McCorkle: Being a giant, musclebound, good looking heavyweight helps
Sean McCorkle was gracious enough to grant me the 1st interview since his UFC signing. knucklechuck.com: So, on the UG you’ve…
Sean McCorkle was gracious enough to grant me the 1st interview since his UFC signing.
knucklechuck.com: So, on the UG you’ve been referring to everything associated with you and the UFC as hypothetical. Can you confirm that you have signed a deal with the UFC?
Sean McCorkle: I still can neither confirm nor deny that I am fighting Mark Hunt on September 25th at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at UFC 119. But nice try getting it out of me.
KC: Do you swear to baby Jesus that this isn’t an elaborate troll concocted by you and OMA ™?
SM: Believe it or not, we were actually working on just such a troll when this all hypothetically came together.
Or were we?
KC: What are some of the stipulations to your UFC contract? Can you be cut if you win? Do you have to lose just once or twice to be cut?
SM: I’m not allowed to go into specifics, but it’s pretty safe to say that when you’re dealing with the UFC, you are at their mercy win or lose. There’s not a fighter in the world that the UFC needs more than the fighter needs the UFC. The Fedor situation proved that.
KC: If you win the first 3 fights is there a shot at the title?
SM: Wait, the fight with Mark Hunt isn’t for the title? Where did you hear that?
KC: Since the UFC owns your image and likeness – and you are the self proclaimed most handsome man on the planet over 6′5″ – did they have to pay a premium signing bonus?
SM: No, but I would have requested one if I’d have known the fight wasn’t for the title.
KC: You’ve made it clear that you’ve been financially successful with your other business pursuits, so this isn’t about the money then is it?
SM: I train because it’s something I love to do. But anyone who says they’d fight for free at the UFC level is either a liar or an idiot. And I’m neither. I think Phil Baroni said it best when he said I fight because I can’t sing or dance, and it beats the hell out of working a job
KC: About 2 years ago, you said you could never cut to 265 and said the UFC didn’t pay enough to fight for them – around that same time a year later, you got divorced – did that change your motivation or out look?
SM: Thank you for bringing the most painful period of my life up publicly. It did change my motivation considerably. Partially because the UFC has since begun paying substantially more money to their fighters, and also because chicks love UFC fighters. And that’s what life is all about. Cheese and bitches.
KC: So, how does something like this go down? Do you just get a call out of the blue from Zuffa? Do they show up at fights or the gym to scout you?
SM: I think my internet legend definitely helped. And being a giant, musclebound, good looking heavyweight, once I got to 9-0 I was definitely on the radar for a lot of promotions. There was already interest from Dream and Bellator when Monte Cox called me in the middle of the night one night in mid June and asked me if I was interested in fighting in the UFC. After I said yes he asked me what I was wearing. The rest is history.
KC: Being signed to the UFC is one thing, but when you found out you were fighting Mark Hunt, what did you think? How did you feel?
KC: When I saw the bout agreement, the first thing I did was call Monte, and ask him if it was THE Mark Hunt that I was fighting. When he said yes, I was thrilled. Not only do I feel like he’s a perfect matchup for me both stylistically and physically, but also he’s an MMA legend. I was watching Mark fight before I ever even thought about fighting, and was always a fan of his. It sounds gay, but I really do feel honored to have the opportunity to fight him. Especially in the UFC.
KC: Everyone always asks a for a game plan and everyone always gives a generic answer – because why would you want to let the other camp know? But let��s be honest; you don’t plan on standing with him and want to gorilla slam him to the ground as soon as possible right?
SM: People might think I’m crazy, but I’d be just as happy to fight Mark standing up as I would be on the ground. I’m not going to try to force the fight in any one direction. I have a 10 inch height advantage, and probably even more than that of a reach advantage, so I’m content to use that if that’s what the situation dictates.
KC: What’s the defense for an Atomic Butt Drop?
SM: I don’t want to give away too much of my strategy, but it’s safe to say that if Mark plans on using that tactic, he should be fully prepared to have his oil checked, and he’d also better spend some time learned how to defend the rusty fish hook.
CK: What’s your typical training day consist of?
SM: Besides whiskey and whores, it’s pretty much consists of way more cardio than I like to do, and way less eating than I like to do. Recently I’ve been working a ton of standup.
KC: A lot of people are questioning both you and Hunt’s ability to cut to 265. What’s your plan for that?
SM: Well with the new drug testing measures that many commissions are putting together, I think it’s safe to say that smoking meth is no longer an option. So I guess I’ve have to do it the old fashion way. Bulimia. I also have stopped lifting heavy weights, eat only complex carbs, drink only water, and am doing enough cardio to last me a lifetime.
CK: Is Zuffa going to regulate your UG posting going forward? You post some borderline offensive stuff sometimes.
SM: Well obviously I will be posting only pro-UFC threads from this point on……unless they cut me, then there will be HELL TO PAY. Other than that, I don’t really plan on changing anything. Being myself, and more importantly, being funny, is a big part of what got me where I am.
CK: You’ve had several nicknames over the years (The Hater, The Tanned Adonis, Sean Dre the Giant) Have you decided on a nickname?
SM: I’ve narrowed it down to a final few. Maybe I’ll let the UG vote on it and choose the name.
KC: What is the back story on your beef with King Mo?
SM: I actually didn’t even know we had a beef until recently. I made a thread on the UG a few month ago admiring the Master’s Class of Lay and Pray he displayed against Mousasi, and apparently he took it really personally, and began trashing me on his Twitter account nonstop. I thought it was hilarious when I found out about it, and I have to admit that some of the stuff he’s said about me has been pretty funny. So it’s all in good fun, at least from my end.
