Photo via Sudario's Sherdog page
Tsuyoshi Sudario on Hideki Sekine, Rizin 37, and More
Tsuyoshi Sudario tests skills with Hideki Sekine at Rizin 37. This goes down on July 31st at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Sudario returned to Bowks Talking Bouts and delved into several subjects before this prizefight. Excerpts from our chat are below.
Tsuyoshi Sudario
The advanced preparations ahead of this Sekine contest
“I’ve really stepped up in my training environment. I’ve been training with a lot of big Judo guys. Sekine is obviously a jiu jitsu guy but his fight style is not really technical. Doesn’t really submit opponents. He utilizes his jiu jitsu skills to control and hold down his opponents. Throws down kind of sloppy ground and pound. For me, I’ve been training with these Judo guys who are really good at keeping people down. So I’ve been having a really good environment in that sense over here in Japan.”
Thoughts on his path to victory over Hideki Sekine
“I’m not taking him lightly at all. I’ve seen that his variety of strikes, his arsenal that he has on his feet, he’s working on that. He’s getting better and I see that. So, I’m not taking him lightly, but I feel that I can dominate him on my feet with my striking. I know that my striking is better. Despite the fact that he is a jiu jitsu guy and he is with Bonsai, I don’t feel too threatened by his ground game. None of the skills that he possesses on the ground is that threatening.”
Parting thoughts for Tsuyoshi Sudario
“What I want to say is in recent modern-day MMA, you don’t really see any Asian heavyweight contenders. Even more, you don’t see Japanese heavyweight contenders that are taking on the world. So, I want to be that guy. I want to continue to get better, continue to train and get better. Be that one who can become a true contender. A world contender being Japanese and being an Asian. So, everybody stay tuned and please support my journey.”
