Q&A: UFC’s Tatsuya Kawajiri says: ‘Even if I lose the fight, in my heart, I never admit that I lost’

The Japanese fighter faces Clay Guida UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi on Friday, and says his training has given him belief he can win their featherweight bout.

Tatsuya Kawajiri, right, says he considers the takedown the most important part of MMA. Josh Hedges / Getty Images

The Japanese faces Clay Guida in Abu Dhabi tomorrow night, and says his training has given him belief he can win their featherweight bout
q Which combat sport from the many that make up MMA would you consider your favourite, and why?
aI had no prior experience in combat sports before I started training MMA. So, if a man like myself, who has no combat sports background, must choose my favourite MMA skill, then, I guess, it should be wrestling. Through wrestling training you can acquire physical strength and ground-control skill that is very useful in the sport of MMA. I consider takedown to be most important in MMA and you can get that training through wrestling, as well. In MMA, I can choose to fight while standing or take the opponent down and fight on the ground. I can do either and that is a big advantage for me.
How would you describe yourself?
When it comes to sports, ever since when I was a kid, I never liked to lose. Even playing baseball or soccer with my friends, I was always arguing with them on either "safe" or "out" – and I am a bad loser. Even if I lose in the fight, in the bottom of my heart, I never admit that I lost.
What sort of fighter are you? I am very aggressive, always looking to finish my opponent. I am always looking to KO or submission win.
What is your biggest weapon? My favourite move is the Kawa-chan hold (head triangle choke). Against any opponent, even if they know it is coming, I can nail this hold.
Who was your toughest opponent, and why?
A fight against Takanori Gomi. I lost that fight. Gomi and I fought each other but, also, we fought against the fans, public and many other things. And, I believe, so many fans enjoyed that fight and it pushed lighter weight classes to the mainstream of the Japanese MMA.
How do you rate your chances of victory against Clay Guida in Abu Dhabi?
Guida is a very strong fighter. However, I have been training very hard to beat him, and I do believe in myself. Therefore, I believe I can win against Guida.
What's your perfect day off?
Play with my daughter, eat with my daughter, I like having a relaxed time with my daughter. My daughter provides me a sense of comfort and a motivation.
Where do you see your career in three years' time?
I can't even imagine if I would be fighting as a MMA fighter or not, but I want to stay as a fighter as long as possible and, because of this, I can't lose to Guida.
What do you say to people who call UFC barbaric?
MMA is a fantastic sport and, within the sport of MMA, UFC is the world's best stage. In order to win in the UFC, fighters go through a very healthy lifestyle and hard training on a daily basis. There is no feeling of hate or animosity. It's a pure feeling of just wanting to find out who is better between myself and my opponent. So there is nothing barbaric about this sport. In fact, out of many sports, I believe MMA is one sport that can express the closest thing to the battle of natural human instinct.
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