Interview: Philip Fortuna

Da Fightfan.dk i lørdags var i Herning for at kigge nærmere på CFL Challengers 1, mødte vi Philip "Gunshow" Fortuna.
Philip er fra Sydafrika, men bor her i Danmark og træner til daglig i CSA i København.

Philip var ikke selv i buret denne aften, men havde i stedet taget coach-hatten på, da fire af hans klubkamerater fra CSA skulle i buret.


Vi fik en snak med Philip undervejs...

Fightfan.dk: We saw you get your first win as a pro at Royal Arena last month. It must have been a great experience?
Philip: It was great! There was a lot of pressure to win this one, and Royal Arena itself, was a really nice setup. The event was really pro.
We were 3 fighters to each locker room. It was nice and quiet in there. You didn't hear too much or get disturbed during the preparations, and that was really good because of the pressure.
It was nice to get that "W" - it really felt good.

Fightfan.dk: How did it feel to walk from the locker room to the cage. Did you notice the crowd and the atmosphere?
Philip: The experience of going from the locker room and into the cage was just great. We always have a very vocal crowd in Copenhagen, and it was just great to hear their support and see them go crazy.
When you hear your song, your mind just goes "click" and you're into automatic mode. When you walk out and hear the people, you just get psyched up.


Fightfan.dk: Your next fight is already scheduled at Fightergalla 25. Have your opponent been named yet?
Philip: I do have a name, but nothing is official yet. I've got to wait for Otto (Knudsen, red) to put it out there. I can tell you this much, he is an american and he's a wrestler. He puts on a lot of pressure, and it is going to be a great test for me to handle that. He's a bit of a different opponent than usual.

Fightfan.dk: Tonight we saw you as a coach for the new amateurs, how do you like the coaching side of MMA?
Philip: Cornering is great. Cornering your training partners and guys that you've helped from the beginning is really good. You see the next generation.
You also get the adrenaline rush, but you don't get the relief. You don't get to go into the cage and fight. Sometimes when you're sitting in the corner, you just want to get in there and (Philip growls) do it yourself.
It's a great experience. I spend all my time with these guys and they are my brothers, my friends. Being there for them, like they are for me, is just a great way of giving back.


Fightfan.dk: We just saw Joseph Haddad, from your team, finish his fight in spectacular fashion (head kick KO). Do you want to comment on his performance?
Philip: Joseph Haddad - he is my man. He has got his crazy striking style and it paid off. We really worked on calming him down and it paid off. He was able to chain that aggression and hold it in and wait for the openings.
It was great. It was great to see the look on his face, and it was great for the whole team to be able to celebrate a victory like that.

Fightfan.dk: Thank you and good luck at Fightergalla 25.
Philip: My pleasure. I hope you guys come out and see it.


Fightfan.dk vil selvfølgelig være ved ringside, når Philip skal i buret d. 25. maj til Fightergalla 25.

Siden interviewet i lørdags, er der kommet navn på Philips kommende modstander.
Det bliver, som Philip nævnte, en amerikaner - navnet er Aron J. Bland.