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Interview w/ UFC Legend Tank Abbott (part 3)
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 11.17.2003 03:43 AM
The following is part three of boxinginsider.com's chat with UFC Legend Tank Abbott
Tank Abbott Interview: Interview w/ UFC Legend Part 1 |Part 2 | Part 3
Boxinginsider.com: Can you make some picks for the UFC 45 card?
Tank Abbott: Tell me who's on it? (Laughs)
Boxinginsider.com: I've got a list of a few fights here. Yves Edwards vs. Din Thomas?
Tank Abbott: I can't tell you. Those guys are like... You know, that's another thing -- Yves Edwards! Tough guy -- did a good job against my buddy, Eddie Ruiz. Why are the announcers talking a bunch of smack? So these guys have got some axe to grind or something, and they talk a bunch of lip about Eddie. Eddie went out there a fought a fight -- his very first fight against Yves Edwards, a seasoned veteran -- and held his own. Do you remember that fight? He fought the whole thing and the whole time.
[They said] "He can't box; he can't fight on his feet..." No-one's ever seen him fight on his feet! How do they know? So someone was tweaking Joe Rogan's ear that doesn't know their head from their ass. The bottom line is: he didn't run and quit like Tito did in his first fight when Shamrock was smacking him in the back of the head. It was his first fight and I think he gave a tough showing . . . all they did was give him a butcher-job on the announcing. It's just -- I don't understand it. Anyway, I'm sorry. I digressed. What was the question?
Boxinginsider.com: I was asking you what would be your pick when Yves Edwards fights Din Thomas?
Tank Abbott: Yeah. I don't know those guys. I don't watch them.
Photo: UFC.tv
Boxinginsider.com: Well let me ask you about guys I know you do know: Ricco Rodriguez vs. Pedro Rizzo?
Tank Abbott:I'm going to have to give that one to Rizzo. He's a tough guy. He's going to knock the snot out of Rodriguez.
Boxinginsider.com: How do you see the heavyweight division playing out?
Tank Abbott: I don't know, man. They need to tune it up and get some tough guys there. People watch the UFC to watch tough guys fight. Who's the toughest guy? You know, Randy Couture is a tough guy. You can't take that away from him. Actually, I like his style and the whole nine yards, but he's 205 lbs. John Q. Public is not going to turn on -- it's like starting boxing from square one and saying, "Hey, let's check out these guys that weigh -- welter-weights, cruiserweights".
You've got a bunch of John Q. Publics sitting at home going, "I [could] kick that guy's ass -- he's only 205 lbs." It's like, back in the day when Tyson used to have his boxing shows and all that kind of stuff? He would go and box -- he would go to the boxing gym every Monday after the fight when there was a big fight, a pay-per-view Tyson fight, and the whole place would be just jam-packed with guys that were going to be the next heavy-weight champion. A bunch of big, dumb football players in there: "I'm going to kick some ass; I'm going to beat that dumb Tyson..." You understand what I mean?
Boxinginsider.com: Exactly.
Tank Abbott: The art of it is there. I mean, everybody wants to see the art of it. The people that like the art of fighting will enjoy it, but John Q. Public, just like when they watch a boxing match is not going... they don't understand what boxing is. There are two guys, two big guys throwing punches at each other. They don't understand the sweet science of [fighting]... so-to-speak. So what they need to do is spice up the heavyweight thing -- start getting people in there that can bang. I was down on my -- I don't know how to explain it, but I'm coming back with a vengeance. There's going to be some banging and there's going to be some ass-kicking going on. The last two fights were not me. No way. No how. No anything.
Boxinginsider.com: A couple of fans wanted me to ask you about your cardio. What exactly do you do?
Tank Abbott: My cardio's fine. I run. I do everything. Everybody gives me flack about cardio. You can't fight for eighteen minutes when you need knee surgery, you can't run, and you weigh 300 lbs. That's just called suck-it-up and have-the-balls. Everybody that comments on my cardio, it's because I got called at short notice: "Will you fill in?" No-one would fill in at short notice -- [for] Maurice Smith, nobody -- so they had to call me up.
I said, "Sure, I'll do it." I went and did it and showed up. Three days -- they called me on Tuesday, and I was fighting on Friday and I wasn't training at all. I was drinking.
Boxinginsider.com: Let me follow that with: how soon before a fight do you stop drinking?
Tank Abbott: Oh, man. It just depends. I don't really necessarily stop drinking.
Boxinginsider.com: Well, for this fight coming up, against "Cabbage" -- are you going to be drinking the whole time up until the fight?
Tank Abbott: Yeah. But I don't drink every day.
Boxinginsider.com: All right.... Let me try to finish this up here. Do you take supplements or anything of that nature?
Tank Abbott: I use some protein powder here and there, but I do that in lieu of eating food. I substitute it instead of eating food -- I'll do a protein drink.
Boxinginsider.com: This show coming up is the UFC's 10th anniversary. Where will MMA be in ten years?
Tank Abbott: Oh, man. I hope it's still going and I hope they get the right minds in there that understand what people want to see … All it needs is some real fine tweaking, and it will go the extra ... it'll go over the top. They just haven't figured it out yet. You know, as soon as they get the right people tweaking their ear, they'll figure it all out. So hopefully it'll be bigger than ever, but you never know -- it could go the way of kick-boxing.
Boxinginsider.com: Who did you vote for in the California recall election?
Tank Abbott: Myself. ... I didn't vote. I don't vote. I'm a lazy person.
Boxinginsider.com: Is Tank Abbott available for public appearances?
Tank Abbott: Probably not. (Laughs) I mean, yeah, if I must do it, I'll do it, but -- I don't know how to explain it. It's not like... I don't need to get my ego blown up like that, so...
Boxinginsider.com: I mean, if people want to book you for seminars or autograph sessions or stuff of that nature? Even indie wrestling? Do you do any of that stuff?
Tank Abbott: I'm not against it, but I really haven't done it. That means I really don't want to do it. It's like you've got these people that want to be rock stars -- for all the wrong reasons -- they want to be famous, so they want whatever comes their way. And then you've got other people that play music because they love to play music -- and then there's a fraction of those people that get over. I'm like one of those people. I love to fight and that's why I do it. I don't do it to be famous or to do anything else. They had a local thing here, it was a Monday night football... afterwards they did like a local football thing. Tito was on it and he was going (high voice): "I'm not going to be fighting when I'm forty. I'm using fighting for another vehicle" -- like he's going to be an actor or something. Well, what the hell are you even fighting for? I'll be fighting when I'm seventy if I can. If I'm still alive. I'll go down fighting all the other whippersnappers, they can kick my ass. I'll get my digs in, though.
Boxinginsider.com: Finally, what is the biggest misconception the public has with the Ultimate Fighting Championship?
Tank Abbott: That Tito is tough. (Laughs)
Boxinginsider.com: I might have expected that one. What are your final thoughts, like a kind of a promo -- to tell people to buy this upcoming show?
Tank Abbott: Well, all I can tell you is I'm going to be back to where I need to be. When that is the case, there's going to be some dog flying and some blood flying. I'm going to kick the shit out of "Cabbage" and if I don't, I'll die trying. It ain't going to be no twist-my-foot or f***ing-choke bullshit. I'm coming.
Boxinginsider.com: Tank -- I really appreciate your taking the time to talk to me. I look forward to meeting you at the show and the best of luck to you.
Tank Abbott: All right big Daddy-o.
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