411Mania Exclusive Interviews: Kurt Otto, Bas Rutten, and Renzo Gracie
Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 07.30.2007
Exclusive interviews from our continuing IFL semi-finals coverage!
At the IFL special luncheon and press conference at Gallagher's Steak House in New York City, 411Mania was given the opportunity for some exclusive interviews with some of the premiere faces behind the International Fight League. As the IFL gets set up for its upcoming semi-finals event in East Rutherford, New Jersey, expectations are growing almost as rapidly as the IFL itself. We sat down over lunch with co-founder and commissioner of the IFL Kurt Otto as well as two MMA legends, commentary star Bas Rutten and head coach of the NY Pit bulls, Renzo Gracie to chat about what has been an amazing season for the IFL and much more.
Kurt Otto
411Mania.com: Thank you for having us, Kurt. This season of the IFL has been quite intense, with 4 teams coming up to the semi-finals undefeated. What has the impact been of this year on the IFL overall?
Kurt Otto: This was our first official season, our first complete year. I think this season really showed the impact of the IFL on the sport and proved that we are here to stay. The proof is in the pudding and this year proved our format works and our selection of rules works for what we're doing. It's been very effective.
411Mania: Speaking of the rules, many fans often criticize any rule set lacking the use of elbows or four point attacks. When you came up with that rule set, was there any worry about having less exciting fights because of it?
Otto: Actually, it was the opposite! If two fighters get into a clinch and one thinks about the risk involved in catching an elbow, that fighter is going to be a bit more hesitant to engage. Without elbows, we are making this a true sport and again, the proof is in the pudding. In other promotions, at the end of the night twenty guys wind up going to the hospital for injuries. In the IFL, maybe three go to the hospital for minor cuts and lacerations.
411Mania: The IFL is fast becoming known as one of the most open minded organizations in terms of working together with other promotions. Do you see your rule set expanding to other organizations? Why do you think others might be hesitant to work with each other?
Otto: I'm more than happy to offer our rule set or any other examples to other promotions, but I don't think they'll use it because these rules work more for the team format, in the "sport not spectacle" sense. As far as the competition, I think the other promotions are more at odds with each other because they're all the same. They are offering the same product, just with a different name. UFC, EliteXC, it's all the same thing really.
411Mania: So do you watch any of the other promotions?
Otto: All of them. You should see my cable bill!
411Mania: What about someone following the team MMA format, like the new IFL style promotion over in Brazil? Have you heard anything from them?
Otto: They haven't contacted me, but I'm more than happy to show them my format. From what I've heard they seem to be boasting their similarity to us and I think that shows what an impact we've made. Hey, if they don't succeed, I'd even be willing to buy out some of the teams they have over there. But from what I've heard, they are backed pretty well financially, so we'll have to wait and see what happens.
411Mania: Let's talk about the other ways the IFL is branching out, primarily in response to the recent controversies over substance use in MMA. Several press members, my self included, have criticized other organizations not just over their testing policies but in their contract structure as well. How is the IFL different and what was your intention for your contract structure?
Otto: IFL fighters are compensated on a monthly stipend of $2000. They're getting $500 a week just for training. That takes away a lot of the pressure from them and makes for more interesting fights. Now, they can focus on fighting instead of whether or not their electricity bill is paid. We don't want our fighters to fight injured and now they don't have to. They also know that if they do get injured, we will take care of them. There's less pressure to use illegal steroids or pain killers as well, they can get their injuries taken care of properly. IFL fighters can make between $13,000 and $24,000 a year and that's not including additional stipends and bonuses. Less than a small percentage of UFC guys make that much, only the top echelon really makes the good money. We're creating a system that relieves the external pressures and allows for better fights.
411Mania: Do you have a concept for your new drug policies yet and what do you feel the reaction will be from other organizations and commissions?
Otto: We have the policy written up; we just haven't submitted it anywhere yet. It's constantly evolving. I'm always coming up with new ideas and checking with my staff to see whether it's viable. We want to be careful with this because we want the testing to be frequent and financially acceptable but at the same time we don't want to spook anyone. We want to show everyone it can work, to date not a single IFL fighter has ever tested positive for anything drug related.
411Mania: You mentioned before that you watch a lot of MMA outside of the IFL. Are there any stars that you would like to bring in to fight under the team format?
Otto: Nah. There's no reason to. We're in the business of creating stars. There is plenty of home grown talent out there looking to make a name for them and the IFL is a great place to do it.
411Mania: What can we expect from the IFL? You've incorporated titles and tournaments, the team format is growing well, and it looks like you guys are good for the next two years at least! Any plans to step up production like in the old Pride days or anything unique in your vision?
Otto: We're not going to do anything similar to what Pride did, but I do see use evolving and modifying those aspects of our show. Are we good for the next two years? I certainly hope so, but again we'll just have to wait and see.
411Mania: Anything to say to the fans before we finish?
Otto: Lay down your wallets and come grab the most cost effective ticket in town to one of the best MMA shows out there! We won't disappoint you.
411Mania: Thank you so much for the interview Kurt.
Otto: Thank you for supporting us.
Bas Rutten
Note: Bas was kind enough to do this interview during his actual meal, special thanks to him for being so accommodating.
411Mania.com: Let me start by saying I'm trying to stay professional, but as a fan I'm really excited to meet you.
Bas Rutten: It's all good man! Keep that professionalism, you can do it!
411Mania: The IFL has had a great season this year, with so much hype going into the semi-finals. What is it like watching it from start to finish?
Rutten: When I started, MMA was my hobby. Then I became a professional and it became my job. Now it's my hobby again, so I'm really lucky that I get to experience it as a fan again.
411Mania: There has been so much controversy in MMA lately over steroids and painkillers lately. You yourself had some problems with that in your last fight. What is your take on this issue, are these commissions putting out false positives or is it the pressure? Why are drugs infecting the sport so badly?
Rutten: Let me remind you I never took steroids. I had trouble with the athletic commissions due to pain killers. Those were prescribed and the way it went down was funny. I brought the bottle of pills to the fight that day and showed it to the representative from the athletic commission. He looked at the bottle and said "Whoa, you gotta get those out of here!" I told him the whole reason I was showing him that bottle was because I wanted him to know I was taking them. Then afterward, the athletic commission tried to play it up like they had to pull a needle from my chest. The problem is, I had cameras with me that day. We were filming a documentary, and I've got footage of myself showing him the bottle complete with audio. It proves my whole side of the story.
411Mania: Is that documentary available yet?
Rutten: Not yet, but it'll be released soon. Anyway, talking about the steroids, I feel it's not right at all, under any circumstances. I think that in order to deal with the problem, commissions need to start by doing blood tests, and I think they need to do them early. Why not? Take a fighter's blood three months before the fight and ensure that he isn't on anything. I have a shirt on my website that says "You can buy muscles, but you can't buy cojones." That's the thing about MMA, you need Cojones to fight, and muscles aren't enough to win.
411Mania: What are your picks for the upcoming fights in the IFL semi-finals?
Rutten: It's like I always say, in MMA you have to watch out for everything. The damage can come from anywhere; on the feet, on the ground, it's so complete that the first person to make a mistake is the one who winds up losing. So that's my prediction: the losers are the first ones to make a mistake.
411Mania: Reuben "Warpath" Villareal, a friend of yours, I think? He's taking on Butterbean in two weeks time. When you fought him, you were able to test his chin and he took some serious shots but didn't seem phased. How do you see this fight going for him?
Rutten: When I fought him, my rib injuries were acting up, so I wasn't able to hit him as hard as possible. I still hit him pretty hard though, and yeah he took it but I'm sure Butterbean would have a chance to knock him out. If I'm Reuben though, I wouldn't stand with Butterbean. Why bother? If you take him down you can win the fight pretty quickly. There's no reason to stand with Butterbean. Striking is his "bread and butter" so to speak.
411Mania: How is your acting career progressing? I saw you in "The Kingdom of Ultimate Power", it was a testament to your on screen skills. Will we be seeing Bas Rutten in Hollywood anytime soon?
Rutten: I'm working on it, yeah. I've actually written a screenplay, so I'm trying to shop that around. I'm trying to get past the fighting stigma around it.
411Mania: Talk about irony! What type of movie is it? Has anyone shown any interest?
Rutten: It's an action movie but more of an old school one. It does have fighting in it but that isn't the main focus. I've got some interest, Mickey Rourke said he'd like to do it. It has a few other names attached but nothing I can say at this point.
411Mania: Wow, it sounds like it has the proper backing. Life must be pretty busy when you're Bas Rutten.
Rutten: Yeah man, I'm flying all over the place. I have a meeting about it on the west coast after this event, so I'm always back and forth. It's a lot of work, but it is fun.
411Mania: Bas I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us during a meal.
Rutten: No problem man, it was a pleasure.
Renzo Gracie
411Mania.com: I've got a weird opening question for you. I was at CFFC 5, and after Dante Rivera fought Alexis Aquino I saw you get in the cage and it looked like you touched one of the fighters on the shoulder and then all hell broke loose. What exactly happened?
Renzo Gracie: Wow, that's the last thing I expected to hear about today. That was an argument between the two teams, I wasn't actually involved in that. I just congratulated my fighter then helped his opponent off the ground, then pulled him into my corner to make sure nothing happened to him during the argument. It wasn't a big deal though, it calmed down pretty quick.
411Mania: The New York Pit bulls are 3-0 this season, a contrast to last season. What is the major difference in training this year? Is Jiu Jitsu making a dominant comeback?
Gracie: The main difference this year is that everybody is training together more effectively. Before, we were still trying to flush out the team and get it worked into the school schedule. We have 10 classes running all day from 6:30am to 9:30pm, plus 2 Capoeira and 2 Muay Thai classes now. Now I have 900 students and the team and alternates are working in sync. I don't think Jiu Jitsu ever left though. It's such a core part of MMA that if you don't know Jiu Jitsu and step into that ring or cage, you'll be as easy to beat as a 5 month old baby. But I do think we're gonna see a return of Gracie Jiu Jitsu fighters dominating the sport again soon. The standup part, anyone can do, but ground fighting is the where the hard part of MMA comes in.
411Mania: Are the Pit bulls primarily from your school in Manhattan or do you have members from all the branches of the academy?
Gracie: It's primarily from that one school, but we do branch out. Dan Miller, our alternate in the semi-finals, is actually from my school over in North Jersey.
411Mania: The MMA sport has been riddled with controversy over steroids lately, including your own family member Royce. I've heard varying quotes from you on the subject, do you still keep in touch with the other Gracies and what have they told you about this?
Gracie: I haven't spoken to Royce but after the news hit I talked to his brother. He says Royce didn't take anything, I don't know either way. It's a big surprise to me because everybody in my family are naturalists. We don't even like unnatural food that has hormones in it, and it's impossible to get a member of my family to take an Aspirin if they have a headache. They'd rather just lie down and let the headache pass. So to hear that any of us would take something so far gone from that life style is a real shock. Then again, maybe I'm in the wrong for thinking this way. Other fighters look cut when they fight, I always have a gut!
411Mania: The IFL is trying to spearhead a campaign against performance enhancers and other drugs, what do you think they can do to make a difference?
Gracie: I'm actually going to suggest to the IFL that the start testing their fighters out of season. If you are going to be clean, you're going to be clean all the time, and I think it shows they are serious about the testing.
411Mania: This is where the objective part of the interview goes on pause. Frank Shamrock is one of the most annoying fighters of all time. How are you going to get rid of him?
Gracie: Every so often you have a fighter who most people don't like, but he still has a few fans. Frank Shamrock is the only guy I know that isn't liked by anybody. In that last fight, I was constantly working to finish him. If you've seen my fight with Maurice Smith, his trainer, you could see I was pretty much doing the exact same thing. I was looking to finish Shamrock from the north/south position, that's where I get my strongest finishes. Once Frank felt that I had it, he threw the illegal knees.
411Mania: We've seen him show almost no takedown defense even against Phil Baroni in his last fight. Do you feel he'll improve that, and do you think he'll be a different fighter this time around?
Gracie: He likes to go for the KO, he's really a standup kind of fighter. When you are constantly looking for the standup KO, like he did with Baroni, it becomes easier and easier to shoot in and take you down. I don't think he's going to be a different fighter at all. He's been the same fighter since 19whatever.
411Mania: I have to look you in the eye for this one...is Rickson really that good?
Gracie: Yeah.
411Mania: Really? The record isn't overhyped?
Gracie: No. In terms of finishing holds, he's better than all of us. When you get to that level there's a period you're in danger of being finished and a period you aren't. Against Rickson, you always have that danger. I've seen him line up guys and take them on.
411Mania: You were recently caught in the middle of another controversy, the war of words between Georges St. Pierre and Matt Serra. Has that been resolved and will we ever see GSP training at your school again?
Gracie: When the two of them were signed to fight I was sort of caught in the middle, because I like GSP and he's a good student of mine. At the same time, I trained Matt from when he was really young and didn't know anything and he's come such a long way, he's like my son. So when I went there to see them fight, I did go to cheer Matt. The two of them need to work it out amongst themselves, but if I have to choose I do have to stick with Matt in that sense.
411Mania: I heard you won quite a bit of money on that fight.
Gracie: I won $12,000. The odds makers are so naïve sometimes. They gave 8:1 odds against Matt, but everyone who knows him and knows fighting also knows that if you train hard you always have a chance. Nobody trains harder than Matt. And now I heard his next fight is going to be against Matt Hughes, so that'll be even better for him.
411Mania: Some fans refuse to give Matt Serra his due, saying his win against GSP was lucky and that if he wins against Hughes it'll still be lucky. You've been around the fans for your whole career. What does Matt Serra have to do, in your opinion, to win their respect?
Gracie: The reason fans are saying Serra was lucky was because of the nature of his finish, that it happened so fast. I think Matt just needs to keep training and keep fighting because he's a good guy with a good ethic. Eventually, he's going to win them over. It's only a matter of time.
411Mania: Any messages before the fans before we wrap up?
Gracie: Come and see us fight. Whether you are cheering for us or against us come out, because there are two great pleasures in this life. The first is pleasing those who support you, and the second one that's even better is frustrating those who support your opponents.
411Mania: Thank you so much for the interview Renzo.
