MMA rules governed by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission Elbows - elbows any time, even when they are down; Kick while both are standing but can’t kick to the head while the guy is down; Knees - can’t throw knees while the guys is down; No head stomps; Punch any time, bit not to the groin, spine or back of the head;

Conference Call Transcript - Mercer, Kimbo & Cage Fury Fighting Promoter Felix Martinez

KIMBO:  I expected to get to whatever level I could have gotten to.  The fact that I got into this fight is all good.  I will fight anybody.  I don’t care how good he is and I can’t care who he has fought or how good he thinks he is.  I’ll fight anybody.  If I have to fight someone on a professional level, like this cat, I will tell my managers and my people to get me the right trainers and I’ll fight anybody on any level. 

You don’t need to train for a street fight – it’s a street fight.  Anything goes.  Now that I have to fight on this level, you’re damn fight I am going to train.  I have been training my ass off to get in there and fight that cat on that level. 

MERCER:  I’ve been doing Ju Jitzu and training.  I’ve been doing both.  I am prepared to fight for anything.  Kimbo says this is a street fight – anything goes.  It’s not like I haven’t fought a street fight.  I’ve fought in the streets before.  I have fought in the ring professional so I am ready for this fight.  We worked with a lot of people to get prepared for this fight.  Boxing is my thing and I will use that in this street fight. 

KIMBO:  I have made a complete change in my life.  My life has not been the same since I started training for this fight.  Training for this fight against Mercer has taken a toll on my entire family.  Not for the worse, but for the better.  My body is right and my mind is right.  It’s not like getting ready for a street fight.  In a street fight I just pull up in the Hummer and whoop ass.  Since I signed for this fight I have cut out a lot of things in my life.  I haven’t even had sex in three months.  So I am all backed up.  But my life is in a complete change – but for the better.  I am ready for whatever.  I am ready for anything coming. 

I started training in Florida then I reached a plateau.  My management team decided that I reached a peak, not a peak but a plateau, where I was training at.  There was no one there to really train with.  The people I was sparring with…they stopped coming.  So it was time for me to go off to the fight capital of the world.  I had to go out to Vegas ad train Extreme at Alex Thompson’s.  I trained there for a little bit. I went out to Vegas and trained under BAS

MERCER:  I worked with Joe Diamond, but the other guy – I didn’t kike his style so he went back to his gym.  Dave is still with us and we have another two guys that are real experienced in this game and they’ve been showing me a lot.  We have been training real hard for this fight.  This training camp has been harder than training for a regular fight.  There are so many things that I have learned in this MMA thing.  We’ve been doing it all.

MERCER:  In boxing, when you train, you have to be prepared for anything.  So we trained and prepared for everything.  Boxing is our number one thing and that is what I like to do.  But I know that other things are going to come out and we are going to be ready.  We are going to do some offensive things.  It’s going to be a great night and it’s going to show people that as old as I am I can still learn some things. 

KIMBO:  What I do best man, is fight, Straight up.  MMA? That’s a lot of fighting.  That is fighting.  You’ve got to expect to see me fight; you have to expect to see me do whatever.  If I have to bomb him on his head, I’m going to bomb him on his head.  If I have to touch him on his gut, I’m going to touch him on his gut.  Whatever I can get, I’m going to get.  I’m going to fight for it.  If you’re going to talk about knocking me out, you’re going to have to bring it.  He’s going to have to come with his A game.  I want to get knocked out

Why would you want to get knocked out?

KIMBO:  I’m a fighter. 

MERCER:  It’s a street fight.  We’re throwing knuckles.  That’s what boxing is, except you have a little padding on.  Everybody is talking street fight and that is going to come natural.  In boxing you are throwing blows and you’re looking out for this and looking out for that and this thing now is going to be more intense I believe just because of the fact that it is MMA.  In MMA, like Kimbo says, anything goes. 

Kimbo, will this type of fight benefit you?

KIMBO:  Yes sir, this fight will benefit me.  He’s coming in with a system and once I beat the system, it’s a rap. 

Kimbo, how would a win benefit you?

KIMBO:  I am not going to just dwell on it.  It would probably help me in the next fight, bit I’m not the type of (person) that goes around bragging that I kicked his ass.  I don’t do that.  Before the fight, I’ve got nothing to say to this cat.  After the fight, we might go out and have a drink.  We will be real cool, after the fight.  The way it will benefit me is that I will know I was able to compete on that level.  I don’t train to lose.  I will be like, damn, you know, I beat a legend.  It will make me feel good personally. 

Ray, will you continue to box?

MERCER:  Al I care about is winning this fight.  That is the most important thing in my life right now.  Just like Kimbo said, his life has changed.  My life has changed too.  It has given me another notch in the fight game.  My kids and my family – the times we have gone through – this is for them.  When I get in that ring, I am willing to die for my family, and this is what this fight is all about.  This fight is about my family and the times we have gone through and I am taking this fight very seriously. 

This fight is for me and my family.  I’ve got nine kids, man, and we need to win this fight and we need to win this fight big.  I never trained this hard – I’ve never been in training camp for nine weeks.  I’ve been doing this training thing for nine weeks, and I’ve put on a little weight.  I lost my last fight and I’ve got to bounce back.  I’m not ready to quit fighting.  I’m 46-years-old and that is nothing to me.  It shows that I’ve got a little more experience in life

How do you feel about your age?

MERCER:  Age is nothing but a number.  You can ask George Foreman the same thing.  He became champion at what?  45 years old?  I am doing this because I am doing this, I can.  Age is nothing but a number.  I know you’ve heard that before, but age is just a number.  With age comes experience. 

Why did you go MMA?

MERCER:  because it’s there.  I haven’t had a lot of time to learn it.  I’ve seen it on cable a couple of times.  I am just learning what they are teaching me to do.  Karate and martial arts is not my thing.  But what I have been able to do is learn.  I am always going to be Ray mercer, but this is martial arts, I am not just going in there to box.  I am going to learn everything.  I already know how to box, but learning these other things is kind of rough but I’m learning it and I‘m going to have to know it.  I have training in martial arts for 9 weeks.

Would your life be different if you had one any of those major fights against Lewis or Holyfield?

MERCER:  Definitely, but in my heart, Lennox Lewis…I thought that was my fight.  I whipped his ass and he finally admitted that.  Holyfield…they gave that to Holyfield.  I’ve just been getting the wrong end of the deal in the boxing game.  That’s part of the reason why I thought it was time to do something else.  So now I am involved in something else, not just boxing and I think that’s the Lord giving me a blessing. 

Can you tell us what training with Bas Rutten and Shawn Thompkins is like?

KIMBO:  I have never trained with anyone else, so I can’t compare.  I figured I couldn’t be training with anyone better.  These are two world-known guys and known as the best in this industry and in this field.  It was crazy.  They had my body sick but I had to overcome those obstacles to get ready.  Sparring with those guys they have in there was great and knowing that I could keep up on their level…coming from the streets, it is a different world.  I have a lot of respect for those guys.  Yeah, I got my ass kicked, but it is all good because that’s what it’s about – getting knocked down and getting back up.  If I can compete with cats on that level, I can compete with anybody. 

Bas, Shawn and Alex will be in my corner. 

MERCER:  I think having past boxing champions fight in MMA is going to help the sport take off.  Since Kimbo and Mercer are coming on, things are moving up real well.  I’m just happy and blessed to be a part of it. 

KIMBO:  I like to fight.  If I don’t make dollars, then the whole thing doesn’t make sense. 

MERCER:  I would definitely do this again.  It is making me feel young, and if my body can hold up I’m all for it.  And like Kimbo, if the money is there…I’m not fighting for free.  If the money’s good, then I’m good. 

Kimbo, will you be done with street fighting?

KIMBO:  No man, I’m not done with that.  If my guys line up a contract, hell yeah, I will do it any time. 

Do you think any of those guys could make it in this sport?

KIMBO:  a couple of them could, not all of them.  But I really couldn’t answer that for you.  I don’t know how all of those guys are mentally.  They didn’t know what type of guy I was until they fought me.  They didn’t know how hard I was coming until it actually came. 

I like the way I was trained and if I ever have to train that would definitely be my home because I am in Vegas.

I didn’t get everything I know from street fighting.  It is a mixture of the two.  I had a mental meltdown these last couple of months and I turned my brain into a sponge.  I soaked up everything that was coming to me from that gym.  I was rebuilt. 

People out there are calling this a circus?

KIMBO:  This is not a circus and I am not a clown.  Let me defend the CFFC, they are not a circus and Felix is not a clown and I have not heard anybody come that way.  I think you are coming that way and I think you need to come correct.  I think you are being offensive.  That man is good at what he does and I am good at what I do.  He’s coming in this thing to kick my ass and I am coming in the same way.  It took the three of us to make it happen.  There ain’t no conning going on here. 

I didn’t hear that from any other critics and that is disrespectful.  I don’t like how you just came.  That wasn’t cool. 

MERCER:  My thing is, everybody out there has an opinion.  If you are going to worry about all of the critics out there, then you are going to drive yourself crazy.  There are plenty of ass holes to go around.  If someone out there says that we are clowns and they don’t want to support this event, then that’s the way it is.  Some people like watching soap operas, and some don’t.  You can’t believe everything you hear and if there are people out there, and there are millions of people, we just do what we got to do to make the money.  We are not clowns – we are the product.  This event took pain and it took Felix to put it together and he did a great job of putting it together.  Felix has given two guys an opportunity to change their life right now and I appreciate the hell out of that from Felix. 

FELIX MARTINEZ:  Ray Mercer was at Cage Fury 2 and after the fights; Ray approached me and told me he was interested in trying MMA.  At that point we thought, who could we get for Ray Mercer?  Kimbo is this legend and a great fighter.  We thought it would be great for the sport.  We spoke to both of them and it just worked out.

Have you watched Kimbo’s fights on the internet?

MERCER:  Yes, I have watched some of them.  It depends on what your trainers think.  Some of them are old school and they don’t believe is watching film.  The will watch the tape and then train me the way that I need to be trained.  I have always loved watching tapes, because I love the sport.  I like to know what my opponent does.  I have seen some of Kimbo’s tapes and before this fight came along I had heard a lot about him.  I watched a couple of his fights and I really enjoyed them.  I’m also a little fan too, you know.

KIMBO:  First of all that man is not old.  And I’ve seen some of that sh##.  I’ve seen it and thought OK, but you can’t depend on a person to come out like that.  They may change it up.  If I have it in my head that this cat is going to come out like that and he doesn’t come out that way, I’m going to be in for a rude awakening.  If there is any fight on TV and it is a heavyweight – any fight – I am watching it.  So I have watched him, but you can’t depend on him to come that way.  The people that have trained me have not trained me based on that.

I can’t answer that.  I don’t know how hard these guys punch.  I have never even punched myself to know how hard I punch. 

MERCER:  Watching MMA on TV, I see that the crowd gets excited when blows are thrown and knockouts.  People want to see knockouts.  I was watching an earlier match and when the guys went down, the crowd got bored and they even booed a couple of times.  They want to see hands thrown.  It is not like getting in the ring and boxing.  Boxing will come in handy because I know how to throw the punches.  And looking at Kimbo, he knows how to throw the punches too.  People want to see the exciting stuff and the exciting stuff is just standing up and throwing punches.  Kimbo is a fighter and he’s not a wrestler and I’m not a wrestler but we are trying to learn this thing.  People want to see somebody get knocked the $%#@ out. 

This has been an adjustment for me.  I have to prepare for more things.  Training in boxing mode is all about discipline.  In this you have to be just as intense because you have everything coming at you.  You don’t know what he’s going to throw.  You have to be prepared in a different kind of sense – you have to ready for everything. 

I am old school.  I am not going to change too much.  I hade to make adjustments and I had people help me with that.  What it all boils down to, we are going to do what we know. 

Do you see yourself going back to boxing?

MERCER:  Definitely.  Boxing is my thing.  I love boxing.  I was getting ready to fight Tommy Morrison and he turned up with AIDS and I don’t understand how he could talk bad about MMA.  He’s out there trying to do it himself.  If I see him, I am going to have to knock him out again. 

In boxing you have to worry about head butts and elbows, but in this sport THAT IS ALL LEGAL!  The training is more intense.  You have to train to be ready for everything.  And I am not going to get in there and box.  Fighters throw two hands.  I hear Kimbo is working on his kicks. And I know he is going to try it so we have to be prepared for that. 

KIMBO:  Who told you that? (Laughing)

MERCER:  We are going to do this then go have a drink like you said. (Laughs)   But when we get in there we are going to do what we know best because we are legends in our own time.

FELIX MARTINEZ:  Kimbo has a great management team and we have been pursuing him for quite a while.  Everybody wanted Kimbo and once Ray Mercer approached me, I thought let’s throw Mercer at Kimbo and see if they’d take it.  When Kimbo team heard it was Ray Mercer, they jumped on it.

MERCER:  I will come in at about 252.

KIMBO:  I will be about 240.  I have dropped a lot of weight in training.

MERCER:  I worked with Joe Diamond for one day, and I think he’s an a%$ hole, too. 

KIMBO:  I would never fight Tommy Morrison.  Would you mess with a girl that has some (of that)?

MERCER:  You can never become cleared of HIV.  He fought 2½ months ago with HIV.  With HIV he fought 2½ months ago.