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Andreas Kraniotakes: Sylvia is still very dangerous

Posted by David Herbert41 minutes ago - 49 views - Filed in Fighter Interviews - #UFC #Judo #Titanium Rhino #Andrei Arlovski #tim sylvia #ProElite #Andreas Kraniotakes #Pedro Rizzo #Travis Fulton




Every up and coming fighter dreams of the day he will get that phone call, offering the big fight they have trained their whole lives for. For Andreas Kraniotakes (12-4-0), it arrives in the form of former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (29-7-0), who will meet the German/Greek-born fighter on November 5th in ProElite’s second event since their resurrection, entitled; ProElite: Big Guns.

The bout will serve as the main event with a co-headlining heavyweight matchup between another former UFC champ in Andrei Arlovski (16-9-0) and the incredibly experienced Travis Fulton (247-48-10, 1 NC). Kraniotakes got the call to fight after Sylvia’s original opponent; Pedro Rizzo (19-9-0) was forced from the bout with injury. Needless to say, it was the call he had been waiting for.

The Judo-based fighter touches on what went through his mind when he answered his phone that day. “My first thought was, ‘This is it! This is the call you have been waiting for!’ I've come a long way in my career; fighting in dark holes and tiny garages,” he said. “MMA is not as accepted in Germany as it is in the U.S. That means it is not only hard to get recognition, make a living out of it, or to get good fights but most importantly it is hard to get good trainers and training partners. At least that’s how it was when I started with the sport. The MMA scene has developed a lot since then and I am very proud that there are a bunch of up and coming fighters from Germany that will shine soon in international events.”

While he has gone relatively unnoticed in his career as a mixed martial artist until now, it hasn’t hindered him from becoming the top prospect out of Germany with all of his wins coming by way of KO/TKO or submissions. It is quite miraculous when a fighter finishes every opponent he has ever defeated, but that only stays relevant if they can continue to do it once they have been elevated into the upper echelons of the sport, against top competition. With Sylvia being his sixth opponent this year, it is quite possible that he will continue his finishing streak.

Many consider Sylvia to be past his prime and that may very well be the case but it doesn’t make him any less dangerous as any heavyweight can win on any given day just by landing a well placed strike. “He [Sylvia] has accomplished a lot during his career. That is something that cannot be denied. Even though some say he may have passed his prime I think he is capable of presenting some problems to anyone he faces and he is still very dangerous. I mean we are heavyweights. All it needs is one punch,” the man known as “Big Daddy” said of his opponent.

He continued on to talk about his confidence in standing and trading with the Miletich-bred fighter. “I am not afraid of standing and trading punches with Tim or anybody out there. There is nothing they can do to me that hasn’t been done before. I'm not gonna hide or run from his punches or anything he throws at me. I will dish it right back out at him,” he commented. “I am young, hungry and I have nothing to lose!” he added, speaking of the advantages he feels he has going into this fight.

Being a Judo stylist mainly, Andreas also has experience in many other martial arts, including Wing Chun. In fact, one of his biggest accomplishments is winning the Germany Wing Chun Full Contact Championships in 2005, knocking out both of his opponents. Added to his a resume is BJJ blue belt under none other than Dean Lister and a slew of Judo tournament trophies and championships. “I tried out a lot of martial arts and Wing Chun was a big part of it. I feel like I didn't adopt too much of the techniques that I learned over there into my MMA game. It comes in handy when you are hand fighting sometimes though,” he spoke of his competition and training in the Kung Fu-esque style of Wing Chun.

Kraniotakes has hopes to defeat Sylvia and move on to face Andrei Arlovski should The Pitbull prove victorious against Fulton as he made apparent in his next statement. “I would love to fight Arlovski! We both have to position ourselves in the right spot first to make it possible! If we both win, I think it is only logical to do that fight next.”

Most fighters are eager to make their way into the UFC and compete on the biggest stage in the world and Kraniotakes is no different; however he prefers to be patient and build his name, truly earning his way to an Octagon debut. “Like I told my fiancée, every man wants to go to paradise and every fighter wants to go to the UFC but I am in no rush whatsoever. I feel like ProElite has given me a big opportunity to make my name known to more people over here in the States. There are a lot of things left that I might be able to do for them and the other way around.”

In conclusion, Kraniotakes shed some light on how he earned his nickname, Big Daddy. “Like all good nick names, I got it from my friends. They wanted to express that I am just always there to help and care for everybody around. I never drink alcohol, so when we went out I was the one keeping an eye on everyone else and making sure that everyone made it home safely and things like that. That's the beginning of a long story but that should give you an idea.”

For those that would like to learn more about Big Daddy, you can check out his website Kraniotakes MMA
http://www.buddhasport.com/community/articles/1138/andreas-kraniotakes-sylvia-is-still-very-dangerous