NOBUHIRO OBIYA VS GILBERT MELENDEZ Pre-Fight Interview

Tensei did the translation. I owe him.


NOBUHIRO OBIYA


- All that’s left to do is to do it. It’s exciting. My fatigue from training is recovered too. I went to a wrestling training camp for a week so it took a little time to get the fatigue out, but I got to relax so it turned out well.

- Did I gain anything from the training camp? Yes, I haven’t trained that much before. Aniki (big bro = Gomi) also went to tune up, so it was fun getting ready for the fight. I ran forever on the summer ski slopes so my stamina and my lower body strength are definitely better. Also it was at a high altitude, so all that running was in thinner air. My athletic capabilities are increased and my balance is better than before.

- For this fight I trained in a different training environment from before. Gomi-san built his own gym and moved away from our team, so I decided to think for myself and take advantage. That lead to me building my confidence too.

- I talked with Gomi-san, he told me “Don’t let your fight end as a tidy little victory.” “This is Bushido, it’s Pride.” Of course, I don’t intend to just go for a small non-descript win. I will always fight to the best of my abilities, and I will go buck wild. I want to fight a match where people will say “it was the most dangerous and insane.”

- Gilbert Melendez is young and aggressive. I’m pissed off. He said in an interview that he wants to fight Gomi. I’ll show him it’s a hundred years too early for Melendez to take him on.

- I’m just trying to hold back the urge to go buck wild. I’ll relax for now. For me, I wait to turn on the switch til the very last moment. Until the fight I will zone out, relax, and increase my focus. I think everyone went to all the summer festivals of Japan, but I think this fight can make people say that “Bushido was the best festival of summer.” I want this fight to be a manly fight.




GILBERT MELENDEZ

- I’ve been training all this time to fulfill the dream of being in Pride, so I’m glad that it came true. Pride has the top fighters from all over the world, its competition level and entertainment value are both wonderful.

- I trained a lot for this fight, I’m in great shape. I used to fight as 65kg but I wasn’t really feeling good. By going to 73kg I feel more healthy, and stronger as well.

- I respect Obiya, I saw a couple of his fights in DEEP and he was a really strong fighter. I feel honored to be able to fight him. His left hook has a lot of speed and is dangerous, so I want to especially look out for that. I will keep fighting with the intent to finish him, and I want to finish him as quickly as possible.

- I’ve been training a lot of grappling and wrestling, I want to show that technique in the fight. To give you a hint, I want to fight with wrestling as the backbone. But I became pretty tough now, and my jiujitsu skills have increased. In one word, you can say that I’m an all-round fighter.

- I feel that my striking skills have increased since first coming over to Japan. I’ve been training hard, haha. I think I’m stronger now than the last time I fought in Japan, so I want you guys to look forward to that. I’m a pretty chill person, but once I’m on the ring I will beat anybody who steps in front of me.

- Do I want to fight the champ Gomi? Right now I want to gain some experience inside the Pride ring. But I will definitely climb to the status of the champion. Gomi knows no fear and you can tell he has killer instinct. He’s a very tough fighter. But that’s the same for me too. I always want to win with a KO, never a decision.