,h he said rather cheerfully. About his successful title defense Aoki noted, gThe fight may not have been a long one, but I think each of us gave it our all.h
Yoshida Dojo team mates Kazuhiro Nakamura and Michihiro Omigawa were both delighted at their successful DREAM debuts. Omigawa noted, gI felt like I would be treated like an intruder, but I was very warmly welcomed by everyone and it felt nice.h Nakamura agreed with him and told how he was welcomed home by some staff he had worked with previously in PRIDE. He also promised to do put on a more exciting match next time, while Omigawa said there is no one he is interested in fighting right now other than the belt holder, Bibiano.
The ever humble Mitsuhiro Ishida thanked Event Producer Keiichi Sasahara for the opportunity to fight in DREAM. He also said it was exciting that the distinguished fighter Caol Uno was coming to DREAM and also planning to fight in his new weight class. gIf Mr. Sasahara offered me the fight, I would be more than happy to face him,h he said.
All of the foreign fighters had already left for the airport at the time of the press conference, so Gegard Mousasi could not comment about his upcoming Light-heavyweight Tournament Champion bout with Tatsuya Mizuno. The latter didnft talk of the fight either, but did sat, gI put my life on the line and trained as hard as I could in America for six months so that I could perform as I did. I am very happy with the result, and I want to give my thanks to all of those people that have supported me thus far.h
Keiichi Sasahara said, gRecently there have been many events. UFC, Strikeforce and MAX in the last month alone. I think DREAM.15 was a great show to follow them with.h He went on to explain that aside from Kawajirifs possible injuries Melvin Manhoef had some trouble, though no serious damage, when one of his contact lenses tore during the fight. Additionally, Jung Young Sam somehow fractured his left fibular during his bout.
Yet another exciting event has come to an end, and the next is being planned as you are reading this. DREAM.16 will take place in Nagoya, Japan on July 25, 2010. The event will be held in the second largest arena in Aichi Prefecture, the Nihon Gaishi Hall. Keep check back here regularly for updates and news about the card.
