Coconuts Singapore was at the UFC Media scrum yesterday and had a chance to catch-up with former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Tarec Saffiedine. Tarec is from Belgium and has vast experience in MMA and likes Jean Claude Van Damme. He’s also a big fan of Singapore.
How do you like it here in Singapore? Have you been here before?
I love it here. I came here for three weeks in the beginning of the year, to train and to travel and visit. I went to Thailand and love it there too. Then I came back two months ago for the promotion of the fight. I like the atmosphere, people are nice, it’s clean, and Singapore has good food. I love chilli crab, I don’t like spicy, but I love the chilli crab. Singapore’s a great place to be.
Does chili crab fit into your diet plan?
Not right now (laughs). Maybe after the fight I’ll have one.
How did you get into MMA in the first place?
I started taekwondo at 15 years old. Then I started karate. Then I discovered MMA and I had my first pro fight in 2007.
What did your parents think when you said you wanted to be a professional MMA fighter?
My father wasn’t too thrilled about it. My mother was OK. When I first went to the US to train, I didn’t tell my parents it was for MMA, I told them I was doing some wrestling and grappling because you know it seems less dangerous. So my parents said “OK yeh go”. After they found out it was for MMA, I said, “Hey listen I want to make a career out of it and move to the US for it.” Then they understood that I was really into it and that was really what I wanted to do, so they supported me from there.
Was Jean Claude Van Damme a hero of yours?
Yeh obviously if you’re from Belgium you’ll love to watch his films, his movies. You know — he’s the splits man. Obviously you like him.
What do you think about GSP (UFC Champion George ‘Rush’ St Pierre) taking some time off? How does that affect the division?
I think it’s going to shake up a lot of things in the division. It’s exciting now because the belt is vacant. A lot of the guys out there are one fight away from the title. Everyone’s going to make a go for the title. I think it’s exciting because we’ll get some great fights.
As far as GSP retiring for a short period of time. I think it’s his choice. He has nothing else to prove. He has been champion for such a long time. He has the money to retire so I think it’s a smart move. He’s stopping at the top, he just won against Johny Hendricks, so he has nothing left to prove.
If Hendricks fight Robbie Lawler, who is going to win?
It’s going to be a good fight. They are both heavy handed. It’s a tough call. I don’t know. I think Johny Hendricks is really motivated to get the belt from the controversial decision. So I can’t wait to watch it — it’s going to be a good fight.
You were saying earlier that you train all year round. How does that affect you mentally? Is it difficult to keep up? Or is it just part of the routine?
I think if you want to be a professional athlete you want to be at the top of the game, you have to train all year round. You cannot just train when you have a fight. You are not going to improve. I think you improve more when you are not in camp than when you’re in camp. When you’re in camp you try to get in shape, get ready just for the fight. I think you know training all year round keeps you in shape and sharpens your game.
Do you stay in touch with European fighters? Do you think there will be a European UFC champion in the near future?
Yeah why not? Look at what Gustafsson did. He’s an amazing fighter. It was really close against Jon Jones. There’s a lot of great talent. There’s a lot of great talent everywhere though. Even here in Asia. I think in a couple of years we [Europeans] will be up there.
Check-out some highlights of Tarec below and be sure to catch him in the main event facing off against Lim Gyu Hyun on Saturday Jan. 4 at the Marina Bay Sands.
