by Michael DiSanto

On September 26th, the 610 giant, Gan McGee, will enter the Octagon and challenge for the UFC heavyweight championship. After impressive knockout wins over Pedro the Rock Rizzo and Alexandre Dantas, McGee is confident about his chances.

InsideFighting: Gan, thank you for taking the time out of your training day to speak with us.

Gan McGee: Sure, no problem.

IF: Hows training going?

Gan: Everything is going good. My weight is coming down. Im feeling ready, feeling good, you know, just ready for the fight.

InsideFighting: You mentioned that your weight is coming down. Do you have to cut weight to make 265?

Gan: Yes, I have to cut weight to get down to 265.

IF: Lets go back a bit. What made you get into MMA in the first place?

Gan: I started off just wrestling. I wrestled in college at the University of Iowa for a year. Then I came back out here and started to wrestle at Cal Poly. I met Chuck Liddell, who used to wrestle at Poly, and his partner Scott Adams. Through Chuck I met John Hackelman, who is a really good kickboxing and boxing coach, and I just kind of took it from there.

IF: What do you enjoy most about MMA?

Gan: I really enjoy the competition of it. Its hard to find anything more competitive than who is going to kick whose ass. Its like you scored more points in a game. So what? Well you threw a ball through a hole or you ran with a ball. I dont care about that whatever. I kicked your ass. Theres nothing more competitive than I just kicked your ass. I just beat you up. Its a beautiful thing.

IF: What type of advantage does it give you against a striker like Tim Sylvia to train with Chuck Liddell and the Pitfight Team?

Gan: Im used to fighting really good strikers - really fast guys who hit really hard so when I get out there with a guy who likes to punch a lot or kick a lot Im pretty much used to it.

IF: Do you think height will be a factor in this fight?

Gan: I think it is going to affect both of us a little bit. Im sure I wont be used to going against a guy his size and he wont be used to be going against a guy my size.

IF: You defeated a world class striker in Pedro Rizzo. What, if anything, does that do for your confidence when facing Tim Sylvia who is primarily a striker?

Gan: I think they are really different in fighting styles. I dont think Tim is any Pedro Rizzo. Hes not that caliber of a striker, so I think I should have an easier time.

IF: So is your goal to keep this fight standing as long as possible?

Gan: I dont really know what Im going to do. Ill stand up. Ill take him down. Ill do whatever I feel like when Im out there. Thats really just the way that I fight. I mean, with Rizzo, youve got to take that guy down. You dont want to stay on your feet with that guy you want to take him down. But I was really feeling the punches that day, so I just let them fly.

IF: If you could waive a magic wand over the Sylvia fight, how would you have it unfold?

Gan: Anyway that I want it to unfold?

IF: Yes.

Gan: The first punch I throw would knock him out [laughs]. Id just throw a punch, hed fall down and Id win.

IF: How would you compare your level of prior competition with that of Tim Sylvia?

Gan: Honestly, as far as striking goes, and thats mainly what Tims going to want to do, Pedro is a better striker. Ive been in with better strikers. Im definitely up to par in that department. Barnett is a better grappler than he is or the guys hes fought, so Ive probably been in with better grapplers. All around, this guy isnt going to have any great surprises for me. There arent going to be any big shockers. This fight should go the way I want it to.

IF: Have you ever entertained the idea of fighting in Pride FC as a Pride FC fighter or fighting in Pride FC as a UFC representative?

Gan: Id love to fight over there. They have a lot of the top ranked heavyweights, and I dont think theres anyone over there that I couldnt beat, although Mirko Cro Cop looks like a really tough guy.

IF: Did you happen to watch the Ricco Rodriguez-Minotauro Nogueira fight?

Gan: Yes, I think Ricco clearly won that fight. I think anyone who really watched that fight would agree with me. Well, except for the three judges [laughs].

IF: Does that make you hesitant at all to go over there as a UFC representative if that opportunity arises?

Gan: Id go over there anyways. Im not ever going to try to let my fights go to a decision. If it does and I get screwed, well then it happens. But Id go out there and try to finish guys.

IF: Lets talk about your teammate for a second. What do you think about Chuck Liddells chances against Rampage in the Grand Prix?

Gan: I think Chuck has a great chance of winning this whole tournament. Put him in there with Rampage and then Wanderlei afterwards. I dont care. I think he can still knock both of them out!

IF: What is the strongest part about your game when compared to Tim Sylvia?

Gan: I think Im a little more well rounded. I have the option of putting the fight on the ground, pounding him and finishing it there if I want to. I have the option of keeping the fight on my feet. He pretty much has only one option keep the fight standing. Hes not going to be able to take me down, and if he does he wont be able to do anything with me on the ground.

IF: If you had the opportunity to fight any fighter in MMA, who would it be?

Gan: Emelianenko Fedor because he is the Pride FC heavyweight champion.

IF: Do you feel comfortable fighting against big, strong ground and pound fighters?

Gan: Yes, I feel fine going against Fedor. Once again, I think my takedown defense is good enough to stop his getting me on the ground. I think that hes pretty susceptible to getting popped in the face too.

IF: What, if anything, did you learn from your loss to Josh Barnett?

Gan: Honestly, I wasnt feeling well before that fight. I thought I was invincible and decided to fight him anyways. So I went out there and dominated the first round and then gassed out and couldnt move, you know? So I learned that if Im not ready to go, forget about it Im not going to fight. You know what I mean? If something happens or if I get sick the week before my fight with Sylvia, then Im going to pull out. Its really hard because you always want to fight. I always want to fight regardless of injuries or if youre sick or whatever. I always want to fight. But the thing I learned from the Barnett fight is that if youre not ready to go then just dont do it. Fight another day.

IF: What is your typical training day like when youre preparing for a shot at the UFC heavyweight championship?

Gan: Typical training day? It depends. I usually get a couple of workouts in. Some days I wake up and do cardio and light weight lifting. Later in the day Ill grapple, spar and work on striking. Some days I wake up and do the sparring, grappling and striking in the morning and then Ill condition later in the day. It really revolves around the meat of the stuff the striking the wrestling, etc. When am I going to do that? If I can do it early, then Ill do the conditioning later. If I cant do that stuff until later, Ill wake up early and do conditioning. Make sense?

IF: Do you ever work on submissions?

Gan: Yes, Im not going overboard for this fight because I really dont see myself getting taken down. And on the ground Im not a big submission guy. Im all about hitting guys in the head ground-n-pound. [laughs]. But I try to work on it a little bit so that I can be well versed in everything.

IF: In closing, is there anything that you would like to say to your fans who are looking forward to watching you challenge for the UFC heavyweight title?

Gan: Sure! First, Id like to thank them for being my fans and supporting me. I think thats great! Second, Ill do everything I can to be an exciting fighter, knock people out, put on good fights and be worthy of having those people as fans.

IF: Gan, we certainly thank you for your time. Good luck against Tim Sylvia at UFC 44 and stay healthy! Well see you at 44!

Gan: Cool. No problem. See you there.

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