Here is my interview with Soa “The Hulk” Palelei before his upcoming fight at UFC 164 vs. Nikita Krylov.
KH: How do you feel ahead of your UFC 164 fight against Nikita Krylov? How is the training camp going?
SP: I feel good, fresh and ready to rumble, training has been going great and im excited to be back.
KH: What do you think of Krylov as a fighter?
SP: Hes a great fighter and i look forward to trading with him, i have nothing but respect for him.
KH: Give us a day in the life of “The Hulk” during training camp, do you have any special routines of rituals?
SP: Wow where do i start, as much as my team tries to organize my days it always changes up with last minute media and appearances, i get up and do a 6am training session head home have breakfast cause we all know what happens when the hulk gets hungry, 11am sparring session, media stuff lunch strength and conditioning 4:30pm and 6:30pm kick boxing and boxing sparring i then head home and i eat and crash lol
KH: How do you feel about the amount of Australians/New Zelanders that have been gaining popularity in the octagon such as Mark Hunt, James Te Huna and Anthony Perosh, are you personal friends with these men?
SP: These guys are all warriors and i see them all as brothers we laugh together we at times train together and most importantly eat together hahaha. its great that there are australians and islanders in the ufc and we can all help each other out were all great athletes and we work together
KH: How upset were you when your fight with Stipe Miocic was cancelled?
SP: It was more disappointment to have trained that hard and cut weight and not be able to fight however i still went to canada and was able to be amongst it all so that was good to get the feeling back i believe that everything happen for a reason and it wasnt meant to be i will make the most of this opportunity now at ufc164.
KH: How do you keep yourself motivated after something like that happens?
SP: Im always positive theres no time to be negative it wasnt meant to be and i keep on the hustle cause that is just wat the hulk does he hustles all day everyday.
KH: How much would it mean for you to pick up this win and finally get that UFC win and establish yourself as a force in the Heavyweight division?
SP: It would be great to get a win and be able to show everyone who the real hulk is, i will go in there and do my absolute best at the end of the night well see what happens.
KH: What can you offer fans of the Heavyweight divison that may be unfamiliar with your work?
SP: Im explosive and theres always more tricks up my sleve, i will continue to keep all my fans happy and will do them all proud.
KH: How did you begin to gain an interest in MMA and did you ever dream you would have the chance to fight in the premier organization in the world?
SP: It started with boxing as a young kid and then we moved onto the other aspects of mma and then i just wanted to keep at it and do it professionally i have a passion for mma and this is something to keeps me going even through the long road to get back into the ufc my passion for the sport kept me going
KH: Lastly, anything else you would like to say to your fans or our readers ahead of your fight on August 31st?
SP: thank you for this and your time thank my sponsors Mackboots, Southern Crossfit, Osbourne Park Chrysler Jeep and Dodge, My Urban Swagga, iMINCO, SkinX, Muscle Meals Direct, Topshelf Supplements, Adidas Combat Sports, GreenHOUS, TKL Holdings, Exquisite Dentistry & Innovative Hair Loss Solutions. My family for their support, my team and all the fans youre amazing much love Hulk.
Big thanks to Soa and Nidia for their time!