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The big man talks about his upcoming K-1 debut in Las Vegas, his rapidly improving martial arts skills, and being one of the most sought after individuals. Written by Michael Afromowitz - muaythaimes@aol.com 
Catching up with K-1's biggest celebrity is not an easy thing to do. From filming TV commercials to being courted by every major media outlet in Japan, Bob Sapp is constantly on the move and tough to keep track of.On the brink of his United States fighting debut that will come on Friday, August 15th in the form of a three-round K-1 "Battle at the Bellagio" Superfight with the dangerous Kimo Leopoldo, the 6 foot 3 inch, 375-pound former NFL lineman is in even more demand than ever as the American media has caught Sapp fever and is anxious to get a piece of him. After a few days of relentless searching, though, I was finally able to locate the big man and steal some time with him while he was tucked away in a Japanese hotel, seeking refuge from the masses that swarm him when he dare set foot on the streets there. FCF: So, how have things been going lately? BS: Pretty good. Just a little bit tired, you know. But, I'm making it work. FCF: How do you feel about this fight with Kimo? BS: I'm looking forward to, not only, debuting in the United States, but also to going against a great fighter and a great legend like Kimo. He's definitely well-known in the United States for his superior fighting as well as for his tenacity in the ring. So, it's an opportunity to go into the United States with, not only some flair that you often see in Las Vegas, but also an opportunity to present some flair and tenacity while going against Kimo. FCF: Have you seen any of his fights? BS: Yea, I've seen him on tape. I don't know really how his stand-up's gonna be, but I think it's gonna be close to boxer's style and I know that he's got a pretty hard kick too. FCF: How do you feel you will match up with him? BS: I think we'll match up pretty evenly. But, I think once my pressure overwhelms him that you'll see me be able to squeak out a victory. FCF: How do you feel about finally debuting here in the United States? BS: Oh, man. There's a lot of pressure on me. There are a lot of friends of mine who are going to be watching the fight. And of course, it's in the United States and I'm basically the ambassador for K-1. K-1 has shown why, in fact, it's the number one sport in the world internationally. They're trying to make it number one in the United States now. So, there's a lot of pressure on me. But, this pressure cooker can have a tight lid. FCF: You've carried the sport a long way since you began fighting by bringing massive media attention to it. How far do you feel you can bring its popularity here in the United States? BS: Well, I think what I can actually do is make it to be one of the number one contenders along with boxing and make it surpass boxing as the number one fighting sport. That's because K-1 - not only is it exciting, but if you look at the knockout ratio, which is what many people tend to watch the fights for, K-1 is definitely over 80 percent most times. Some of it is also punch-kick, punch-punch-block-block-kick-block - that kind of thing. If we can get out of that kind of thing, I think you'll be able to see a huge following from the American public to K-1 and maybe to other fighting sports as well - but I think K-1 will lead the fighting sports. Its simple, it's easy to watch, and it's exciting. FCF: What do you personally find so thrilling about the sport? BS: Well, I think one of the things that really turned me on to K-1 is that, not only do you have to worry about getting knocked out from punches, but you have to worry about getting knocked out from kicks as well. So, it really expands your mind because if you look at someone - when they get knocked out by a low kick, you're like 'How does somebody get knocked out by getting kicked in the legs.' Having experienced it, I can tell you 'Wow!' (laughs) FCF: I understand you have been doing a lot of formal martial arts training lately. Can you tell me about it? BS: Yes, now I'm studying Karate at Seidokaikan (The Seidokaikan Karate school in Japan) and so I've basically just brought it back down to the basics and started off with utilizing the basic fundamental skills of kicking and punching that are incorporated into Karate and putting them into my style and showing that I can fight with them. I've actually been running on the beach and working with 200 or 300 Karate students and it's great. I haven't completed the black belt. From what I understand, that takes two or three years to complete. But, I am interested in pursuing that. FCF: What attracted you to Seidokaikan? BS: I think that Seido is a good start because it's basic. They hit below the neck and that's where a lot of my pain has had a tendency to come from. I can get punched and kicked in the head pretty much and take it. But, when it's come down to me getting punched in the abdominal region, I've had some problems dealing with that and Seido is a perfect way to turn those weaknesses that I've had into strengths. FCF: How important is it to you to bring your skill level up to that of some of the established fighters in K-1 who have been doing this for years? BS: It's very important, which is why I've started off with Seidokaikan. It's very important that I develop into a more complete fighter. Because I happened to beat the world champion (four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Ernesto Hoost), that doesn't mean that I've surpassed all the fundamental rules and that my style at that particular time was better than other styles. In order for me to get better, I must train and practice and go through the same hard things that everyone has always gone through. What happened with me is (the process) has just been fast forwarded (laughs). FCF: What is life like for you in Japan in terms of the way the public treats you? BS: Really, it's a unique situation. Basically, I pretty much just stay in my hotel room at all times at this particular point in time because I really can't do anything without having a large group of people come by and surround me at the restaurant where I'm eating or during any type of leisure activity that I choose to do. But, occasionally they can rent out arcade rooms for me so that I can go in there when no one's in there and play all the video games. So, I do get perks on the job, if you will. I recently went to Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan and I didn't have to wait on any lines at all and I got to go on as many rides as I wanted to. It was awesome! FCF: A lot of people here have been curious about your new rap video. Can you tell me about your venture into the music world? BS: Oh, man (laughs). "Sapp Time" was just a CD that I recorded. It was kind of meant to be like a fun, party kind of CD to say things to the fans and to show everyone that I'm having a great time doing entertainment and the fighting. I had a great time doing it. It did alright over here. It was the first time I've ever recorded any kind of music at all. But, having had some success with it, I'm beginning to get used to it (laughs). FCF: I know you've been extremely busy in Japan with all kinds of projects in the arena of entertainment. What kind of impact are you looking to have in the entertainment world here in the United States? BS: I've been entertaining several movie scripts from Hollywood so look to see me doing some Hollywood movies. I have several offers and several bonafied movie scripts in hand. They're interviewing me for several characters. I'm starting with some big-name actors and doing some big-name titles. There's gonna be some great ones ahead. |
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