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Re: David "Tank" Abbott vs Frank Mir - UFC 41: Onslaug
He has referred to himself as the "White Mike Tyson." He is the orginial bad boy of the UFC and this week he looks to climb back into the Octagon for the first time since 1998 against Frank Mir. The best MMA interviewer in the business, Ryan Bennett, sat down with Tank in this week's edition of our "Interview of the Week."
Ryan Bennett: The Legendary Tank Abbott. What's going on big fella?
Tank Abbott: Hey Rhino, how are brother.
Ryan: Good, You staying out of trouble?
Tank: Hell no, one foot in front of the wall or whatever...
Ryan: You ready for this fight on Friday with Mir?
Tank: Absolutely, this should be a lot of fun.
Ryan: Everybody keeps telling me Tank is in great shape...
Tank: I'm not in the best shape ever or anything like that, but I am in good enough shape to go 15 minutes without any problems.
Ryan: I don't think many people have realized this one point. You have never been a part of a round system. Back when you fought, it was fight until the finish. Now you have three five minute rounds, you got to be happy about that...
Tank: That is absolutely the truth. I was just discussing that with some people I know down here. Shit, I went 18 minutes with Scott Ferrozo and I couldn't run one time around the track. I was 300 pounds and needed knee surgery at the time. Yea with three five minute rounds with me in shape, this should be a piece of cake.
Ryan: That's what I'm saying. You've never had a chance to rest every five minutes...
Tank: Hell yeah. I think I might even drink beer in between rounds....(laughs)
Ryan: (laughs) How come I know you seriously might try that...
Tank: You never know. I will get one of those damn gatorade things and put alcohol in it, no one would stand a chance.
Ryan: You've seen tape on Frank Mir. What's your impressions of Frank Mir?
Tank: To be honest with you, I've seen him fight once or twice and I was drunk. Didn't give it much thought. People are like "yea, yea, he's good, look what he did to Pete Williams" I was like, uh, o.k. Then the Freeman fight was like, uh o.k.
Ryan: So you don't sweat his submissions?
Tank: I've gone against many submission guys in the past. I remember when Oleg Taktarov was choking me and I was thinking "hmm, huh, I better pull my head out of this." I just basically muscled my way out of those back then. Ever since then, I wouldn't say I'm a student, but I've been looking around at it.
Ryan: So do you train jiu-jitsu at all?
Tank: Yea, my take is you might as well train in everything. My foundation was starting to wrestle at age 9, then I started boxing over 12 years ago. That's my foundation and I branched out from there.
Ryan: When you came into the UFC your first fight was John Matua. When you came in there your style was "Pitfighting". Did you create that name or did the UFC create it?
Tank: No, they made all that shit up back then. They made up "Tank" they made up "Pitfighting." How it came about, I was supposed to be a street fighter and the old UFC was getting a bunch of heat that it was human cockfighting back then. "Tank" came about from the old Clint Eastwood movie with the chimp, "Any which way but loose." There was a street fighting legend named Tank Murdock on there. So the UFC said we will call you Tank Abbott. I didn't care, I said you can call me whatever the hell you want to call me, just let me fight. They took the ball and ran with it. The funny part about it though, was the fact they were hoping I would go in there and get my ass kicked by Matua. They thought I would take the fall in that one. Then it backfired in their face and they were stuck.
Ryan: I remember they were building up Matua as the bone breaking guy, they wanted to make an example of you didn't they?
Tank: That's EXACTLY right. They thought this guy was the toughest guy in that tournament. They had ABC's 20/20 show wanting to do a story on the UFC saying it's brutal or whatever. The UFC wanted to sell it as "this isn't a fighting show, it's a martial arts show and look what this martial artist did to the street thug." It backfired in their face and they were left sitting around, saying "Oh shit, what do we do now?"
Ryan: That's what makes you an interesting guy. You have talent, but mixed martial artists who have trained for 10 or 20 years are pissed you can walk in from a bar stool after drinking beer and knock out these guys.
Tank: Drinking Vodka.
Ryan: No beer?
Tank: Nah, I haven't drank beer in a while, just Vodka.
Ryan: (laughs), Alright Vodka for the record.
Tank: I would be 400 pounds right now if I drank beer..(laughs)
Ryan: Speaking of weight, what do you weigh now?
Tank: I am right now at 245.
Ryan: When was the last time you fought this light?
Tank: I never have. I've boxed around this weight as an amateur, but never fought in the UFC this light.
Ryan: How was your amateur boxing career?
Tank: It was good. I fought a few guys people would know like David Bostic and guys like that. I was 4-0 and actually cut from 300 pounds to 199 and no one would fight me at 199, so I fought a guy who weighed 249. He was 6'5 and for some reason they stopped the fight in the third round. I asked why they are stopping it after I kicked the shit out of him for 2 and 1/2 rounds and he got in two good shots that didn't even remotely hurt me. Then I saw this clown on Tuesday Night Fights about three months later, so I don't think he would have got the shot on Tuesday Night Fights if he lost to a guy who weighed 50 pounds lighter than him in an amateur match three months before. Boxing is so political.
Ryan: How the hell do you cut from 300 pounds to 199?
Tank: It's called D-I-S-C-I-P-L-I-N-E. (laughs) It's called not eating and doing a shit load of running. One of these days I woke up and said Jesus Christ look at me. Then I decided to get back in shape. So I started pounding the pavement, cutting weight and not eating.
Ryan: So you mention your boxing background and wrestling before that. Did you wrestle in high school, college or what?
Tank: I started at nine years old and went all the way through high school and junior college. In junior college I learned how to wrestle with correct techniques, and then I got into a car accident. That's why I don't have any teeth. I almost got my leg cut off. Then wrestling went out the window after the accident. So I started boxing again a few years later when I started fighting all time time and I needed another outlet.
Ryan: So how did you get to the UFC then? Put a tape together and say hey I want to fight?
Tank: I was in jail actually and I was doing six months for beating up a detective's son. I wasn't too smart on that one....
Ryan: Tank, how comes this story doesn't surprise me AT ALL!! (laughs)
Tank: (chuckles) I know, it was there own version of a kangaroo court. The D.A and this detective got together and worked out a deal. His son basically started the fight and I finished it. Bottom line is I went to jail. So my friend came over to see me and said, "You ever seen that Ultimate Fighting?" I said yea because I saw the very first one. There's got to be an inside job to get into that. And it was kind of inside thing because it was the Gracie's who owned it. I was in jail and Kimo fought in it. Kimo said he was from Huntington Beach. And I was thinking "Who is this cat". I was pretty sure at that point and time that anybody who wanted to fight in the street, that I have personally beat up, and I knew if I had never heard of this Kimo guy, he had to be a transplant. So my friend said, if you want to get in there I think I can get you in. I said if you can get me in the show I will fight. So basically the Gracie's lost control of the show to the television people after the fifth show and they brought me in at UFC 6. That's how I got in.
Ryan: So were you ever bummed out you never got a shot at Royce Gracie?
Tank: I don't really care. I'm not emotionally attached to any of these fighters one way or another. I never say "Oh, I want that guy or this guy". People ask me all the time, aren't you angry at that guy or this guy? It's like getting angry at a two year old kid who is begging you for candy. Who cares you know.
Ryan: Wouldn't you have like to have the opportunity to beat the unbeatable guy at that time in Royce Gracie?
Tank: Well, I think he did that on his own. It would have been fun. But you have to give that guy his do. He is a tough man. He's a tough small man.
Ryan: So you come out of UFC 6 and were you able to create your own fight team?
Tank: No, they were all Klingon's. Dar, dar, dar, geeks. These guys had wood over the other guys, not me and streetfighting.
Ryan: But you had a couple of guys train with you like Tito Ortiz correct?
Tank: Yea, he started training with me. I needed a guy who was a lighter weight and a quick wrestler who had a big frame. He fit the bill.
Ryan: So when was the last time you two talked?
Tank: I don't know. He's doing his own thing. I just let him do it.
Ryan: So did you guys have an ugly split or why did you guys stop training together?
Tank: Let's see, why did we stop training....I don't necessarily think it was such a big deal, because he was winding down and he wanted to do his own thing. He has his own character flaws that became apparent. I then did my thing and he did his. I went on to wrestling and he went on to his. He went to start fighting when the UFC was on it's final legs before the Fertitta's came in and bought it.
Ryan: So is there any animosity between the two of you?
Tank: Like I said earlier. I'm not emotionally attached to anyone that fights. Anybody that I ever was, usually isn't around.... or let's just say around my presence for Johnny Law out there.
Ryan: So what did you think of the Shamrock Vs Ortiz fight?
Tank: I didn't think much of it. It was technical ground n pound stuff.
Ryan: Did you think going into the fight that Shamrock was going to win or Ortiz?
Tank: I thought it could have went either way. Everybody has there day. Tito had his day and Ken wasn't on. Somedays your on, somedays your not. It's the fight game.
Ryan: I'm hearing you win Friday, you get to fight Ricco for the title. What's your take of the fight game today. Not to discredit the younger guys, but you had Pedro Rizzo, Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Vitor Belfort, Royce, Mo Smith, I could go on and on. Now with no big time names that strike the fear of god into you, do you think you can become more dominant now, even though your older?
Tank: It's possible. I don't think I'm about winning championships. I'm in it for the love of fighting period. If your in it for the things you love to do, good things come from it. You know? You find something you love to do, your good at it, and you usually become successful.
Ryan: Makes sense. With that said, would it be nice to win a UFC Championship in your book?
Tank: To be honest, if it happens it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't. If it's meant to be it's meant to be. I'm not going to lose sleep one way or another.
Ryan: How did this come about getting back together with the UFC?
Tank: It's like your first girlfriend or first love. Let's just say if you left on unfinished business, sooner or later you will get back together.
Ryan: What do you think of the Fertitias and Dana White, the hierarchy of the UFC?
Tank: Everybody has been straight up and cool and that's the way I like it.
Ryan: I heard that Dana said that you were the fastest deal ever. So there wasn't too much posturing or mind games going on for your contract?
Tank: Yea, Let's not sweat the small shit, let's deal with what's up. All these guys now think they are building an atomic bomb or something. It's just fighting. Pay me what I'm worth and I will get asses in the seats and give you what I can give you.
Ryan: Let me throw some names at you and tell me what pops into your head...Randy Couture
Tank: Tough all around guy. Better than average on most things, not overly good at any of them.
Ryan: Ricco Rodriguez
Tank: Don't know. Most of these guys now that I've watched the fights, I've been drunk. I haven't cared to watch them again.
Ryan: (laughs) Have you had the chance to watch Minotauro Nogueira in Pride?
Tank: Yea, he seems like a tough guy. Everybody has their weaknesses. Whoever is on is on and whoever isn't get's their ass kicked.
Ryan: If you fought Minotauro, could you keep him standing with you?
Tank: Uh, it doesn't matter. I probably could but if he started getting hot in the kitchen and I had to take him down, that's fine. I would like to keep it on the feet, but if we got into a scrambling match so be it. It's not like I'm a fish out of the water on the ground. I punch people and punch them hard which overshadows everything.
Ryan: Is it true, you called out Bob Sapp and said you wanted to fight him?
Tank: I would love to fight Bob Sapp. I knew him way back in the old WCW. He is a cool cat. I think he understands that we could fight and then go and have a beer afterward.
Ryan: You and I last talked the night of UFC 40. You told me back then that you want to fight until your 50. Other than that what is left for you to do because I know you love to just fight...
Tank: My main goal is to get 10 more fights under my belt. When you have 25 fights in the Octagon, you can say you did some work.
Ryan: Would you like all 10 fights to be in the UFC or would you like to go to Japan and fight in Pride?
Tank: Whatever business decisions need to be made. I think the UFC understands my worth but you see these guys that play in the NFL that switch from team to team like Jerry Rice who was with the 49ers forever and is still going strong with Oakland.
Ryan: What's your prediction for this fight against Frank Mir?
Tank: Damn, if I knew I wouldn't have to show up. (laughs) I don't know. As I have said before, I know the only person that can beat me is myself and I.... this time I'm pretty damned prepared so we shall see.
Ryan: I always have a good time talking with you and thanks again. I will be watching on Friday.
Tank: You going to have a drink with me after the show?
Ryan: Actually I will be stuck here in California, but I will try to make it to the next one for sure.
Tank: Alright man. We will make up for that then. You have to buy me a drink.
Ryan: You got it.
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