Kevin Burns vs Anthony Johson (1 on 1 interviews)

Celtic Fan · Dec 12, 2008

Thought this would be interesting given the way the last fight turned out

One on one with Kevin Burns (courtesy of Cagepotato)

The first meeting between Kevin Burns and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson was marred by an accidental eye poke that halted the bout midway through the third round. It was an unsatisfying end for both men, as Johnson would need surgery for a damaged retina and Burns found himself with a victory that he couldn't really enjoy.

As the two prepare for a rematch to settle the score at Saturday night’s "Ultimate Fighter Finale," Burns talks with us about his decision to fight with the injured hand, his perspective on the eye pokes, and what he thinks of the attention the strange bout has brought upon himself and Johnson.

CagePotato.com: Thanks for talking with me, Kevin. Coming into this rematch, how do you mentally approach a fight like this, under these strange circumstances?

Mentally I’m approaching it like I would any other fight. I’ve been in the cage with Anthony so I kind of know what to expect, I know what he’s going to bring to the table. Other than from a game plan prospective, I’m not approaching it any differently. Now I can utilize all of my standup skills. Now that my hand’s 100% I can actually throw a left jab, a left hook, things that I haven’t been able to do. That may make things a little different for him, but it will be good for me.

Tell me about the situation with the hand. What happened to it?

I broke my hand three times in sixteen months. The bone wasn’t completely fused, but if it was any other person doing normal things, not doing what we do, you probably wouldn’t notice it. I can lift weights, I can do pretty much anything, with the exception of hitting something solid. If I had hit something solid at that point, I had about a 95% chance that the bone would have fractured back through and I would have been back to square one.

So instead of delaying my fighting career I decided to take a page out of Bas Rutten’s book in the old Pancrase days in Japan and use palm strikes. They did it successfully, so I figured why can’t I? I threw a lot of successful palm strikes earlier in the fight. I couldn’t throw a closed jab, so I had to use that. Unfortunately my finger went into his eye in that last palm strike that I threw in the third round.

The one in the third round ended it, but it seemed like there were several other pokes leading up to that one. Where you aware of those, and did you feel it when it happened the last time?

I didn’t even really feel my finger go into his eye at the time, to be honest. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know if the uppercut had landed. The ones earlier in the fight that I threw that landed were all solid palm strikes. There weren’t any fingers in his eye that I saw when I watched the film back. The one that ended it definitely went into his eye, unfortunately. But the others were legitimate palm strikes. I think they caught him off guard because there’s no pad there. It’s completely different when you get hit with a palm strike than with a closed fist. It feels completely weird if you’re not used to it.

At any point before this fight did you ever think, maybe I shouldn’t take this fight with my hand the way it is? Maybe I should wait and let it heal?

No, never crossed my mind, really. It had been that way for months and I knew I could fight around it and do it legally, which I did. It was unfortunate the way it ended, but I’ve seen multiple people throw punches with closed fists where the thumb goes into the eye, so a fight can be stopped that way too. It was absolutely inadvertent, but I’d seen multiple people throw successful palm strikes and I didn’t see any reason why I couldn’t either.

After the fight, when you learned his eye was seriously injured and he had to have surgery, what went through your mind?

I felt bad for him. You never want to see someone go through something like that. I’ve actually had the same thing happen to me in practice and I went through everything that he went through. It’s definitely not a fun time. I felt bad the way that it ended and what he had to go through. But that’s unfortunately the risk that we run when we get in the cage. I understand he had a very good recovery, so I’m glad to hear that, and I look forward to competing against him again.

He appealed the decision, trying to get the loss on his record overturned, and it was denied. Do you think the result should stand as a TKO victory for you?

I guess that’s up to the referee and the Nevada State Athletic Commission. I can see why they did what they did. If they started overturning decisions on appeal, there would be an influx of appeals across the board of people trying to get results overturned. I guess that’s why the ref and the judges are there. It’s not for me to say what they should have done. I left that night disappointed with how it ended and I haven’t thought too much about it since, to be completely honest.

Are you aware of the attention that the first bout brought, and do you ever wonder about many fans who saw you for the first time that night who might just think of you as the guy who poked another guy in the eye?

I’m aware. But I honestly read very little of the blogs and the underground stuff and all the different news attached to it. I know people are going to have their opinions. They’re entitled to them, I respect that, they’re going to do what they’re going to do. But I can’t let that affect me as a fighter or a person. I know some people might look at me as ‘the eye-poke guy,’ but after this fight they’re going to look at me and have no choice but to say that I won convincingly.

You say your hand is fine now, did you have to have surgery or did it just take time to heal?

It’s just time. There’s always the chance of reinjuring your hand or your joints or anything, but I’m willing to assume that risk. I feel like the chances of reinjuring it are about the same as the chances of breaking your hand in any fight. I can’t think about it too much, just assume that risk and move on. Is there a possibility that it can be broken again? Absolutely. Do I let that linger in my mind? No.

Now that you’ve fought Anthony once, what are you expecting from him in the rematch and what do you think you have to watch out for?

He’s very quick. He thinks intelligently in the cage. He’s a tough kid. We went three pretty hard-fought rounds and I think coming into this fight he’s going to expect more of the same. I think he was surprised that I stood with him last time. Coming into this fight I’m betting that he’s going to try and take me down. I really don’t think he wants to stand with me.

So you think he’ll avoid the standup as much as he can this time around?

I think he will. Especially after he feels power in both of my hands, he’s not going to like that. He’s going to look for where he feels more comfortable. His real background is in wrestling. I know he’s got a couple of flashy knockouts, but his background is in the ground. He took me there last time when he didn’t want to stand with me, and I think he’ll try to do it again.
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Celtic Fan · Dec 12, 2008

Re: Kevin Burns vs Kevin Johson (1 on 1 interviews)

One on One with Anthony Johnson

Anthony Johnson has repeatedly insisted that he doesn’t hold a grudge against Kevin Burns for poking him in the eye and leaving him with a severely damaged retina during their July bout. It’s the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which refused to overturn the TKO loss on his record, that really bothers him.

In our exclusive interview, Johnson tells his side of the story, and tells us why Saturday night’s rematch on Spike TV is going to turn out much differently.

CagePotato.com: Here we are a few days from the rematch, how is your eye, and what was the recovery from the surgery like?

My eye is 100%. I can see even better now since I had the surgery. It’s been great so far. My recovery was, I would say, 3 or 4 weeks. I stopped wearing my bandage after like two weeks.

Is there not some part of you that really wants revenge against Burns for making you go through that?

For me it’s still a fight. A fight is always a fight. I don’t hold any kind of grudge against him. Everybody thinks I’m going out for revenge, but I’m not. I’m going out to fight, plain and simple. Whatever happens in there happens.

How can you not be even a little mad at him? Are you just the nicest person in the world?

I’m definitely not the nicest person in the world, but with the sport that I’m in I have to accept that things like that can happen. I can’t just get mad because I got hurt. Anybody can get hurt, but that doesn’t mean it was done on purpose. I try and look at things from the positive side. I still have my vision. My eye wasn’t too bad. And I still have my career, so I can’t complain about anything.

Do you think, knowing what we know now, that he should have not taken that fight if he couldn’t punch with a closed fist?

You know, being a man and being a fighter, I think he should have stepped up and fixed his hand before he decided to fight and cause somebody a serious injury. And now that he did cause someone a serious injury, he had no choice but to get his hand fixed. Maybe if he hadn’t hurt anyone he would have kept going like that. Since this happened he realized he had to get it fixed for his career.

What were you thinking during the fight as it was happening?

When he did it one time I just shook it off. But then after two or three times I realized he was just continually poking me in the eye, and [referee Steve] Mazzagatti wasn’t saying anything at all. The last one he got me his fingers went deep into my eye. You can see how bad it was.

He says he didn’t realize he was poking you, even with the last one.

He had to. You can look at my reaction, how my head was going back. It wasn’t because he was punching me, I can tell you that. I had my guard up and his hand slipped through my guard and poked me right in the eye. You can see it if you watch the tape. He can’t just say he didn’t know or that he just poked me once because when he poked me that last time he knew he poked me. I don’t know how he could say he didn’t know he was poking me in the eye.

I heard that Steve Mazzagatti saw you at the EliteXC show and apologized to you.

Yeah, he did.

What did he say?

He just told me he was sorry and he didn’t see him poke me in the eye. Mazzagatti’s the referee but he’s not going to see everything. He’s not perfect. I don’t hold a grudge against him either, but I wish he would have paid more attention to that throughout the fight and seen my reactions. I didn’t say anything about it to him during the fight because I was respecting his wishes. In the locker room before the fight giving instructions he said, ‘Don’t say anything to me when you’re fighting.’ So I was just trying to respect the man and not say anything, show him and the sport my respect.

But he apologized. I can’t blame him for that last one. From the side he was on he couldn’t see that I got poked. He thought I got hit with an uppercut. If I was in Mazzagatti’s position I probably would have thought the same thing. The way I went with the uppercut, I can see how it could have looked that way, so I probably would have stopped the fight too.

What do you think of the commission’s decision to turn down your appeal because of the lack of a remedy?

I mean, I think they should have overturned it. It’s just bull crap that they didn’t overturn it. I don’t know what ‘lack of remedy’ even means. I know if I would have been popped for using an illegal substance they would have been all over that. But I think because I got my vision back and I can still fight they just say, ‘Okay, it’s not serious, we don’t need to do anything.’

But I think if it had been one of the poster boys they would have been all over it. If I was Chuck Liddell, they would have overturned that so fast. It wasn’t even a punch. I could see if I got punched in the eye and got hurt, hey, that happens. But I got poked in the eye. You don’t give somebody a loss when you know they got poked in the eye and that’s what ended the fight. That’s disrespectful towards me.

Is that a little like giving you the win if Kevin had been unable to continue earlier in the fight when you accidentally kicked him in the groin?

Right. When I kicked Kevin in the groin, to be honest with you, my foot barely even touched his cup. But I know how sensitive those things are so I backed off and gave him his space and his time. I guess it’s just the different character of different people.

Do you ever think about how close you came to having your career ended that night?

I’ve thought about it. I know it could have ended my career, and things could have turned out really ugly, and thank God it didn’t. But it’s just weird. I have to look at the positive side of it. I can’t keep talking about what should have happened or what could have happened. I can’t live off that.

Kevin says that you won’t want to stand with him this time, now that you’ve seen his striking. He says you’ll want to keep it on the ground. Is that your plan?

That’s a surprise. You know, Kevin can think whatever he wants. Any time you go in there to fight somebody the game plan always changes up a little bit. Kevin’s going to be in for a surprise, because you know what? I held back that last fight. I didn’t even show half of my potential, and he still couldn’t take me out. So imagine when I give it my all, Kevin’s going to be in a world of trouble.

I know that and he knows that and everybody who knows how I train and how I fight, they know that. So whatever, Kevin can believe what he wants. I’m glad he’s that confident. You’re supposed to be confident when you’re a fighter. But his confidence is going to fuck around and get him knocked out.

What do you mean you didn’t give it your all?

I just had issues outside of fighting. I had my own issues and it just affected me inside the Octagon. But it ain’t going to happen this time. I cleared my head of all that crap and it’s on now.
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speeds · Dec 12, 2008

Re: Kevin Burns vs Kevin Johson (1 on 1 interviews)

I think you meant to say Anthony Johnson. Kevin Johnson uses his athleticism for good things like sharing.

Celtic Fan · Dec 12, 2008

umm yeah... exactly!

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Kevin Burns vs Anthony Johson (1 on 1 interviews)

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Kevin Burns vs Anthony Johson (1 on 1 interviews)

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