"I want the ISKA title the No.1 belt of the World"

Yuta Kubo interview

K-1 MAX 63kg Champion Yuta Kubo will face Charles Francois to contest the vacant ISKA World light- welter weight (64.5 kg) championship as the main event on KRUSH 16 on the 17th February at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo. In the following interview Kubo talks a mental and physical preparation to headline a major Championship card and how he hopes to capture the World title.

Q: Your Championship fight is imminent, are you mentally prepared?

"I’m progressing step by step towards a victory working hard with my trainer, although I was very uneasy when I first saw a photo Charles Francois."

Q: What is your impression of Charles Francois?

"I think he is a skilful technician, I have little experience against taller fighters that make me a little uneasy. He will have a reach advantage, he has long legs and may be able to beat me to the kick, but I have a game plan I’ve practise hard and will take his reach advantage out of the game, I’m ready for Charles.

Q: K-1 MAX stars Yoshihiro Sato and Yuya Yamamoto are the co-main events, but you will headline as the main event how does that feel ?

"When I first heard I was the main event, I wasn’t sure it was a good thing, the pressure was uncanny my hands started to sweat, it made me tense. Sato and Yamamoto are my big seniors and to fight after them is an honour, but in term of fight pressure I think that it is bad"

Q: Is there extra pressure not to lose your fight because your following Sato and Yamamoto?

"Becoming a K-1 MAX king in June last year brought me to the attention of a lot of fighters, many of whom are would be rivals. Although I will be main card above my seniors the pressure is the same, the feeling does not change."

Q: Your last fight on KRUSH 13 last November, you won by KO against Tristan Bernard, does coming off a good victory make you mentally stronger for your next fight

"I trained hard and was able to get good result. I will train hard for this fight and will make a match worthy of the main event and get a good result. I may feel uneasy about being the main event, I train desperately hard to negate that uneasiness by fight time

Q: You participated in the New Year's Eve ‘Genki Desu Ka’ super show was that a useful experience

"it had been a while since I won the K-1 MAX and fought in front of so many spectators, it was a great experience to fight in front of so many people (20,000) on New Year Eve and win by KO in the first round, it was the ideal way to win on a NYE show, it would be my ideal way to win my next fight

Q: Charles Francois is a technician and the title match is 5 rounds, are you prepared for a 5 round match?

"I want to show my technical game with Charles this time. I consider it a plus that’s it a 5 round fight and have realized that the longer the fight the chance of a KO increases. I would like to show the game which is not been seen and which only I and Charles can do, and technical offense and defence"

Q: This battle could be the fight of the year, what would winning the title mean to you ?

"When this offer was received in the beginning, I was very glad to have the chance to challenge for the world title purely. I would like to raise the worth of a belt, I want ISKA title the No.1 belt of the world and by winning I want the world to know of the existence of the Yuta Kubo"