After the phone buzzes a couple of times, someone picks it up and horrible, deep-throated moans can be heard in the background. I wonder if I’ve rung the wrong number – possibly an S & M parlour by mistake.

Then a stoic voice answers, "Hello." They are obviously oblivious to the tortured screams echoing through the receiver. Now I’m convinced it’s Gomez Addams on the other end. This is by no means a normal interview, unless of course you’re calling the world’s most famous street fighter, David Abbott AKA Tank. Then somehow everything seems to fit into place.

After being questioned about the commotion, Tank casually replies: "Oh, I’m just watching my buddy getting cut up right now." The conversation is punctuated by more agonising screams. "It’s Eddie. He’s got a few f**king boils or something. My buddy’s playing doctor on him, lancing him and squeezing all the shit out of him."

At first it appears that Tank is starting to see the funny side to the situation, before it becomes more apparent that he is actually enjoying Eddie's pain and discomfort.

No, the Eddie in question - and in excruciating pain - is not Eddie Munster, but Eddie Ruiz – one of the toughest fighters to set foot in the Octagon. Ruiz treated MMA fans to an incredibly gutsy battle when he took on Yves Edwards at UFC 43: Meltdown

Despite Tank previously telling UFC, "Eagles may land on the same mountain but they don’t flock together - eagles fly alone," Ruiz has shown what it takes to train and remain with Abbott

When asking Tank if now is a good time to conduct the interview, he replies that it is fine, and that we’d better get stuck into it because he has some people coming over to train with him.

Although breaking his hand while knocking out Wesley Correira in Hawaii a few months ago, Abbott says his fist is fit to fight. "It’s one-hundred percent. There’s nothing wrong with it."

Tank has just signed a contract to go to war in PRIDE’s Final Conflict 2005, at Saitama Super Arena in Japan on August 28. This will be his first bout in PRIDE FC, and a new challenge for the man who lives by the motto, "Any time, any place."


So, David, your hand will be right to go for Japan?

"Oh, absolutely."


What made you take on the PRIDE fight?

"Just because that’s what I do, man. I’m here to fight for my life. That’s my purpose in life, and as long as there’s fighting, there’ll be me."


But you haven’t fought in PRIDE before?

"No. I haven’t fought in PRIDE before, and I’m looking forward to it."


Do you know who you are going to be fighting? You said before that it could be any one of four Japanese guys.

"I have no idea yet, but I don’t care who it is."


You’ve only signed for one fight, are you watching your horizons there?

"Well, I haven’t really thought about it that much. I just said I’ll try them for one fight. That’s all I want to do and we can talk later if they want to do more. I don’t want to get locked into anything, but I’ll be around."


Last time you fought a Japanese opponent, it was for UFC’s Ultimate Japan against Youji Anjo, and he put up a pretty good fight. They’re spirited warriors over there, aren’t they?

"Yeah, well the Japanese have big hearts, and so do I. It will be a good show."


Do you have a strategy for the fight?

"No, I don’t have a strategy really. I’ll be ready and that’s all that matters."


So you’re not going to take everyone by surprise and win by rear-naked choke, are you?

"Ah, you never know. Anything’s possible. Does that mean I’ll be naked, or what?"

How has your preparation been going so far?

"It’s been going pretty good: I’ve already got a week under my belt, and it’s fair to middling. I’m doing alright."

You’ll be ready for August 28 then?

"Well, let’s put it this way: I went 18 minutes one time when I couldn’t even run two miles, so you don’t have to be in that great a shape to go for 15 or 20 minutes. And that was without rounds. I’ll be ready."
Have you been training for the roped ring as opposed to the cage?

"Not as of yet. It’s all fighting anyway, whether it’s a cage or a ring. It’s all the same thing. It doesn’t bother me. It’s like fighting in a bar or in the street: You just have to adapt."


You said before the Cabbage fight that you were full-on back. And it’s in your voice: You’re totally determined, aren’t you?

"Hindsight is 20-20. Looking back at it, I really didn’t want to be fighting back then. I didn’t know that at the time…I just wasn’t into it… But it’s a completely different me right now. So I definitely want to fight, and I’ll definitely be there to fight – as opposed to being a zombie like before."


After you knocked out Cabbage you returned to Hawaii; was that for some R & R

"No, it was strictly to get drunk as a skunk. And I achieved my objective."

Okay. And will UFC be watching how you go in this upcoming fight?

"I have no idea what those guys watch or do. I haven’t the foggiest. They know my phone number and I’m on good terms with them. I don’t have anything bad to say about them."

From the response at knucklepit.com, you are one of the most popular fighters out there. A girl just sent an email saying you are her favourite fighter. Do you have anything to say to her?

"Tell her I’ll be her number-one lover if I ever meet her."


David, is there anything you’d like to add to this article?

"Just check out the PRIDE fight. You’ll see me getting down."

Article courtesy of KnucklePit.com
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