Denis Kang

Former WEC middleweight champ Paulo Filho took on UFC and PRIDE veteran Denis Kang at Impact FC in Australia.

Mon, 19 July 2010 11:05:53 +0000

Notoriously eccentric Filho entered last Saturday's matchup at 20-1 overall, that said, Kang gave him all he could handle and then some. Denis Kang and Paulo Filho were originally set to meet in November 2006 in the finals of Pride's 183-pound grand prix. Nearly four years later in Sydney, the two standout middleweights battled to a highly contentious split draw.

"I feel like I won at least two rounds. I’ll even give up one round but there’s no way,” Kang explained from his hotel room in Sydney Sunday night. “I think I won two rounds. I don’t agree with the judge who gave me all three. If you went by PRIDE rules – by damage and by who was trying to finish the fight, I would have won for sure."

What’s frustrating Kang says is that they were told by referee Big John McCarthy prior to the show that he would be officiating the bout based on similar criteria to that used in PRIDE.

"I know he isn’t a judge, but Big John met with some of us before the fights for a rules meeting– he only reffed three or four of our fights – and he said, ‘Look guys, tonight it’s all about damage.’ I asked, ‘What about improving position and advancing?’ and he said ‘I don’t care about that. If you’re just advancing your position and not doing anything, I’m standing you up. I want to see damage and aggression,’" Kang explains. "I wish the judges had have seen it that way as well."

According to the PRIDE and UFC veteran, the promotion has expressed a strong interest, given the somewhat questionable outcome of the bout, in an immediate September rematch in Brazil and although he would love a chance at redemption, since the fight left a bitter taste in his mouth, he says he likely won’t fight Filho in his own backyard.

"They want to do a rematch September 25 in Rio. I’m not doing it in Rio; we’ll do it some place neutral. I’ll do a rematch, just not in Brazil. They still want me on the card, though," he says. "They mentioned either [Murilo] Ninja [Rua] or [Jesse] JT [Taylor] as possible opponents, but we’ll see what happens."

SOURCES: Cagepotato.com, Sherdog.com

YOU BE THE JUDGE - Watch it here > http://www.aroundtheoctagon.com/?p=5216

Interview with Evan Chan

Fri, 7 May 2010 11:05:53 +0000

By Evan Chan

www.boxingcinema.com

Recently MMA fighter Denis Kang was training at a gym out in Abbotsford, BC. He was kind enough to do an interview for the Boxing Cinema where he talks about his training methods, his passion for the sport, UFC 115 in Vancouver and much more.

Evan Chan: Denis thanks for doing this interview for the Boxing Cinema. First thing I want to ask is what is the latest news on your fighting career?

Denis Kang: Well I'm currently preparing for a main event fight on June 19th in Montreal. It will be for Warrior-1 Promotions against Kim Dae Won of Korea.

EC: Good to hear that you're fighting again. I understand that you were cut from the UFC recently, can you comment on what happened?

DK: Well we parted ways, and it was an amicable split. I'm enjoying being a free agent now, and freedom is the best feeling there is.

EC: How did you first get involved with the world of MMA?

DK: Since I can remember, I always loved everything about martial arts. So when I first saw the UFC in ‘95 I immediately fell in love with it. I thought that it was the greatest thing in the world couldn’t understand how anyone could NOT like it. Gradually I started to train more and more and one day I realized that I was fighting in Pride....

EC: Now how long did you have to train, and how much time and dedication did you have to put into your training before you were able to get signed by a professional organization?

DK: When I first realized that I was signing a contract with an organization that I could rely on for steady fights, was with Spirit MC in Korea. They were very professional and treated me with the same respect.

EC: And how many years did you have to work in the gym before that happened? How were you discovered by Spirit MC?

DK: MMA was not very well known in Korea then. So when I heard about this SMC holding events in Seoul, I got my management to contact them.

I had already been fighting pro for about six years when I signed with Spirit, but I had never had a multi-fight deal with any organization. This made me feel like the company cared about me and wanted to invest in me.

EC: Some people would say that MMA is a very barbaric sport, how did your parents feel about it when you first showed interest in going to the gym and being a competitor?

DK: My mom was a little worried at first, but she'd seen me heavily involved in martial arts and other sports my whole life so she was always supportive. She just saw how much passion I had for it. After fights she wants to know if I'm OK and that I didn’t hurt my opponent too bad....

EC: With so many violent tragedies surrounding fighters outside of the ring, people have speculated that a lot of it has to do with the blows they sustain to their head during matches, which causes them to become different people. As an active competitor how do you feel about those beliefs?

DK: I don’t think that this is necessarily true in saying that it is our sport which is responsible for these unfortunate tragedies. Sometimes these things can happen to any athlete or person involved in showbiz. The pressure of being in the spotlight, big losses, even bigger wins can change your lifestyle and persona dramatically and bring along vices that often result in fatalities. Look at Heath Ledger, Corey Haim, both actors and both died tragic deaths but nobody is saying that dramatic acting leads to drugs.

EC: That's a very good point! However do you ever worry, as a competitor, about the long-term effects that being involved with contact sports can give you? How do you handle any fear as a fighter?

DK: It has crossed my mind but I firmly believe that the amount of blows to the head taken in MMA are small compared to boxing and pro-wrestling. Unless one trains like a boxer there should be little chance of long-term brain trauma.

EC: A friend of mine has a couple questions for you. The first question is:

"There were a lot of difficulties getting UFC 115 sanctioned in Vancouver. What do you think drives such opposition? Were there any discussions about giving you a fight in your hometown?"

DK: I really don’t get this city sometimes. Drug addicts can find safe places to inject and smoke, yet city hall will not sanction a legitimate sporting event. I find it insulting that the sport for which I have so much passion, is being portrayed as an attraction for street thugs. Movies like Donnie Brasco, Scarface etc., are magnets for people who live this lifestyle but nobody is attacking an entire film genre. MMA is being made a scapegoat for the cities own incompetence at dealing with crime.

EC: This leads us to my friend's other question. He asks:

"Your fellow middleweights have been the center of controversy recently. Anderson Silva showboated and disrespected Maia for much of a five round fight, while Jason Mayhem Miller and the Cesar Gracie camp engaged in a post fight brawl on network television. What are your thoughts on these occurrences and do you think it hurts the perception of MMA?"

DK: Again, people are making too big of an issue out of this by singling it as an MMA occurrence only. You can see brawls happen in baseball, boxing, hockey etc. I don’t think any fans are going to boycott watching Strikeforce simply because they saw a post-fight melee.

EC: The other week when I saw you training at the gym, you were very hands-on with helping new fighters develop. What advice would you give to people who are up and coming in the sport, or people who are interested in getting into MMA?

DK: Always seek improvement and listen to your coach.

EC: What is life like for you when you are in preparation for a fight? What are some things you do to help give yourself the advantage in the ring?

DK: Before a fight, life becomes a monotonous routine of training, and resting so you can train some more. I try to maximize my recovery time by having a protein shake loaded with carbs and amino acids immediately after the workout. I then eat another medium healthy meal and go have a nap. Sometimes the nap comes naturally because I'm so tired, sometimes I end up thinking too much and I just lay down with my eyes closed or read a book. Either way my phone is off and I make sure that nothing disturbs me so it gives me a good recharge before the second and final session.

I have a scheduled massage appointment every week with a guy that a few fighters from the gym go to. Once or twice a week we also go do hot/cold bathing and saunas/steams at this Norwegian spa.

EC: What is your career goal in MMA?

DK: I really want to achieve the highest level that I can and be a role model for the future generation of MMA athletes.

EC: What can your fans expect from you on June 19th?

DK: PAIN!!!!!!! Just kidding, in case you didn’t notice that was a line from Clubber Lang in Rocky 3. June 19th I'm in to get the job done. I'm fighting at home, I'm defending MY house. Gonna be a hard night for him.

EC: (laugh) I love the Rocky series! But yeah I look forward to seeing your fight! Is there anything else you want to say to your fans or the MMA fans before we wrap up this interview?

DK: No that's it. Thanks!

EC: Thanks again for taking the time out to do this interview, and I wish you all the best at your next fight!

DK: No problem!

For more interviews, please visit the Boxing Cinema’s news section.

Mishap derails Kang from W-1.

Sat, 6 March 2010 11:05:53 +0000

Denis Kang was forced to withdraw from the main event of W-1 "Bad Blood" after sustaining a back injury during training last week.

"I'm extremely disappointed but trying to continue wouldn't be fair to my fans, Vernon White nor the promoters. I wouldn't be able to give them the fight they want to see. I don't want to speculate what it is but I'm scheduled for an MRI next week. We'll see what it reveals."

Denis mentioned that he was still able to train but has lessened the intensity for the time being.

"I've been very anxious to put together a string of wins against some tough opponents and this is definetly a setback. Anyway, when I get the results I'll sit down with my team and make a decision on what the best road to recovery is. That's all I can say for now."

Denis Kang's good friend Jason MacDonald has stepped in as a replacement to face Vernon White.

When asked about how he thought Jason would do on such short term. Denis replied "JMac is always in shape - an extreme competitor - triangle choke in the second round"

A Bitter Sweet "Fight of the Night" for Kang.

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:05:53 +0000

Bisping and Kang both received the "Fight of the Night" bonus for their back and forth bout at UFC 105. A bout that saw Bisping get dropped early in the first round but pull off a successful fight stoppage late in the second.

Here's how it went down.

Round 1.

Bisping took the center of the Octagon early keeping Kang on the outside. After a minute of measuring each other up, Bisping seemed anxious to get inside and lunged forward right into a glancing over hand right that buckled his legs and sent him to the Canvas. Coming in for the kill Kang ended up in the Bispings guard, however Bisping recovered enough to avoid any solid blows. Both fighters worked hard countering each others attack. Bisping showed some good hip work keeping Kang from holding a dominant position for long. At one point Kang was able to take mount but was unable to capitalize.

Round 1 - Kang

Round 2.

In the first 2 minutes both fighters measured each other up with Kang getting the better of the exchanges. Not wanting to risk getting caught by the right hand again, Bisping executed a well timed take down that took the BJJ black belt to the ground. Bisping began a flurry punches from the top keeping Kang extremely busy in the guard. Bisping landed a few glancing shots but nothing significant. Kang however looked worn down when finally managed to get to his feet. Sensing Kangs exhaustion, Bisping continued his attack. Knowning Kang was still dangerous on his feet, Bisping took Kang down again. Kang rose to his feet again backing Bisping up with a few tired but heavy swats. Bisping went for a third take down and continued swinging. Kang covered up from any heavy blows, he showed his heart and stood yet again. But Bisping showed no sign of letting up. Referee Dan Miragliotta sensed the exhausted Kang could no longer defend himself and stopped the fight at 4:24 of the second round.

TKO - Bisping.

As in the debut fight against Belcher, it seemed Kang ran into cardio problems once again.

Denis's cornerman Bill Mahood responed, "I dont know what happened. I think Jet Lag had a big part in it. It's something we haven't been able to solve for the trans-atlantic fights. We thought 5 days would be enough. Denis had a great (weight) cut and was in good shape. Cannot think of why he got so tired so fast. I dont want to sound like we're making excuses or want anything to be construed that way. We're just not sure what's happening with his cardio despite having a great camp."

Two things can be drawn from this fight. We now know Bisping has a suspect chin that will likely be his barrier to the middle weight title and Kang needs to reassess his cardio issues that seem to be plaguing him since he came to the UFC. Tough night for the Canadian – no doubt it's one he’ll want back.

“If Bisping is a Kraken then I will slay him like one...”

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 11:05:53 +0000

8 Weeks ago, the latest generation of UFC fans had barely heard of Denis Kang, if at all. I’ll spare you the history lesson but before there was GSP, there was Denis Kang.

Back then there were training partners and schools but nothing like the dynamic camps we see today. To truly gain experience you had to be somewhat of an Edo period “Ronin” living in modern times.

“He’s been in the game 11 years. From puking in a garbage can before his first ‘warehouse’ fight; to cage fights in the center of lavish Russian dinner parties, to competing at the highest level in Japan to, finally, the main card at UFC 105. For us, there’s no mistaking how he got here.” - says long time friend, fan and training partner Stephan Kesting.

With Denis now at American Top Team, and Bisping at the Wolf’s Lair, there’s no doubt they’ve watched each other’s fights over and over, developing strategies, training for the worst and planning for the best. With under a week left, both camps are likely to be wrapped and every blogger and every odds maker has picked their favourite for whatever reason. Every question worth asking has been asked and answered repeatedly for the last 6 weeks.

So when I caught up with Denis online, we went through the motions one last time (albeit candidly) to see where his head is at so close to the fight.

Q. You’ve obviously been getting a lot of press lately. Has it interrupted your routine?

Denis: “Not at all, I don’t let it.”

Q. This summer you were training in Brazil, Montreal and finished up at ATT in Florida. How important would you say it is for fighters to visit and train at different camps?

Denis: “It's important because it helps you develop and grow...when training with different people you learn different techniques.”

Q. Did you bring back any new tricks from Carlson’s or Gordo's?

Denis: “A few, the BJJ level was very high and I had some great matches down there.”

Q. When you faced kick-boxers Mark Weir and Professor "X", it was clear that you were going to have the advantage on the ground. Within the first 30 seconds of each bout, both fighters immediately came at you hard and fast, a strategy that seemed to temporarily throw you off. Do you feel Bisping will adopt the same aggressive strategy to try to catch you off guard? Or simply to redeem himself after the Hendo KO?”

Denis: “Well, in the end both of their strategies failed. As for Bisping, this is really hard to say until the actual fight. To be honest, I don’t really care about his strategy. I am prepared to handle all situations.”

Q. You have more experience than Bisping. Do you feel it will pay off?

Denis: “Yes, I have been through more than he has in the fight game.”

Q. Your experience has taken you around the globe. However, arriving at the MEN Arena in Manchester to take on a home town hero is going to be a lot different than say Japan. i.e. it will be LOUD and probably extremely unfriendly. Do you feel a little like Perseus vs the Kraken in Clash of the Titans? Or perhaps more like Daniel in the lion’s den?

Denis: LOL, if Bisping is a Kraken then I will slay him like one, and if I’m surrounded by lions, then I will tame them.

Q. What’s the prefight week like for you? Quiet? Do you meditate or something?

Denis: “A lot of the week leading up to the fight is spent monitoring my weight, and doing light work-outs....nothing too crazy, just things like reviewing strategies. I do think about the fight a lot of course, I try to make them all positive images and prepare myself mentally for everything that could happen.”

Q. “British paparazzi - they are said to be some of the most aggressive in the world, like Pit Bulls in heat. Do you think you’ll be hounded?”

Denis: “Maybe- if they can catch me. I’ll either go out incognito or I’m gonna go Sean Penn on them lol.”

Q. In some of your other interviews you refer to your opponents as meat bags, clones or robots etc...care to expand on that?

Denis: “Lol, when I’m in the fight, I feel like I’m living in a sci-fi world, they are not human– they must all be destroyed”

Q. Finally, the UFC main card, you’ve fought around the world in pursuit of this...you must feel kind of like Cane, in Kung Fu.

Denis: “ ...or like RYU in the end of Street Fighter 2. He would just walk off into the sunset...always searching for the next challenge - I used to love that ending in the game.”

Michael "The Count" Bisping vs Denis Kang set for UFC 105

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 11:05:53 +0000

This could prove to be one of Denis Kangs' most highly profiled match ups since he KO’d Murilo "Ninja" Rua in PRIDE - Bushido 11.

Bisping who is coming off a devastating loss to Dan Henderson will be looking to step back into the winners circle but this will be no easy task. Although Kang is 1 and 1 in the UFC, he has defeated some notable names in his past and recently KO'd Marvin "the Beastman" Eastman in under 55 seconds.

Both fighters are talented strikers with Kang having the advantage taking it to the ground and one would think the edge in KO power. That said, Bisping is definetly no pushover, he's the type of dazzling precision striker the crowd loves. Known for his Kick Boxing, and dismanlting his opponents with a flurry of hooks, elbows and uppercuts, Bisping brings an impressive record including wins over fellow Canuck Jason Day and more recently UFC poster boy Chris 'The Crippler' Leben.

Kang is an explosive warrior the UFC crowd hasn't had a chance to fully experience just yet. Ask any fan of Bushido 13 where many Kang fans will tell you of an epic battle where Kang was robbed in a split decision in the final match. He knows how to weather a storm and when he gets tagged it only seems to awaken the lion.

For "the Count", he'll have hometown advantage but he'll have to shake the memory of one of the most thunderous right hands ever delivered in the Octagon. Kang, on the other hand is back with ATT, training with GSP and coming off a dominant win over powerful striker Xavier Foupa Pokama at UFC 97.

If both fighters come in healthy, it should prove to entertaining to say the least.

UFC® 97 REDEMPTION – Kang Back On Track

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 8:15:14 +0000

Denis Kang fought in front of a sold out crowd at the Centre Bell and scored a unanimous decision over Xavier Foupa Pokam last night in front of his new home crowd in Montreal.

Reminiscent of the great Anderson Silva, "Professor X" delivered some dazzling knees and high flying kicks hoping to make an example of Kang for his UFC debut. Kang however, the veteran of the two, remained calm and took Foupa-Pokam to the matt in GSP fashion. At 3 minutes into the bought it looked as though Kang was about to pull off an arm triangle but the wiley "Professor X" slipped out and seemed to be on a mission to deliver the knock-out kicks he's known for. Unphased, Kang was comfortable trading on his feet landing repetitive body shots and a solid left hook to the chin of the French Kick Boxer. The first round ended with Kang delivering elbows from side mount.

In round two Kang seemed to have solved the timing of the Professor's stand up and stocked his fatigued opponent relentlessly. At one point Foupa-Pokam was so exhausted he looked as though he was baiting Kang.

There was litle action in the third until Denis proved he had a chin when he ate a solid knee from the dangerous Frenchman. The bell rung with Kang taking the Professor down at will and delivering a punishing ground and pound. Solid win for the Canuck.

Denis Kang meets Xavier "Professor X" Foupa-Pokam at UFC 97

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 8:32:53 +0000

Canadian middleweight, Denis Kang, will be returning to Montreal on April 18 to take on dangerous French striker, Xavier Foupa-Pokam, at UFC 97.

"Professor X", 26, currently on a seven-fight win streak, trains with PRIDE, DEEP and ShoXC veteran Cyrille Diabate's Snake Team. His last bout was in January where he won via a first-round knockout of Kyacey Uscola, a BodogFIGHT and King of the Cage veteran.

Kang, considered among the world's best 185-pounders, admitted he was burned out in recent turnouts but put on a strong performance in his debut UFC fight against Alan Belcher in Ireland.

Kang showed precision striking, textbook takedowns and dominant top control, but late in the 2nd round a fatigued double-leg attempt resulted in the Canadian being caught in a guillotine choke, forcing the submission. No doubt he'll be looking for redemption, as he hopes to turn things around in his second UFC match.