IF: Are you planning on fighting again?

Don Frye: Yes. Absolutely.

IF: Are you still training with Frank Shamrock?

Don Frye: Ah, no. Frank's busy with other stuff and actually I haven't done anything since the last fight [Verses Mark Coleman] because of my neck. And I just now started going to the gym and just now started lifting weights.

IF: How is your neck injury healing up?

Don Frye: To tell the truth, I just got a call from the doctor. I got a second MRI here. The first one I got after the fight about a month and a half ago I guess and I had a couple herniated disks and there's like an operation and all that kind of crap. They were telling me to find a new line of work and blah, blah, blah. You know? And so I decided to try what Evander Holyfield did, you know? And I went to a touch/heal psychic and a preacher and got touch/healed and I just got my MRI results back from last week and I don't have any herniated disks anymore.

IF: That's excellent! How do you like that?

Don Frye: Yeah, but hey. It sounds kind of kooky but it worked. So f**k, I'm gonna go for it now.

IF: Are you going to be able to compete in the Pride FC Heavyweight Grand Prix?

Don Frye: Actually I was just sitting down and I'm thinking I'm gonna call Pride up and see if I can take Yoshida's spot in the Light Heavyweight tournament. Because like I said, I haven't done anything for two or three months or however long it has been, you know? And my weight is down to about 217 lbs. So I'm gonna see if Yoshida pulls out, if I can step into the Light Heavyweight tournament.

IF: How do you respond to, or do you care to respond to the people who just don't seem willing to accept the fact that you could lose to Yoshida legitimately?

Don Frye: Everybody's questioned that since day one, you know? The next day I got off the plane, I was in L.A. and some guy says, "hey, you're Don Frye, you're a great fighter! That was fake, wasn't it?" [Laughs] And my arm was in a sling and I got it all wrapped up in a sling, you know? It didn't look fake to me. He [Yoshida] dislocated it. Like I said, I had neck damage I didn't know about for over a year. Three years ago they fused 3 vertebrae and I thought that was good. They said, "you can return to training in 3 months." And in 3 months, one week, I was back in the wrestling ring in New Japan Pro Wrestling. So I probably rushed it a little bit too fast. That's life in the big city, you know? They wanted me in there and I owed them and I work for them, so I went back in there. So somewhere around the Ken Shamrock fight I injured my neck and might have possibly broken it. I think my wife did it, driving down the road actually. We were coming back from Mexico and I was in the passenger seat reading a paper hauling down the road and she hits this bump. I was all relaxed reading the newspaper and I go flying and hit my head on the roof of the car and "crack." You know, I just couldn't move. Unfortunately to say, I think my wife broke my neck. So when Yoshida put me on the ground and everything went numb and I just couldn't recover. I mean fuck, the guy's an Olympic gold medallist, and I mean come on. What do people want?

IF: Each time you fought Mark Coleman, it wasn't under the greatest set of circumstances. The first time you already had a couple matches under your belt that night, the second time you had the rotator cuff injury. Would you fight Mark Coleman a third time, or is that all said and done?

Don Frye: Ah, I don't know if Mark and I want to fight each other again, you know? Mark's a great athlete and I really like Mark. You know, shit, he's got his own problems right now. He don't need me bothering him for another rematch. If I'd have won the second fight then I'd have a right to ask for 2 out of 3, but he beat me twice in a row so I don't really have a right. I'd like to, but logically there's no logic in asking for it.

IF: Any plans to avenge that loss to Yoshida?

Don Frye: Well that's why I'd like to see if I could get into that Light Heavyweight tournament. And I don't really see Yoshida returning. And if I can go in there and take his spot in that tournament and win that tournament than I'll be able to definitely request a rematch.

IF: You had mentioned after the loss to Jerome Le Banner that you'd like to take him out under MMA rules. Any plans on a rematch?

Don Frye: It was in the contract that I had 4 or 5 months for a rematch under MMA rules. But obviously that time slipped away. The whole ball is in his court. He's a fantastic athlete and if you look at my record I've just lost to the best. Coleman twice, he's the best out there. Yoshida, he was a gold medallist in the Olympics, you know? Shit. Le Banner should be the Grand Prix champion.

IF: What are your thoughts on Mike Tyson in MMA?

Don Frye: Ohhh, I think it's exciting. I'd like to see it.

IF: You had mentioned one time in a Pride FC interview that if you fought Mike Tyson you'd like to trade with him a little bit. Do you still feel that way?

Don Frye: Ah, no. Not after Le Banner put me on my ass, no. [Laughs] "Nah!" I re-thought that one real fast.

IF: What are your thoughts on Don King getting involved in MMA?

Don Frye: I think it's going to bring it into the mainstream, you know? I think if anybody can get the job done it'll be him.

IF: How's your relationship with Gilbert Yvel? Good, bad, or rematch?

Don Frye: I like Yvel. I like Yvel. He came into the locker room when I was gonna fight Ken [Shamrock] and he gave me one of his yellow cards that he's so famous for now, and I said "hey, wait a second. You got to sign this for me. It's no good! It's no good without a signature." So he wrote, "to my good friend Don Frye."

IF: Don, looking way ahead here, if you could fight anyone for your retirement match, who would it be?

Don Frye: That may not be way ahead.

IF: You have to be optimistic.

Don Frye: Well maybe that Light Heavyweight tournament, you know?

IF: Wouldn't it be something if your wife took you out of MMA? [Laughs]

Don Frye: Well basically she has! [Laughs] Basically she has, brother! [Laughs] Geez! Nobody else could get the job done except for that blonde, you know?

IF: Would you consider doing full-time MMA commentary after retirement?

Don Frye: Yeah, that's what I'd like to do. I would like to do full-time commentating. I'd be nowhere near the league of a Jeff Blatnik. He'd be the play-by-play man and I'd just be the comic relief color commentator. But yeah, that's something I'd really like to do. It would keep me involved in the sport, whi...this sport has done everything in the world for me.

IF: Later on in your career, you put on more muscle than what you started out with. What was the decision behind that and has it affected your cardio and agility?

Don Frye: Oh yeah. It's affected my cardio and agility tremendously. The thing is, when I first started out I was a fireman and on my days off I was shoeing horses out here in Arizona. I was working 6-7 days/week plus training. So it was kind of hard to keep the weight on when you're sweating 2 gallons of water a day. That's something like 7 pounds a gallon, so you're sweating 14 lbs off every day. It's hard to stay hydrated. But once I got my feet secure in mixed martial arts, I didn't have to work for a living anymore.

IF: What could we see in a Bob Sapp vs. Don Frye match?

Don Frye: Oh I'd kill Bob Sapp. I'd knock him out in a minute. I'd love toexcept you know that's not ever going to happen because they're trying to protect him for Mike Tyson, but I'd take Sapp out in one minute. Or else I'd quit. If I couldn't do that I'd quit. If I couldn't take Bob Sapp out I'd retire.

IF: Since the Iranian incident, have you had any more street fights?

Don Frye: [Laughs] Oh! That was funny! Um, you know, Brian Johnston and I, we were really drunk, really drunk. And Brian goes walking off as he always does and the next thing you know I hear a bunch of glass breaking and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Brian's involved in that. So I go running up the stairs, this was summer time and we're wearing sandals. He kicks off his sandals - he's been hit over the head by a couple bottles - he kicks off his sandals and he's fighting in bare feet in the glass, fighting seven guys and I grab a hold of a couple of them and we start going to town. Umm, shit. I don't even remember 99% of that night, everybody had to tell me what happened. One guy took off and I started chasing him and I pulled a hamstring so I turned around and came back. Another guy ran off so I started chasing him and he jumped in a cab. I tried to open up the door but he had locked the door so I punched through the glass of the rear window and drug him out and started beatin' the snot out of him. Then the Tokyo police came and treated me like a king; like Rodney King. They put the boots to me and I got a big ole black eye. Then we got to the police station and they recognized who Brian and I were and they started taking pictures and gave me a lecture and told me I had to pay the $300 for the broken taxi window and "bye-bye".

IF: Any more incidents like that since that one?

Don Frye: Oh no, thank God. You know, we've behaved ourselves. One of us could have gotten cut pretty easily.

IF: Do you ever visit any of the underground message boards?

Don Frye: No, no. You know, I tried that a few years ago and I just lost interest. You know, the guys on there - if they like you then they like you. If they don't, they don't. They're just gonna insult you and frustrate you. I mean shit, there's nothing you can do about it.

IF: Have you had the chance to view any of the highlight videos that the fans have put together in your honor?

Don Frye: No. I got to see the one on Sherdog but that's it. A friend of mine at the club I train at made one and made a copy for me. That's all I have. If you've got any, send them to me, will ya?

IF: Sure. Who is your pick to win the Pride FC Middleweight tournament?

Don Frye: Don Frye! [Laughs]

IF: [Laughs] Man that was loaded! I should have seen that coming. I should've known.

Don Frye: [Laughs] But, if Don Frye doesn't win then I pick Quinton [Jackson].

IF: Are you going to be an actor part-time now since starring in your new film?

Don Frye: Am I what? [Much laughter] Well, I ...Douglas Crosby got me in on a...have you heard this one? Douglas Crosby, who is one of the judges for the UFC, got me a little gig on a movie. And I want to thank him very much. Very much!

IF: Was it a Western?

Don Frye: Nah, it was a...he went out of his way and put his head on a chopping block and I got it cut off for him and I got fired during rehearsal basically. But I want to thank him and give him all the credit in the world for giving me the opportunity to do that. But I was basically on the set for ten minutes and then asked to leave.

IF: You want to talk about that a little bit?

Don Frye: Oh, I just...I just messed everything up. I'll tell ya'. I missed my cue, almost killed one of the actors, you know?

IF: What kind of a role was it?

Don Frye: I was an FBI agent. I was supposed to take down a bad guy.

IF: Did you get a little too rough?

Don Frye: Well I thought he tripped over his own feet, but a few people looked at it the other way, so I ain't gonna argue with them.

IF: Do you have a website, or are you considering starting one so that your fans can follow your career?

Don Frye: Um? S**t. Right now my career is basically over. S**t. I had a website back in 1996 but it didn't work too well. Somebody downloaded it onto the hairy chest pages which is a gay website and so I started getting all these gay love letters, you know? Which wouldn't have been bad if they'd all bought a t-shirt and a hat or something, but nobody bought anything!

IF: Alright Don, what's your favorite beer? I've got to know.

Don Frye: Oh my gosh. Favorite be...let's see, there's so many of them. I'm a tequila man; 100% Agave Tequila. Beer? Um? Geez. Sam Adams is probably my favorite. I like the good Sam Adams Stout. I like Guinness. Guinness is probably my favorite beer.

IF: Okay, here's a little name association, sort of like word association. I'll give you the name of a fighter and you tell me what comes to mind...Tito Ortiz.

Don Frye: Tito's tough. He's young. He's a good kid who hasn't even peaked yet, you know and he won't peak for another 5-7 years.

IF: Mike Tyson.

Don Frye: Oh, I like Tyson. He's a nut, you know? He's bred for fighting. He belongs in a cage. He's a Neanderthal. I just love him.

IF: Oscar DeLaHoya.

Don Frye: Oscar? I love him. He's a class-act all the way around. He's a great fighter; he's a great person for the Latino community, well-spoken, good-looking kid. He's got it all.

IF: Phil Baroni.

Don Frye: I like Phil. He's a little rough around the edges, but that's what people want. Just like Quinton Jackson, it's what they want.

IF: Vitor Belfort.

Don Frye: I think that he started off too young and success came to fast for him and, you know, like most of us he just wasn't ready for it. That was his problem I think and once he gets his head together he'll be back up on top.

IF: All these questions were for your fans and from your fans. Have you got anything you'd like to say to them?

Don Frye: Yeah, I'm a big Ken Shamrock fan now. He's got all my respect, you know? I think that fight could have gone either way and I got lucky to get the nod but I'll take it. I'd rather be lucky than good. He's the greatest athlete that I've ever competed against and it's an honor to be in the ring with that man: the same thing for Mark Coleman. Mark Coleman is a fantastic athlete, you know? And I just hope not to do anything stupid to disappoint my fans.

IF: Can we give you a plug? Do you have any products, endorsements, training tapes that you'd like to mention?

Don Frye: No? Nobody wants anything to do with me. [Laughs]

IF: You've gotta start answering the casting calls for these Western movies.

Don Frye: Yeah, if they'd make 'em for me. The evil sheriff [laughs], that's kind of a redundant statement though, isn't it?

IF: Well Don, on behalf of InsideFighting.com, I really appreciate this opportunity to sit down with you and get some questions answered, I know that your fans appreciate it and I'd just like to say thank you once again.

Don Frye: Thanks brother, I appreciate it. Thanks for not forgetting about me.

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