Last Update: Dec 12, 2007

Nam Phan at MUNDIAL

This Saturday, December 15th. Nam Phan will be at the MUNDIAL.
Held at Cal State Dominguez Hillsto help coach fellow subfighter teammates.

Event Date: Dec 15, 2007
Event Time: 09:00
Event Location: Array
Event Website: www.IBJJF.com
Event Organization: IBJJF
Event Description: World Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship December 15th, Carson California. California State University Dominguez Hills .
Event Type: Sub Wresltling

Last Update: Dec 11, 2007

Nam Phan with Suture Magazine

Suture Magazine: I want to talk about your fight over in K-1 Heroes Dynamite. You took on JZ who Is a REALLY big 155er. Was his physical size and strength what made the difference in that fight?

Nam Phan: That fight you know, it could have gone a lot better. The time I had to work with was real short. I didn't have enough time to analyze JZ's strength and size, only 26 seconds. I think it was the fact that the ref stopped the fight too early, in my opinion. The ref just stopped the fight way to early, it was out of my control, it as out of JZ's control.

SM: JZ has been on a pretty mean tear lately, did you feel any extra pressure to win that fight knowing you must be a serious underdog?

NP: Oh no way, I felt like I had no pressure, I'm the under dog, he's the top dog theres more pressure on him to beat a nobody. I had everything to gain - if I lose, I lost to the champ.  To lose is no big deal to me, I went in there to have fun, but I didn't get to have any fun because it was stopped too early.

SM: Since that fight you bounced back in impressive fashion stopping Shad Smith just a minute into the fight. How did it feel to get back on the winning track?

NP: It feels pretty good, I had two losses in a row, hadn't tasted victory in a long time I needed another warm up fight to get back into the groove, so it was good to fight in my home town and get a knockout finish, that was good, it felt nice.

SM: You have any fights coming up?

NP: Yes I do. I have two fights lined up, I have a fight February 16th for gladiator challenge, I don't know who I'm fighting yet. And then after that fight its march 29th and my opponent is still to be announced, I don't know who I'm fighting yet.

SM: You've fought for a lot of large promotions, K-1 Heroes, Strike Force, King Of The Cage WEC. Are you contracted with any organization at this time?

NP: Yes I do, I have an exclusive contract with Strike Force, they treat me very good, I like them very much. They're pretty lenient and flexibly with the fighters and scheduling.

SM: So you think Strike Force has treated you the best so far?

NP: Yes definitely, most definitely out of everybody they've treated me best so far and they pay me very good.

SM: You've fought nearly everywhere, any organizations that you haven't fought for that you'd like to fight for?

NP: I wish I could have fought for pride while it was still coming up. That would have been real nice. I had a chance to go fight in pride, but it was right after my calvacante fight and I wasn't mentally ready for the fight. They asked me to fight Joachim hanson, im not afraid of him, just right after the fight I was kind of heart hroken.

SM: What about the UFC, any interest in them?

NP: One of the guys from the ufc called me to fight. They wanted me to fight Spencer Fisher. I asked them how much they wanted to pay me. The number he threw at me, it was like "heck no, no way man". Why would I go less you know?

SM: It seems like you've been on the brink of breaking into some Top 10 lists for some time now, but you had a few set backs that prevented that from happening. What do you feel it's going to take to get the recognition and that bump up into some current top 10 lists?

NP: Just beat a decent name fighter, that will put me back up higher in the ranks. I'm pretty well known, I just need to beat a decent named fighter, a little above decent would be good.

SM: If you're fighting for Strike Force you're probably going to be looking at some good opposition.

NP: Yeah there's a lot of good lightweight fighters in Strike Force, I've got my hands full already.

SM: Is there anyone out there that you'd really like to fight?

NP: Ah man, I'd like to fight Roger Huerta, that'd be a fun fight - that guy, I've got to give him his props he beat Clay Guida. Clays my friend and he's very good and he (Huerta) finished him!

SM: Have you always competed at 155?

NP: Yeah, I've always competed at 155, always at 155.

SM: You look like you could make 145 pretty easily, you ever think about dropping a weight class?

NP: Everybody gives me a tough time about going 145. But the thing is, in mixed martial arts right now its so new, that the lower you get in division, the less money you get paid. And the thing is, I could probably be at 145 if I really wanted to starve myself, but the money at 155, you know we still get pretty decent pay. The lower you get, the money just get's worse.

SM: Anything to say to your fans or sponsors?

NP: Oh for sure - thank you to everyone who has been supporting me from the beginning, the whole Vietnamese community and my sponsors Budovideos, Kaizen clothing and Toe2Toe.

Thanks Nam!

Last Update: Dec. 10, 2007

Nam Phan Interview by Joey Santana

Joey Santana: Hey Nam! It’s been a while since we last spoke. How have things been?

Nam Phan: I've been real good Joe, thanks for asking.

JS: Your last match Vs Billy Evangelista did not happen. Would you tell us what happened?

NP: Yeah, Billy got hurt like a week before the fight and Strikeforce was not able to find a replacement in time for the event. That is the reason why I was not able to fight in the last Strikeforce card.

JS: When will you be fighting next? What org, and against what opponent?

NP: My next fight is gonna be for Gladiator Challenge at the L A convention Center on Feb 16th against Siaad Awad.

JS: I hear MMA worldwide magazine has you listed as one of the top 50 most exciting MMA fighters of all time! Could you tell us more about this?

NP: Yeah, it was pretty cool. They put me as number 48th most exciting fighter of all time, which is pretty cool because put Royce Gracie and Butterbean at 49 and 50. I am very honored to be chosen by MMA World Wide to be on the top 50 most exciting fighters amongst millions of other fighters.
JS: In a non-MMA question, how was your thanksgiving?

NP: My Thanks Giving was very nice, thanks for asking Joey.

JS: In just a few weeks is UFC 79, Chuck Vs Wandy, and GSP Vs Hughes. Who do you think will win these fights?

NP: My picks are gonna have to Wandy and GSP.

JS: Nam, I think we should have a bet because Chuck is gonna knock Wandy out! Back to you, how is your training going?

NP: My training is going very good. I am not training super hard right now because I don't have any fights until the next year. I am just trying to too keep sharp and stay in good cardio.

JS: How important is it for you to know whom you are fighting against?

NP: Well, if I know whom I am fighting ahead of time, it gives me more time to prepare a decent strategy for who ever I am fighting. If I know who I am fighting ahead of time, that is always better. If I get a last minute opponent and I don't know anything about him, I just have to suck it up and fight.

JS: What motivates you to fight the most?

NP: Representing the Vietnamese Community to the best of my ability and paying the bills.

JS: Cub Swanson fought, and lost too, Jens Pulver in the WEC not to long ago. You where supposed to fight Cub, right? How do u think you would do against Pulver?

NP: Yeah I don't think I would have too much of a problem against Jens Pulver. I think it would be a pretty good fight and anything could happen if Jens and I fought.

Nam, I’m gonna throw some names out and could you tell us your first thought about them?

Rampage Jackson: Crazy

BJ Penn: Slick

Family Guy: Hilarious

JS: Do you ever see yourself fighting in Vietnam one day? (Do they have MMA events there?)

NP: No, I don't plan on fighting in Vietnam. I don't know if MMA is legal over there, I think people only train over there but there are no events held.

JS: What’s your favorite pre-fight/warm up song?

NP: I don't like to listen to music before a fight. I like to get into my zone and just focus of the fight.

JS: Who is the number 1 P4P fighter in the world?
NP: BJ Penn

JS: If you could train with any other fighter (or by a coach) for a month, who would it be?

NP: Humm... That's a good question. There are so many fighters out there, but maybe I would like to go to Russia to train with Fedor and the Red Devil team.

JS: And, how was the year 2007 for Nam Phan's career? How much of a better fighter are you than a year ago?

NP: The year 2007 had its ups and downs, but for the most part it was a pretty good year. I have improved so much since one year ago. I would say about twice as good as I was a year ago.

JS: Any shout outs, happy New Years, Merry Christmas’s or anything else you would like to say, Nam?

NP: I would like to thank you to my sponsors Kzizen clothing, budovideos.com and toe 2 toe. Also thank you to everyone that has been supporting since the beginnin,

Last Update: Oct 27, 2007

Post Fight Interview by Joey Santana

Joey Santana: Nam! First I would like to say, congratulations on your fight! There where a lot of Nam fans in the house! Nam Phan: Yeah, thanks a lot Joey, I really appreciate it. Yeah it was good to see that I got a lot of support from the community. JS: Nam, how does it feel to win your first title? I am sure there are plenty more in you future! NP: I have been fighting for a long time and this is my first belt. It feels pretty good. JS: You had an interesting intro, was that your idea or the companies? NP: The lion dancing was not my idea, it was part of the production's idea. But I thought I was a pretty cool thing to have before my intro though. JS: Could you tell us what was going through your mind when you where walking down the isle before your match? NP: All I was thinking in my head was that I have to win this guy. I was so focused on this match, I couldn't hear the music, I wasn't thinking about anything but this fight. JS: That’s intense. I saw your face on the big screen and it was full of determination Anyway,. I don’t remember her name, but wow that female fighter who won was pretty impressive. Did you watch that fight?

NP: I think her name was Jennifer. I didn't get to see the fight, but I heard she really put a beating on the other girl. Later that night I took a picture with her though. She was a really nice girl.

JS: What are your short term, and long term plans now? You going to rest up for a while or jump back into training right away? And when could we expect to see you back in the cage?

NP: My short term goal right now is just to make every fight a good performance. My long term goal to open up my own MMA gym. Yeah i'm gonna take a short break, even though the fight was not the physically damaging to my body, I need to rest mentally from all the pre fight preparation.

JS: As a fan of yours, I think its safe to say you give a great performance in every single match I have seen. How did it feel fighting for your hometown crowd?

NP: I felt great, it was so much fun fighting in my hometown. I can't wait to fight again in Orange County.

JS: Did you do anything to celebrate your win?

NP: Some friends and family came back to my house to hang out, but nothing to crazy.

JS: So where do you keep your title? Are you like Tim Sylvia and sleep with it? I am just joking.

NP: Hahaha naw Joe, I just keep the belt hung up with my other trophies.

JS: Anderson Silva fights Rich Franklin next weekend. Who do you think is going to win?

NP: I think Anderson Silva is going to win again, maybe by knock out.

JS: Recently, you made a visit to the boys and girls club. The kids seemed to have had a blast! How was that experience for you?

NP: Man that was a really fun time for me. The kids seem to have had a good and they ask me some really funny questions.


JS: They cant wait to see their pics on your site! So your next fight is November 16th? Do you know much about your opponent? And is that event going to be on PPV?

NP: I am not sure if the event will be on PPV, but I know that my opponent is a really good kick boxer.

JS: You are in a very tough weight division, Melendez, Thompson, Jz; who do you feel is the best in the world right now?

NP: I really believe that Gilbert Melendez is that best lightweight in the world right now.


JS: Doesn't Gilbert fight in K1? What if K1 asked you to fight him? How do you feel you would do against him? What would be your best shot at winning?

NP: No, Gilbert fights for Strikeforce. If K-1 ask me to fight Gilbert, it would have to be for good money because Gilbert is such a high level fighter. I think my best chance would be my pressure against him, but he is very good and that would be a very tough fight for me.

JS: Gilbert broke his hand his last fight and still won. You know how that feels, right? You broke your hand in a fight once, right?

NP: Yes , I broke my hand in the first round against Eben Kaneshiro and I had to fight with it for another two rounds. I won by unanimous decision.

JS: That takes a lot of heart, fighting with a broken hand and winning. Most people I think just kind of give up. Anyway, where would anyone who wants tickets for your next fight get them?

NP: I think the best way to get tickets for my next fight is through Ticketmaster.

JS: Anything you want too say or anyone you want to thank, Nam? Till next time!

NP: Yeah I want to say thank you my sponsors Budovideos and Kaizen clothing. My boxing trainers Art James and Dennis Gonzales, my jiu-jitsu coaches Rick Estrada and Russ Muira, and my muay thai coach Fumi Fujimoto. Also to everyone that has been supporting me since the beginning.

Last Update: Oct 14, 2007

Post Fight Interview from RADIOVNCR.com

PART 1

PART 2

Last Update: Oct 11, 2007

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