Antony Réa Interview

[Erasmus]

Antony Réa Interview
by Alan Kermorvan (aka AKA), Team IronLife.com Staff Writer & translation by Raziel



Alan Kermorvan/Ironlife: Hi Antony. So first of all could you introduce yourself to the members of Ironlife?

Antony Réa: Yeah of course. Hi, my name's Antony Rea, I'm 28. I'm 97-98kgs (about 220lbs) and 1,83m (6'). I have a 35-2 amateur record and a 7-3 professional one. I'm living in Toulouse, in the south of France, where I train in boxing, muay thai, wrestling and mma gyms.

What does your training look like?

Just before a fight, I train about 10 times a week. Which means I train twice a day 5 or 6 times a week. I do Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, workout and cardio.

What are your strong points as a mixed martial artist?

I'd say I'm an adaptable fighter, actually I think I'm rather complete. I develop a strategy depending on who my opponent is.

What has been your best fight?

I can't really think of one... However my fight against Peterson was a good moment. I hadn't fought for one year and Peterson was a good wrestler. I really enjoyed this fight.

Your toughest fight?

Everybody thinks it was the one against Franklin, but actually it was against Lenogue when we were both amateurs. This guy is really tough!

Is there an opponent in your weight class you'd hesitate to fight?

No, I think everybody can be beaten!

Who do you think is the best middleweight MMA fighter in the world today?

I don't think anybody is invincible, there's a lot of parameters you have to think about in MMA... But I'd say Randy Couture is the best now, I don't think he was really focused in his last fight. His record, as well as what he is as a human being make him someone of value. Wanderlei Silva is also very good.

Who is your role model in the MMA world?

I'm not a fan of anyone, but I think Franck Shamrock was the most complete fighter, he did everything well!

How would you rank yourself in your weight class?

I'd say I'm not that bad... But it'd be vain to say that I'm a top 10 ! I need to fight bigger names first.

Why this nickname "the Wild Thing"?

(Laughs) Actually it comes from my first fight in Canada. I was here to meet the promoter, and at the last minute he asked me if I'd like to fight Sills. I wasn't prepared, I was coming out of injury but I accepted. He gave me trouble at the beginning of the fight especially on the ground but I managed to got up and KO-ed him with a left hook. Then Canadians called me the Wild Thing.

What is your opinion about the last Pride and UFC results?

Lots of surprises! That's how MMA works... Couture KO-ed , Belfort subbed, who'd have thought it'd happen? Confirmations as well, with Shogun and St Pierre good results. Georges St Pierre is excellent, he's the future of the sport and the next UFC champion I think.

Why did you become a MMA fighter?

It was natural, I like it! It helped me to exteriorise myself. It's a true passion, as a kid I was a big Bruce Lee fan, I liked MMA as soon as I discovered it, it's so interesting, very complete.
It's a personal test, but it's also what martial arts really are about. You can use what you learnt and see what is really efficient. MMA gives you strong emotions, it's the adrenalin! It's a real pleasure for me to fight.

Did you have any kind of apprehension before fighting a Chute Boxe member?

Not at all, no fear. I'm not intimidated by the team, in front of me it's a man with two arms and two legs, that's all. I don't pay attention to the team, when they tried to intimidate me at the weigh-in it didn't bother me one bit. I looked at him and made him understand "the fight is tomorrow, keep your energy you'll badly need it". By the way I'm not sure Cyborg is as aggressive as people say. I think it's a game, a character he plays.

How did the fight go? Did you think you could win that way?

Yeah, it went as I planned. I always watch a few videos of my opponent to see what are his strong and weak points and develop a strategy. I knew he would start strongly and throw sloppy punches. I also knew I would take a few shots, I was prepared for that. At one moment I'm dominating the standup exchanges and he's stuck against the cage so I take him down. Against a guy like him there's always the possibility to take a counter punch and get koed. Then when we're on the ground I didn't want to submit him, I wanted to finish him with strikes.

Rumors say Wanderlei Silva would have asked you to fight other members of his team?

At the end of the fight Wanderlei told me I was strong and I had a beautiful victory. He added there was other guys of his team ready to fight me. I'm all for it! I'm ok to fight whoever he wants even in Brazil, in Storm if they want. And why not fighting in Bushido against guys like Ninja or Acacia?

How do you feel for Saturday's fight?

I feel good! I'm ready, my strategy is good but I'd rather not talk about it today! (laughs) I worked with sparring partners who have the same characteristics than my opponent. Training went well, no injuries, nothing. I'm in better shape than against Cyborg.

What do you know about your opponent?

He's a good fighter, he's underestimated because of his result against Babalu. He has a good record, has good hands, and much like myself he's a quite complete fighter.

Did the fact your opponent has been changed bother you?

No, they told me Manhoef injured himself 5 weeks before the event. At first I was supposed to fight Zikic. But that's the way it is. Against Manhoef I'd have fought the same way I fought against Cyborg.

If you win, are there any fights scheduled? We've heard about a fight against Babalu for the Cage Rage belt.

I've heard about that too. (laughs) But it's too early to talk about that. First I must win that fight and we'll see what will ensue.

For what organization and against who would you like to fight in the future?

There's no particular fighter I'd like to fight more than another. Everyone can be defeated. It's just a matter of maturity and training. I'd like to fight in Japan for Pride or K-1 MMA or in the USA for UFC. In general for companies who'd give me interesting challenges, and also good money. But I can work for anybody, for example IFC and TKO are excellent organizations, very professional, I'd like to fight for them.

Thanks for your time Antony, we wish you good luck!

Thanks, I hope members of Ironlife will like my fight, pass on the hello to them! I'd also like to thank my sponsor SIAMPI Gastronomie as well as all the people who helped me to train, sparring partners and different gyms: Blagnac Boxing Club, Pago Gym (Muay Thai), Le Cercle Toulouse Pancrace (MMA) and Le Cercle Culturiste Toulousain! A big thanks to my physical trainer Thierry Aussenac who owns the dietetic shop Dietline VNB and to Mr Bono my physicaltherapist.

Interview by Alan Kermorvan , AKA at Ironlife
Translation by Raziel (Huge thanks to him !)