Daron Cruickshank on being outside the UFC: ‘It’s nice to be free’

UFC veteran Daron Cruickshank is still on a high following his thrilling stoppage victory over Shinji Sasaki at this month’s Rizin FF 1 event in Nagoya, Japan.

“I really enjoyed the fight, because I showed up,” Cruickshank told Bloody Elbow. “I was at my best, and that’s what you saw.”

Cruickshank hadn’t fought outside the UFC since 2011 and had never competed in Asia prior to Rizin FF 1. Despite this, ‘The Detroit Superstar’ claimed that the vast differences between the upstart Japanese promotion and the more familiar UFC weren’t all that difficult to adjust to.

“The one ten-minute round was a little different, but I trained for it,” conceded Cruickshank. “As far as the jet lag, I stayed up for basically over twenty-four hours, got my body adjusted, and was fine there.”

When it came to the rules of combat inside the Rizin ring – which vary significantly from the UFC and other US-based promotions – Cruickshank’s nostalgia was enough to override any unfamiliarity he may have felt.

“I always wanted to fight with that type of rule-set,” said Cruickshank. “Being a fan when I was younger, watching Pride, watching Rampage Jackson, and all those old-timers go at it in that style, I always thought that [an organization with those rules] would be a good home for me.”

The Rizin rule-set was instrumental in Cruickshank’s win on April 17th, which came via soccer kick to the head of a downed Sasaki, a move outlawed in the UFC.

“Well, I was in a weird position to actually throw a kick, but I knew I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so I just threw it,” said Cruickshank, who was more excited to throw soccer kicks than any other move allowed in Rizin.

Though his bout was ended after the soccer kick landed, Cruickshank cited a more mundane technique as what really spelled the end for his Japanese opponent.

“The right hand is what actually put him down,” said Cruickshank. “I believe I knocked him out, when he hit the ground, his face hit the mat and he woke back up, and then that’s when I kicked him in the face again. He fell over, he wasn’t out cold, but I believe the ref knew that that was enough for him, and he didn’t want to see him get hurt anymore.”

When asked if he had drilled soccer kicks in the lead-up to the fight, Cruickshank joked, “Well yeah, I guess you could I say I play a lot of hacky-sack before practice.”

“I do throw them in practice, when we’re sparring and stuff,” then admitted Cruickshank. “But it’s not in a vicious way, it’s very controlled, and if you know who I am – I’m pretty accurate and pretty controlled with my feet. So my training partners are okay with it, because I’m not cracking them with it, I’m just touching them.”

Surprisingly, the biggest culture shock for Cruickshank actually occurred outside of the Rizin ring.

“The fans at the UFC shows are …

continue reading in source www.bloodyelbow.com