You would think that someone who has been fighting all around the world since 1998 and has fought big names such as Kazuo Misaki, Akihiro Gono, Murilo Rua, and Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller among others would make some huge noise in any organization. Well, recently acquired middleweight veteran Denis Kang (31-10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will get a chance to do just that against Alan Belcher (13-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland.

Kang, who was acquired by the UFC late last year, has fought in many different types of organizations including Pride, K-1, and Dream. In a recent interview with TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), Kang talked about why he chose now to make the move to the UFC, “Ya well they made me a pretty good offer ya know and at the same time I just thought it was time for a change in my career. Ya know you see a lot of the better fighters go to the UFC now a days and I wanted to be a part of that,” Kang said.

Kang, who resides in Vancouver, Canada, will not be fighting in the U.S quite yet due to visa problems but he is excited to be staying at least a little closer to home, “I was sick of fighting all the way in Asia all the time ya know? What I mean is I wanted a little bit of a change.”

Kang, who has been predominantly fighting in Japan over the past few years, is no stranger to having to deal with jet lag and preparing his body for the time change, “I don’t think Dublin will be as hard as Japan, but you still have to ya know get on their schedule. Ya know go outside during the day and get some sunshine, if there is any there ya know and you can’t just fall asleep at 3 or 4 in the afternoon even though you’re exhausted,” Kang said.

Kang and his opponent are both explosive fighters who love to have exciting stand up wars, “I think it’s going to be an awesome fight cause we both have pretty aggressive stand-up styles ya know and we can also fight on the ground. I mean he is primarily a muay thai guy, but you can tell he has evolved on the ground and with his wrestling and stuff. So ya know, it’s going to be a brawl.” Kang said.

Though Kang has fought around the world, many people still believe that there is that added pressure of the first time fighting in the Octagon, “Uh, it’s just another fight man. I mean ya know, they asked me the same thing when I first fought in Pride, but when it boils right down to it, it’s still the same thing. Whether I’m fighting in the UFC, King of the Cage, or anywhere else really. A punch is still a punch and ya know everything is gunna be the same,” Kang said.

It’s not only in the Octagon but also long before the fight starts that the fighters can feel the difference, “There is a little bit of added hype to it and things like that but overall it’s gunna be the same. I’m not putting any added pressure on myself.”

While this will be Kang’s first time in the UFC it will not be his first time in a cage, so he wants all thoughts of that being a problem cleared up, “Well, my last fight was in a cage ya know so I trained for it ya know. Getting used to it ya know, so it’s not really a factor anymore. I wouldn’t say I really had to change my style that much. I think uh I just needed to uh ya know, adapt to a few things to work against the fence and stuff like that, but you gotta remember I fought in a cage a bunch of times before ya know. My last dozen fights or so were in a ring, but before that I was fighting in a cage a lot,” Kang said.

With doubt nowhere in sight and his wealth of over ten years of experience, Kang seems prepared and calm to make his debut and make an immediate impact in the UFC.

By: Tim Thompson

To hear the full interview, download Thursday’s episode of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio archives. The show also featured interviews with Tom Atencio and Jorge Santiago.

One thought on “Big Time Fighter, Little Known Name”
  1. I’m looking forward to that fight, I was always hoping Kang would get picked up by the ufc.

    He hasn’t had the best of luck lately, but I’m sure a chance to have a run in the ufc is huge motivation. I hope he does well.

    Thanks for the transcription, I only read MMA news and don’t listen to MMA radio.

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