Interviews with Nicholas Pettas Shihan before and after Dynamite 07

[kakatootoshi]

Suddenly, the match is decided.
Pettas: I enjoy the shiai. The opponent is unexpected. Last year there were Badr Hari, Peter Aerts and now this shiai. The opponent becomes bigger and bigger. To deal with such monsters I become a hunter myself and think about how to knock them down. I want to knock my opponent down by making use of twenty years of Kakutogi experience,

Have you ever fought an opponent this big?
Pettas: People like that can be counted with one or both hands. I have experiences in sparring with such big opponents and get used to that. In the past, Choi Hon-man trained in my gym and there were some sparring sessions. I therefore feel that there are both advantages and disadvantages for being a big fighter. To illustrate it is difficult to move swiftly for being that big. Things grow serious when stopping in the front. I must fight with speed and footwork.

OSU!

Kim Young Hyun: 217cm 156kg
Nicholas Pettas Shihan: 180cm 105.5kg

[kakatootoshi]

12/30, the day before the fight

[kyokushin4life]

Thank you very much for the translations as always kaka-san!

[theblueeyedninja]

congrats to Nic. Now we need a pic of the axe-kick

[kakatootoshi]

axe-kick









Post-fight comments

Your thoughts about the shiai
Pettas: Very big opponent. I sparred with Choi Hon-man in the past. Sparring is different from an actual shiai.

The punches and high kick
Pettas: I did not have the intention to do the high kick. The feelings got on and I pulled out mawashi geri and kakato otoshi. The shiai was like the calculation. No dangerous punches or kicks were received, a big relief.

Did you imagine the opponent to be Choi Hon-man?
Pettas: He has the height and weight of Choi Senshu and just that he is still not used to this kind of fight. He would be a serious fighter after two or three years.

OSU!