Shinya Aoki responds to Tatsuya Kawajiri's New Years Eve challenge seemingly insulted, saying he'd...

Shinya Aoki responds to Tatsuya Kawajiri's New Years Eve challenge seemingly insulted, saying he'd "consider" it:

"I was thinking, 'Why is he here?' I can't reply immediately," said Aoki, who goes on to mention he'd rather rest than take on the #1 contender in "Crusher."

"I don't even want to say anything about (New Year’s Eve). I've been fighting one bout after another, so I'm exhausted. I was thinking this was my last fight. I just want to rest. After that, then maybe I can decide on something. I'd like to fight B.J. Penn."

"I want to fight the best in the world, like B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian -- strong guys like that," said Aoki. "I want to take them out and prove that Japanese are truly strong. I was told by someone that 'you got the belt, now you're number one in the world,' but I don't think so. Being top of the world isn't something so trivial. If I could become like B.J. Penn, I could die (happy)."

source: Sherdog.com

about 1 month ago cagefightonacid 23 comments 2 recs |

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I was told by someone that ‘you got the belt, now you’re number one in the world,’ but I don’t think so. Being top of the world isn’t something so trivial. If I could become like B.J. Penn, I could die (happy)."

AAAARGH SO ARROGANT.

by JRN on Oct 7, 2009 5:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

lol

lol, how is that arrogant? He’s ranked higher than Kawajiri and he’s admiting that even though he’s a champion. The concensious #1 LW in the world BJ Penn is better. = p

by evilstuntz on Oct 7, 2009 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

it’s easy to interpret it a ton of ways, especially due to the culture/language barrier. i can speak elementary japanese and some things just don’t translate.

by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m joking. Some people love to paint whatever Aoki says about the UFC and its fighters as arrogant.

by JRN on Oct 7, 2009 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He wants to get his ass kicked before he dies?

Get past Crusher 1st.

Yep, I have Twitter too. Follow me @deowade

by Deo Wade on Oct 7, 2009 6:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He doesnt want to fight Crusher

because he knows he’ll lose.

by Discman2 on Oct 7, 2009 7:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

= p

Yeah and I knew he’d lose to Alvarez. = p

by evilstuntz on Oct 7, 2009 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He didn’t say he didn’t want to fight Kawajiri ever, he said he didn’t want to fight him on NYE because he’s already fought four times this year, and in two weight classes to boot. Crusher has fought three, and one of those was Melchor Manibusan.

by JRN on Oct 7, 2009 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

kawajiri is a bad match-up for aoki but ya never know….

by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 7:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Kawajiri is a bad match-up for Aoki, but so were JZ and Alvarez…

by CSKit on Oct 7, 2009 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i agree….

by cagefightonacid on Oct 7, 2009 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

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by DamnSevern on Oct 7, 2009 8:55 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs

ha

odd comments from a so-called “undisputed” lightweight champion.

by Phildo on Oct 7, 2009 9:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The haters really come out in full force whenever Aoki wins…

by Chris Nelson on Oct 7, 2009 9:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It’s amazing. They come out even on a post where he talks up the UFC champ.

by JRN on Oct 7, 2009 10:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would like to comment that I’m not hating on aoki with my above comment, just hating on wamma.

by Phildo on Oct 7, 2009 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have a ton of respect for Aoki, hes one of the top lws in Japan…I just don’t think he’d be top 5 in the UFC

by DamnSevern on Oct 7, 2009 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kawajiri

is a bad matchup for Aoki like someone above me said. Kawajiri has better submission defense than Alvarez and better striking than JZ as displayed by him outstriking JZ. If he follows a good gameplan and doesn’t try to get cute and grapple , he will win. I can’t see Aoki pulling a Yod like he did to Shaolin , on Crusher.

by meyer1244 on Oct 8, 2009 10:31 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Shinya Aoki's Rose-Smelling Feces

So let me get this straight:

DREAM has all of the world’s best fighters, but he’ll only consider fighting Tatsuya Kawajiri because he really wants to fight BJ Penn.

Apparently the banana pants are cutting off the flow of blood to Aoki’s brain.

...Behold, a pale horse. The man that sat upon it was Wieters, and hell followed with him.

"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard

by Brett Jones on Oct 8, 2009 10:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You sound silly.

All of this business about Aoki saying he’ll “consider” fighting Kawajiri is a joke, since the fight is obviously going to happen.

Some people need to lighten up.

by Chris Nelson on Oct 8, 2009 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

So it’s my fault that he is, at best, displaying a half-hearted interested in that fight while simultaneously jockeying to fight BJ Penn and announcing the superiority of DREAM’s Lightweights over the UFC’s?

I sound silly? I need to lighten up? Get out of the tank for your boy Aoki and look at what he’s saying with a degree of logic, and you’ll come around. Or maybe you won’t; that’s fine, we all have our favorites. But please, how about you don’t take things said about a fighter so personally? My goodness, it’s like you think I’m saying he’s the worst fighter in the history of history.

...Behold, a pale horse. The man that sat upon it was Wieters, and hell followed with him.

"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard

by Brett Jones on Oct 8, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Man, I just think you’re taking this whole thing a little too seriously.

Aoki’s neither my boy nor one of my favorites, and I don’t mind if you do think he’s the worst fighter ever – I was only pointing out that his comments about “considering” the fight were made in jest, and I think they’re being taken more seriously than they’re meant to be. (At least around here.) At the presser, Aoki said that he was tired because he’s been fighting a lot, and Kawajiri responded by saying that Aoki’s good at escaping in a fight and in talking.

Everything Kawajiri’s been doing lately — getting embarrassed by Masato, then having to fight a much smaller guy for basically a guaranteed win — has been so that ‘Jiri could finally get his title shot on NYE. I don’t think Aoki’s in any real position to bite the hand that feeds and pass on this fight.

That’s all.

by Chris Nelson on Oct 8, 2009 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s called contract negotiations. And if I’m not mistaken, every fighter says that the org. that they fight under is the best, even if it’s not the UFC. That’s not arrogance, it’s standard business practice.

by bubbafat on Oct 8, 2009 1:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs