http://www.mmalinker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=146&t=53133
MMALinker: It's a pleasure to talk to you Mo, figuratively speaking. Thanks for giving the fans at MMALinker some of your time.Everyone knows that you are a very good wrestler, but the hierarchy of amateur wrestling isn't understood very well by those outside of it. Most fans recognize NCAA accomplishments, but wrestling at the national or international level after college is something we are a lot less familiar with. What differences did you see between collegiate and international wrestling, particularly in terms of competition?
King Mo: The big difference between freestyle and collegiate wrestling, other than rules, is the level of competition....You are wrestling the best men from other countries. They train to be World and Olympic Champions. They feed their families by winning. In college, you tend to wrestle other boys with flawed technique or strategy...There are few exceptions tho. There are 18 and 19 year olds that beat our top guys....I just think that the foriegners are hungrier for the most part and they are well schooled in freestyle wrestling...I started wrestling at 16, but in Russia, at 16 or 17 the coaches can already tell u who will win a world and olympic title from their group of guys they train.
It is a little difficult to find detailed information about records and accomplishments in wrestling. During your time as a wrestler, you were the USA's top-ranked wrestler for a significant period of time and were on the national team several times. What were some of your big wins and your major accomplishments?
I was a 3x US national champion, Golden Cup Grand Prix Champion, Yasar Dogu Champion, Pa Am champion, Tahkti Cup Champion, Ive defeated numerous world and olympic medalist.
The Olympics is one of the accomplishments in wrestling that people recognize. You planned for the 2008 Olympics to be your exit from wrestling one way or the other - unfortunately it went the "other" way in the qualifiers. I know that your match in the finals of the 2008 Olympic qualifiers had some controversial calls - could you explain those to a layman?
As far as the controversial match, there was some points they didn't score for me but its all good. Its in the past and things happen...Revas Mindorashvilli ended up winning the Olympic Gold and that was bitter sweet bcuz I beat him pretty easily but he is a coo man and deserved to win. He worked real hard.
You've said before that both wrestling and boxing are "your sports," and your boxing style certainly has drawn attention. Do you have anyone that you particularly follow or support in boxing, either now or in the past? If I had to guess at your favorites, I'd say Roy Jones Jr.
I follow boxing heavy!! I like the way Emmanuel Augustus moves. I like B hop, Mayweather, RJJ, James Kirkland, Jorge Linares, Pavlik, Donaire, Darchinyan, Calderon, Angulo, Paul Williams, James Toney, Joshua Clottey, etc...
Your striking looks naturally fluid, something you spoke about when discussing the Whitehead and Wiuff fights, and far beyond what we’d expect of a wrestler in their MMA debut. How long have you been training for MMA and boxing?
I started trainin MMA about a month or so b4 my first fight and I did stand up for about 3 and a half weeks b4 my first fight. I used to go to the boxing gym here and there in highschool and me and my boys used to box in the weightroom at school. I was undefeated....lol
Every time I hear about your training you are working with someone new – I hear ATT and Team Quest the most, though. Do you have a “main” camp at the moment? Is there anyone in particular that you like to train with or watch fight?
My main camp is wit Ryan Parsons, Mel Menor, Danny Perez, and Mayhem...But with them is when I work Munoz, Joker, Pat Cummings, Daniel Cormier, Dean Lister, Romula Barral, Big and lil Nog, Babalu, Werdum and Rafael Cordiero, and then I go to ATT every other month.
A big part of the reason I wanted to talk to you was to discuss the fan attitudes around you. The point that strikes me as odd is when fans accuse you of disrespect when you say you want to fight Mousasi and Fedor. It sounds like the kinds of comments one generally hears from top 20 fighters, but if a fighter says that he wants to fight and beat a top guy without praising the champ at length, fans take offense. Do you have any comments on that?
The fans that think that Im disrespectin Fedor and Mousasi by sayin id like to fight them are absolute idiots. Those are the same idiots that say that my next fight is my biggest test but when I win,they are quick to call the guy I beat a can. Maybe i should surf the internet and call out fighters with losin records. lol
Any time fans talk about you, your entrances and nickname come up – either they “get” it or they don’t. You’ve always liked flashy entrances, including back in wrestling where it was widely frowned upon. The “King” nickname also comes from back in wrestling. You’ve talked about having fun and how it keeps you loose mentally in the past. Obviously people who don’t love the entrances probably aren’t going to change their opinions, but what would you say to them when they say it is arrogant and disrespectful?
I cant say anything to them...There is a "real" reason why they dont like me. I cant worry why it is either, I cant please everyone but myself. They think that these fighters are Gods and cant be beat!!! Lol...
I’ve noticed that in almost every interview with you, you are asked who you would like to fight, and recently your replies have generally been Mousasi and/or Fedor, and that the more you reply to that comment, the angrier fans seem to get. Do you think your openness with the media has hurt you in some way?
I dont think it does because the intelligent MMA fan will understand where Im comin from and actually listen to what I am sayin in my interviews. Not the misinformed headlines.
The other comment I see from a lot of fans is that you’re cocky or arrogant. In my opinion, arrogance, in a positive sense, is the presumptuousness to believe that you are capable of great things, oftentimes going against the grain of society. It doesn't mean that others can't do these things, but simply that you are capable of them. This seems to be a trait that is necessary to be a fighter, to have a certainty that you can win, but fans don’t like it when a fighter expresses it. Do you agree that fighters have or need this trait? How do you think fans react to it?
I think a fighter needs to think he is the best even if he were to lose, because in MMA and sports, anythang can happen and anyone can lose at any given time.You should never go into a fight defeated...You gotta go in with a winners mentality, if you dont, then prepare to watch your opponents hand to get raised!!! The fans are fans...They can hate it or love it, but they gotta remember that they are fans and not fighters!!!
edit:
problem solved between myself and mmalinker