(photo via UFC.com)
It took 1:04 for the “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi to prove to the mma world that his debut loss was more nerves than a decline in his ability to fight as he became the first fighter to finish Tyson Griffin in the octagon. Gomi unleashed a heavy right hand after countering a leg kick, which sent Griffin to the mat forcing the stoppage in the first round.
Backstage, Gomi talked about the fight unsure of whether Griffin became overconfident after the opening exchanges and whether the victory held any meaning for Japanese fighters overall, which many critics have said is on a decline when compared to fighters coming from North America.
With the victory, the “Fireball Kid” hopes to eventually warrant a title shot one day but will concentrate on his next fight first.
“One thing (Tyson Griffin) is in really good shape. I’ve seen some of his fights so I know a little bit of his training, so he came in pretty good shape. He had reason to be confident but I don’t know if he got overconfident. I threw a couple of things around his chest, didn’t seem to phase him too much. It could be that’s when he got into this ‘Hey this guy can throw all he wants and I can take it.’ So a little bit into the bout he might have bit off more then he could chew.
“I don’t know that I necessarily am singlehandedly am going to turn the reputation of Japanese fighters around. I don’t know that I really have to, you’ve got (Yushin) Okami out there fighting tonight, I have every reason to believe he is going to win. Man he’s been a good fighter for a long time.
“I don’t see it as my mission to win people over to Japanese fighters. Like the fighters here I see my mission getting the fans excited showing them a good time. If they come to think ‘Hey, Japanese fighters are worth paying the money to see too,’ that’s fine. ‘Course I wouldn’t mind winning a championship sometime in there.
“Eventually, I want to get to the champion, I’m just so excited that his name alludes me, it’s not that I don’t have respect for him. When I get to him, there’s a few people, Kenny Florian, BJ (Penn) is another guy. I think I’m getting ahead of myself here, what I really wanna do now is go back and train and get really into top shape before I take on anybody it’s kind of one fight at a time.”
You can watch the interview at UFC.com.