FCF:   Let’s start by talking about your fight at the last MECA show against Cyborg. This was the first time you fought out of your hometown of Curitiba [this edition of MECA was held in Teresopolis, a city near Rio de Janeiro]. How was it?
Shogun:   Man, it was the same thing for me. I felt at home there and it didn’t change a bit for me. The only thing that was missing was the support of my mother and my girlfriend [Laughs] but this is part of the game.

FCF:   How about in the locker room this time? Did you feel as comfortable and relaxed as in your previous fights, during the warm-ups, stretches and things like this, considering there weren’t many friends around this time?
Shogun:   It didn’t change much cause locker rooms in Curitiba or Rio are of limited access Eduardo [Not always exactly true in Brazil]. Only authorized people will enter, so even in Curitiba all my buddies aren’t able to enter it. Of course it feels better to fight here in Curitiba though, you can go and have dinner on a place you like on the day before the fight, there are lots of good things about fighting at home.

FCF:   This was the first time you also had to sleep in a hotel before a fight! How was it for you? [Laughs]
Shogun:   [Laughs] It was cool. I woke up late on the day of the fight, around 11 am I think. It was cool, I was able to sleep well and concentrate well for my fight.

FCF:   This was the first time you fought and I couldn’t attend the weigh-ins. How was the atmosphere during it, and was Cyborg a tough guy during the weigh-ins and rules meeting?
Shogun:   During the weigh-ins he was like a kitty, not even looking to the sides. He weighed at 92.700 kg and I weighed 91.900 kg. I spent all day almost without eating anything, cause I left Curitiba weighing 93 kg and I was afraid of not making weight. I thought "I’m going to take it easy with the food" but I took it too far [Laughs] But I recovered everything during dinner, where I ate a lot!

FCF:   Did him stare down you a lot during the weigh-ins?
Shogun:   Not at all, cause we didn’t have those traditional face to face pictures as we have in most shows, so there wasn’t any room for this things.

FCF:   During your preparation for the fight, did you feel any special motivation since he had knocked out your training partner Silvio Urutum at MECA 7?
Shogun:   For sure! I even told Urutum that I would dedicate myself even more to this fight because of his loss. I told him "Look Urutum, I will give my best to avenge your loss. You can count on that".

FCF:   When you saw him in the ring with all that characteristic look, with his finger nails painted in black, his eyebrow cut, all dressed in black with that assassin look, etc, what went through your mind?
Shogun:   People had already told me that he enters the ring in that crazy killer style all the time. So I was already aware that I was going to meet a monster there at fighting-time, so I was just trying to focus on the fight and don’t pay attention to his antics.