Gokhan Saki – It’s Saki Bomb Time
By Dave Carpinello
Dutch – Turkish Heavyweight kickboxer Gokhan “The Rebel” Saki recently talked with PDG about his victory over Freddy Kemayo in Korea at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final 16, training with team Golden Glory, Jerome Le Banner’s disqualification and the possibility of facing teammate Alistair Overeem.
PDG: How did your training and preparation go leading up to your fight against Freddy Kemayo?
Gokhan Saki: It went as planned, we had a training camp in Thailand (Gym Golden Glory Pattaya) and the preparation with a big part of the Golden Glory team and trainer Cor Hemmers was great.
PDG: You won by TKO in round 1; how would you rate your performance?
Gokhan Saki: I rate my performance 100%, a huge 10, this is the Saki everybody will have to fear from now on. Lightning fast, strong hard puncher and kicker!
PDG: You have won five fights in a row since a three fight losing streak; what changes did you make to your training after the loss to Peter Aerts?
Gokhan Saki: I had some injuries and difficult times in 2009 and some bad luck, the injury I sustained in my Korean fight was a very bad one and it took almost nine months to heal completely. I fought within that time and I felt like I was at about 40%. I could not prepare the way I wanted to for a fight and it was frustrating. But 2010 is my year, no more injuries and all impressive wins, knockout victories over Melvin Manhoef and now Kemayo.
PDG: Did you suffer any injuries in your fight?
Gokhan Saki: Take a wild guess, hahahahaha, I did not even break a sweat except maybe in warming up before the fight.
PDG: Are you still facing Brice Guidon at the Ultimate Glory 2010 on October 16th?
Gokhan Saki: Yes!
PDG: Are you worried about having that fight just weeks before the K-1 Final 8?
Gokhan Saki: No I have learned not to worry anymore, that is the secret, just focus, train and perform. When your brain starts thinking about accidents and failure you can not perform and you cannot sleep and bad things will come to you. Believe me I am going to win that whole Glory $150.000.00 tournament as well.
PDG: You have been matched up against Daniel Ghita at the Final 8; what are your thoughts on him as an opponent?
Gokhan Saki: I can get revenge for Errol Zimmerman, my teammate who walked into a punch against Ghita at the Final 16.
PDG: You fought James Zikic some years ago under mixed martial arts rules; are you ever going to compete in MMA again?
Gokhan Saki: It was a good experience but I did not really know that much about MMA. Lately I have been training a lot on the ground and on a wicked take down defense, so yeah! maybe on NYE in Japan, who knows.
PDG: Your Golden Glory teammate Semmy Schilt will be facing Kyotaro because of Jerome Le Banner’s choice to quit after round 3 of his fight against Kyotaro. What was your reaction to JLB’s protest and the way he handled it?
Gokhan Saki: You should finish your dispute in the ring; you should prove yourself in the ring. I also thought that I deserved an extra round in my fight with Peter Aerts (but I did walk into that punch into the first round). Our trainer Cor Hemmers always says it should not come to the judges, just knock the opponent out, then there is no doubt.
PDG: If you and Alistair Overeem are victorious on Dec. 11th, the two of you would meet in the semifinals. How do you feel about facing one of your teammates in the tournament?
Gokhan Saki: If it is necessary we will fight and it will be a war, like every Wednesday in the Golden Glory dojo, no difference. It will be even more interesting as we want to prove who is Golden Glory’s best and we want to win over our teammate Semmy Schilt. He has been champion now long enough, it is time for new blood.
PDG: You have been with Golden Glory for nearly seven years; what makes GG such an opposing force in K-1?
Gokhan Saki: Most fighters have been with GG from the beginning like 11 years now, for example Semmy and Alistair. It is a group of trainers, managers and fighters that is really structured well for everybody involved. Good heavyweights training with each other makes them better fighters. Cor Hemmers also made Ramon Dekkers and other great heavyweight fighters, Cor and manager Bas Boon have been very active in the sport over the last 25 years, and they have so much experience.
PDG: When you are not training or fighting, how do prefer to spend your free time?
Gokhan Saki: I really enjoy my house and my garden. I look forward to my wedding in February and everything is going the right way for me now.
PDG: Do you play any video games? If so which ones?
Gokhan Saki: Yes, I like to play video games, mainly I like soccer but also some fighting games.
PDG: Is there anything else that you wanted to add for your fans?
Gokhan Saki: Gokhan Saki will be the new K-1 GP champion of 2010; I will train crazier than I have ever done before. This is the chance of a lifetime; I want to tell my fans to keep watching because It’s Saki Time! I also want to thank my fans and my sponsor FIGHT GAME the clothing brand “only a fighter knows the feeling”
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