Korey”THE GINGERBREAD MAN”Gibson won the main event of the ‘Fight Sports Night’ promotion in New Zealand by unan decision last night over Scott Benson.

Korey came into the fight with a badly injured knee and also broke his thumb in the first round of his 3 round matchup. True to his reputation of never conceeding to adversity Korey fought strongly to victory bringing his record to an undefeated 6 wins 0 losses.

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=7482680

Adrian Pang CFC World Lightweight Champion- photo by John Oneill

Adrian Pang interview by Elie from MMA Sports Magazine-

Thank you for taking the time out to do the interview, what have you been doing since winning your latest lightweight title?

Thank you for the interview. Since winning the CFC Title I have been catching up on a lot of work at my business “All Type Cabinets”. I was also back in the gym the following Monday as we have several other fighters preparing for their bouts and our team is all about helping each others preparation no matter what level fight it is.

You’ve won numerous Australian MMA titles, why do you think you have been so successful?

I feel my success has come from the support of our team IMA & also my family. From every loss I have always looked at where I can improve and got to work on strengthening that are of my skills. I have pretty much grown up in the gym at IMA & regardless of what Title I may have won I always remain humble & respectful towards others.

Tell us a little about your background?

I grew up in E.N.B.P in Pupua New Guinea. My brother & I didn’t have the luxuries a lot of other kids have so we would make our own fun. Most of our friends were local kids from the village along side our place & we are all still very close. Tribal fighting is still common among the people & a few of the scars we bear are from these early years and a reminder of where we come from.

Tell us a little about your trainer/s and the team behind you?

I am trained by Dan Higgins who is head coach at IMA as well as being managed by Tony Green. Both these guys are also my close friends & without them I very much doubt I would be where I am today. I am also trained by Steve Compton from EOS fitness academy & Nugget from NTG thai boxing gym. Both these guys put a lot of time & effort into me & i will be forever grateful.

How did you get the nickname ‘The Hunter’?

The nickname comes from my background in Papua New Guinea. I guess it comes from the way I fight/ stalk my opponents/ prey. I am happy to be called my own name but after a while you can’t avoid nicknames. We have a few young fella’s in the gym developing some pretty interesting/funny names for themselves?……

You’ve had some wars in the ring and cage, what is your most memorable fight?

My most memorable fight would still be fighting in Cage force Japan. The whole story is an article in itself but basically throughout all the hardship Dan & I can still laugh about it. I fought Main event & won via triangle choke submission against the young fighter that was earmarked to be one of their gun fighters, lets just say not everyone was cheering after the fight. HAHA. Once edited my 13 min fight on Cage Force was cut to around 2 ½ mins of “the best of my opponents time in the cage” & moved to semi main event on televised edition. I also have not been given another opportunity to fight in Japan since.
We’ve seen you win fights by knockout and by submission, where do you prefer to see the fight go (standing or ground?)

The fight game is MMA so I like to fight MMA in its complete form, standing and on the ground. I think that if you get too caught up in staying in one particular position in an MMA fight you can restrict your own options and also your natural fighting style. I like to fight wherever best serves me at the time but am very pleased when someone decides they want to stand & trade with me! This accommodates the warrior fighting style that is part of my nature.

Any interest in fighting in the U.S.?

If i was given the opportunity. Sure why not? I have fought internationally several times & would love the opportunity to fight in the U.S in front of one of their big crowds. But I won’t dwell on the thought of not getting a shot either!

If so, what are you interested in?

I guess WEC would be the organization for me as I would need to drop back to the 145lb division at that level to be at my best. If it meant taking a huge pay cut from my current rate for me to get that opportunity then it would be something I would have to discuss with Dan & Tony.

 

If you had the option of training in the U.S., where would you train? There are so many great gyms, Xtreme Couture, Greg Jacksons, American Top Team, etc.

If I had to choose it would be Jacksons Academy as our team is affiliated with them through Coach Dan Higgins & Greg Jackson visits Dan here in Australia and sometimes takes the time to train our team. Our team mate Kyle Noke is also in New Mexico training with Jackson’s at the moment. The only other team in the U.S that we also have some affiliation with is Fairtex in San Fransisco as we are also sponsored and supported by Fairtex in Thailand. Honestly though I am happy in our gym in Australia & don’t need to go elsewhere to try to find what I already have in my own backyard!.

 

It’s no secret, you’re one of the best MMA fighters in Australia, for young guys coming into the game, what advice have you got for them?

My advice is to stay humble & disciplined. There are a lot of distractions out there for young people & you need to decide what is most important to you at that time of your life. Focus on what you need to do today to work towards your short term goals instead of looking too far ahead at a future that can sometimes be too distant to focus on. Train hard, train smart & surround yourself with positive people that can help you achieve your goals.

You’ve fought all over Australia, but what does it feel like when you fight in front of your hometown in QLD?

I Love to fight in front of my home crowd & it had been a while since I had done so until my CFC Title fight. Queensland is a strong fighting state that loves to see guys get in and have a go!

Tell us about your first fight, the nerves, your mind?

My first fight I basically had no idea of what I was doing. All I knew is that I wanted to fight and this was somewhere I could do it without getting in trouble. It was the first time I had even been in a ring. Coming from a traditional Martial Arts background it was a good awakening for me of the strengths of the skills of MMA.

What goes through your mind as you stare at your opponent before the fight?

No mind…. Calm before the storm. The adrenaline rush of fighting cannot be compared to anything else I have ever done in life!

What’s your training schedule like when preparing for a fight?

(break it down, Monday – Sunday and in times if you can)

Monday to Friday I train at NTG in mornings & then train again those evenings at our gym Integrated Mixed Martial Arts at Stafford in Brisbane. Integrated’s classes are made up of all aspects of mixed martial arts as well as strength and conditioning training. Each and every training session lasts around 2 hrs. I also train 3 times per week at EOS fitness academy during the day. Saturdays I only train once at Integrated and Sundays I have off. All this plus running my own cabinet making business and spending time with my family more than fills my life as you can imagine.

Is there anyone in particular that you’d like to fight here in Australia?

I would like to fight anyone that the promotion wants me to fight! It seems there are more and more fighters around these days that like to talk it up and proclaim themselves as the next big thing after a couple of fights, so when they have had more than 3 or 4 fights against mid level opponents & they want a reality check I will be more than ready to provide it for them. ; )

So what do you do for fun?

I like to spend time with my family. I like to get to the beach when I can or even just working in the fresh air at home on my property. I also like to travel & train in Thailand when I go yearly to train at the Fairtex gym.

If the UFC came to Australia, and there is so much talk about it, would you like to fight on the show?

Dana called me about it & I said we’ll talk business and try to work something out when you guys get over here. HAHA.

If I was offered the opportunity then yes that would be something that I would love to be part of.

If you were given the option, who from the UFC would you like to fight?

Brock Lessnar cause that’s what the fans would want. : )

What do you think that would do for Australian MMA, if the UFC came down here?

I think it would be a massive boost in helping to develop the profile of MMA in Australia. With the media coverage and follow up increase in the fan base I think it would double the popularity of the sport in this country. It would also encourage and allow our own promotions and sponsors to bring the sport to the next level and along with that no doubt the standard and professionalism of the fighters here in Australia would follow suit.

What are your thoughts on people who think the sport of MMA is barbaric?

Those preconceived ideas are mainly due to lack of understanding and knowledge of the sport. Even some of the fans don’t understand it properly yet & some of the comments I sometimes hear getting thrown around at the events and on the forums are hilarious. There are many “expert” cage fighters out there! There are however some fans of MMA that take the time to understand the sport and give respect to the fighters and do a lot to help support and raise awareness of the sport.

 

Do you think MMA in Australia will finally gain the popularity it has overseas?

I’m shore it will in time.Perhaps in 10 years we will be where the sport is in the U.S?. It took thai boxing around that length of time to become established & even though we have famous fighters here in QLD they still don’t get the publicity here that they deserve.

What do you think it will take to get it there?

More television coverage allowing more main stream sponsors to come on board which will allow the fighters to put more time into training and fighting through bigger purses. Also when the general public is educated about the sport and they understand that the fighters are athletes & not thugs.

What does competing, fighting mean to you?

I like to fight to test myself. Sometimes the training is hard & the financial reward mostly isn’t all that great so I do it cause I love it. I love to fight!

What are your goals for the future?

I Want to keep fighting as long as I still love doing it! I want to continue to fight wherever and whoever gives me new goals to reach for. No doubt when I retire I will continue to be involved in the sport through coaching young fighters at Integrated.

Anyone you’d like to thank?

I would like to thank my Coaches Dan Higgins, Steve Compton & Nugget. Also to Tony Green who has done a lot for the team with very little reward.

My family who have always been positive for me.

My sponsors Fairtex, ASN Supplements, All Type Cabinets & Sunstand.