Exclusive: Elvis Sinosic “From Australia to England”
By Dave Carpinello
PDG: How has training been going?
Elvis: Training has been going well thank you. I just upped the intensity this past week now that I have a fight coming up in December at Cage Rage 24.
PDG: Cage Rage 24. Your next fight will be against Paul Cahoon. What are your thoughts on this match-up and how long have you been in contact with Cage Rage?
Elvis: I am looking forward to this fight. I just recently got back in touch with Cage Rage and an opportunity came up when another fighter had to pull out. So it worked out well for both of us. I don’t know a lot about Paul at the moment, but I will continue to do my research and find out as much as I can so I can come into the fight fully prepared. I’m familiar with Paul, though not a lot about his recent activities. I do know that he recently beat Mark Epstein so we both have an opponent in common. So it gives me something to work with in preparation for the match.
PDG: What kind of contract did you sign; how many fights?
Elvis: Just for the one match. We’ll see what happens after the match.
PDG: Last time we talked you were going to be doing some commentary on fights. How has that experience been?
Elvis: The commentary has gone great so far. I have only done a couple of shows, but I feel I am getting better every time. I have the ability to be the main commentator or the color commentator with the technical knowledge. I’ve also been a regular guest on a radio show called Dolphin Juice on the Triple M network in Australia (www.triplem.com.au). This has been helping me with my microphone work and dealing with things as they come up. It’s been a great experience and I am only going to get better so I am looking forward to doing more shows.
PDG: Can you give me an update on the fighters you train and that are in your camp; any new news, events?
Elvis: Well the head coaches are Anthony Perosh and I. Anthony is also a two time UFC vet as well. He is fighting the week before I am in the CFC here in Australia. So the timing is great for both our preparations. Some of our students who have fought are Shane Nix (4-0), Chi Kit Cheung (1-1), Steven Micallef (1-0), Jesse Landry (1-0). We also have a couple of other guys who will be making their debuts shortly. We’ve still got a relatively new team of fighters, but they are just going to continue to improve.
PDG: Let’s talk a little Ultimate Fighter. You have trained with George Sotiropoulos from Team Serra. Without giving away any secret info; what does he bring to the show talent wise and can he win the UFC contract?
Elvis: Yes I have trained with George. I really can’t give anything secret away as I don’t know anything secret. George is a very talented fighter. The foundation of his skills comes from grappling, he is a BJJ Black Belt (which he received from John B Will, the same person I received mine from, who is a Machado black belt). So you know his ground work will be top notch. Not only have I trained with George, I also reffed one of his fights where he won the Australian Title in his weight Division. George is a very driven and determined competitor. He trains like he fights, hard. I think George has a very good chance of winning the contract. He’s my pick for the show.
PDG: Other big MMA news lately surrounds Randy Couture; basically telling the UFC that he has enough of their propaganda. What are your thoughts on him leaving the UFC and do you think it will impact the UFC in a negative way overall?
Elvis: Well it’s hard to comment without knowing all the details. I’ve read about what is going on just as everyone else has. To me it just sounds like contract renegotiations. I doubt it will have very much effect on the UFC overall. It is basically one fighter trying to get what he believes he deserves. Each individual fighter is responsible for themselves in the end. He’s just doing his thing and the UFC is doing theirs.
PDG: What do you think of the PRIDE fighters coming to the UFC that haven’t lived up to their billing?
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic: 1 win & 2 losses
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua: 1 loss
Dan Henderson: 1 loss
Heath Herring: 2 losses
Can they recover and make an impact in the octagon?
Elvis: Honestly, it’s like I’ve always believed. Both organizations had the top fighters in the world. Anytime you match up the top fighters, someone is going to lose. And you don’t always know who it will be. It just shows that the playing field was a lot more level than either side wanted you to believe. Cro Cop probably has had the worst of it, two very tough losses, especially since he had so much hype coming in from Pride. Shogun has only had one match, so let’s see how he pans out after a couple more. Henderson lost to Jackson, who was an ex PRIDE vet too. Herring lost once and won once to a UFC vet. His second loss was to another PRIDE fighter, of which pretty much everyone expected that result. You also forget that Jackson has had two victories coming over and Nog had one and Cro Cop had one. Out of those 4 victories, half have been to other Pride fighters. I think it just shows just how level the playing field was. I believe these fighters can make a great impact in the Octagon. But what people need to realize is that they are UFC fighters now. It doesn’t matter what they have done before, they need to prove themselves now in the octagon. And time will tell us what that is.
PDG: Will your fans see you fighting in the states again anytime soon?
Elvis: Well I have nothing lined up in the states at the moment. But hopefully after I win my next match I’ll get an opportunity to come over and fight there again. I always really enjoy coming over the US. Actually, thanks to MMA I have lots of friends around the world, so I always look forward to anywhere I may go.
PDG: Besides your fight at CR24 is there any other events such as commentating or anything else coming up?
Elvis: Other than cornering my training partner Anthony Perosh (and possibly doing some commentary on that event) I have nothing else lined up at the moment.
PDG: What are the odds you will wear a PunchDrunkGamer cap to the ring Dec 1st?
Just kidding….I’ll send you one though. Thanks again and good luck on Dec 1st.
Elvis: You never know your luck. Just make sure I get it before I leave the country. Thank you for the opportunity to let my fans know what is going on. Thanks to my friends, students and training partners for all their continued support. Thanks to my sponsors Atama and Fairtex for continuing to believe in me.
HELP ELVIS FIGHT CANCER & DEPRESSION
