No longer "lazy," Takanori Gomi promises explosive fight at UFC Fight Night 21
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championship organization's final lightweight champion, Japanese superstar Takanori Gomi (31-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was once a feared striker capable of dropping any opponent with his rapid-fire punches.
But in recent times, Gomi has gone just 2-2 in his past four fights – a run that includes a 25-minute decision victory over what should have been an overmatched Tony Hervey.
But just as things seemed to have turned for the worse, Gomi now readies for his UFC debut at Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 21 event in Charlotte, N.C. And "The Fireball Kid" says you can expect a return to old form.
"It's really an honor for me to fight in UFC," Gomi told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) through an interpreter. "Fighting in the UFC means many people in the U.S. will see my fighting style for the first time. That's why I'm going to enjoy fighting here in the UFC."
Already a superstar in Japan, Gomi remains relatively unknown to the casual U.S. fan. But the 31-year-old's credentials are astounding.
In addition to his PRIDE lightweight title and a successful submission wrestling career, Gomi was a Shooto champion and a PRIDE grand prix champion. He owns career wins over Marcus Aurelio, Luiz Azeredo, Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Duane Ludwig, Jens Pulver, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Rumina Sato, among others, and he earned the fastest knockout in PRIDE history with a six-second stoppage of Ralph Gracie in May 2004.
So with a history of success that began way back in 1998, what happened during his recent bouts?
"I'm lazy," Gomi admitted with a laugh. "It was hard to stay motivated for fighting for so many years. I knew I should have trained more before the fights. But when I go to the ring now, I want to show an explosive fight.
"So many fighters are coming from all over the world (to fight in the UFC). I had been training in the same way for years. But now I'm more excited, and my conditioning is very good."
Two-time UFC lightweight title contender Kenny Florian welcomes Gomi to the organization. Gomi admitted he doesn't have any real specific opinions on Florian, though he believes the UFC is loaded with powerful lightweights.
"I don't have any real impression of him," Gomi said. "I've never met him before. All of the UFC fighters look so strong, but I don't have any specific impression of him."
While fighting is nothing new to the near-12-year veteran, competing in a cage certainly is. And though some previous Japanese imports have found a touch of difficulty adjusting to the change in fighting surface, Gomi said he's looking forward to moving away from a ring.
"I like that when fighting in the cage, you don't have the breaks in action like the ring, where I fought before," Gomi said. "But I think that mixed martial arts started in a cage, and I think that kind of fight is fit for a cage more than a ring."
So Gomi arrives in the U.S. looking to win a new set of fans after earning a loyal following across the Pacific. The question he must answer in Wednesday's main event remains, "What does Gomi have left?"
The Japanese superstar believes plenty, and the motivation of fighting in front of a new fanbase has him ready to prove it.
"I'm definitely going to fight aggressive," Gomi said. "I don't like booing from the audience."
