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AH: Why is that?
KM: I don't want to take any chances that anyone is going to try to get in this kid's ear or his family's or whatever. I think that that would be a pretty bad thing. You know, I am honored that he would take this fight with me; I truly am. I think it's a courageous and noteworthy thing to do and I would be the first one to tell him that.

AH: Have you spoken to your opponent?
KM: Not yet, no, but I plan on getting a chance to speak with him at the weigh-ins and hopefully after the fight. This was like the third opponent that I have had. Others guys have dropped out due to injuries and that's been tough because at first I was preparing for specific opponents and their strengths and weaknesses, but now I really don't know.

AH: I recently spoke to the promoter of the event, David Oblas, and he told me that you still hadn't figured out how you will wear the MMA gloves. Has that issue been resolved now?
KM: Yeah, I've got it figured out now. I just had to modify the way they go in and tape the gloves. I've got to train with them, so I am pretty confident that it's not going to be a concern.

AH: Will there be any special rules in place for this fight?
KM: No, other than I will be considered a grounded opponent so there won't be any kicks or knees to my head, but that's it. No elbows in the fight, I believe, either. Pretty common amateur rules. But there will be strikes to the head on the ground, so in a way, it's actually even more of a risk than if I would have fought in Georgia, because (in Georgia) it would have effectively been a jiu-jitsu match with body strikers. This is just new territory for me, for the fans and for the people covering it, so I think it's going to be exciting. I'm thrilled about it, really. I used to get pretty big anxiety before wrestling tournaments and what not, but right now I am feeling really confident and ready to go.

AH: Is your goal to try and make it as a professional mixed martial artist?
KM: (Laughs) You know, my goal is to go out here and perform in this fight. I think that this is going to be one step in the right direction towards whatever the heck I want to do in the future. I think this summer I am going to plan a trip to climb Mt. Mitchell up in North Carolina. You know, I love athletics and I love challenging myself and this is one step to go towards that. Right now, my motivations are not to be a world champ. And you know, I wish I could approach it with that full-time ability to train and commit to it, but between the gym and the motivational speaking, it's been incredibly tough to stay on top of it and train for this fight and that's one reason why I am coming down (to Auburn) almost a week early to just kind of get away from that.

AH: Is your family supporting your decision to compete in MMA?
KM: Yeah, they're 110% behind me. I've got three younger sisters and they are all coming to the fight and bringing friends. My two grandparents on my mom's side that are local in Georgia, they love me dearly and the last thing in the world they want to see is me getting hurt, they're coming down to support me. My dad wrestled all the way up through college, so he understands at least that aspect of the sport and I talk with him probably a couple of times a week about strategy. And mom has been very supportive of this and just excited that I am going to have that chance to go out there and realize this dream.

AH: Have you received a lot of requests from other mainstream media outlets to talk about this fight?
KM: Yeah, some of the newspaper media as well as ESPN and Associated Press. But you know, I am not too worried about it. People have this misconception that I am doing this to get attention, but I'm doing this for me. If I could do this in a back alley with my trainers and an opponent in a safe environment, I would almost take that alternative. It's not my goal to go out here and start a media uproar.

AH: Honestly, are you fearful at all that something could go very wrong on Saturday night?
KM: Yeah, definitely. I mean, not fearful of me going out and getting hurt, but like any fighter that goes out there and takes the risk of getting hit square in the button and getting knocked out in 30 seconds. I think that that would prove a lot of people right that didn't want to see me do it. But short of that happening, I feel like if I can go the distance or better with this, it's going to prove to a lot of people that cliché saying that you can't judge a book by its cover is the truth. I have a hard time looking at myself from this perspective, but I think that I have kind of become a good example of that.

AH: Do you have any last words to those people who are against your involvement in MMA?
KM: To the people that have said negative things, and there are people that have gone as far as saying offensive things, I really don't have any desire to change their opinion of it. I frankly don't care because I think that it's my right to go out there and do it. But to the people who believe in me, and I think that there has been a considerable amount that have voiced their approval and excitement for it, I think that they know that I wouldn't just go in and jump in if I thought that I was going to get massacred. I am a pretty competitive guy. I am not going to do something that I don't have a really good chance of winning.

AH: Any prediction on how your fight will end?
KM: You're the first one that has asked me that. I think that there will be a finish. I feel confident that I will finish the fight. I don't want to take the chance that it's going to go to the judges' scorecards and I feel ready for it. I have sacrificed a lot time-wise for this and I feel like I could go out there for twelve minutes and push myself to do just about anything I want

Kyle Maynard's amateur MMA debut will be shown live on Internet PPV on Saturday, April 25, at 9PM ET. For more information, check out www.KyleMaynardFight.com.