[랭크5=고현 기자] On location in Phuket, John Hyon Ko of Kumite TV caught up with Tarek Suleiman leading up to his light heavyweight title fight at UAE Warriors. The Tiger Muay Thai representative discusses his frustrating 2018 campaign, getting his BJJ black belt, his future with Brave CF, having a stress free training camp and more.

Tarek Suleiman will face Oli Thompson for the vacant light heavyweight title at UAE Warriors on May 3 in Abu Dhabi.

Notable excerpts from the interview:

John Hyon Ko: "Let's go back to that fight, Brave 13. You were supposed to be on that card versus Chad Hanekom which is a big name in the middleweight division. A huge fight for you, right? How devastating was it for you to be in camp preparing for a guy like that and the last week or so you had to pull out?"

Tarek Suleiman: "I was super-excited, I knew I had all the answers for his game. I knew I'm more experienced than him. I knew I had better jiu-jitsu than him. I knew that I can take him out. And it was so frustrating that I had to pull out. I was so angry! It was a good card, it was in Ireland."

John Hyon Ko: "Last year you got your [jiu-jitsu] black belt. How big is it for you to get that level of success in a martial art?"

Tarek Suleiman: "When I started my career in MMA, I fought a purple belt. I was not even a white belt. And the guy mounted me and I didn't know how to do anything. I was just stuck there holding him waiting for the referee to stand me up. And since that moment I decided to never be in that position again so I decided to be the best version of myself in jiu-jitsu. And I set a goal to get my black belt before I turn 30. Just a few months before I turned 30 I got it."

John Hyon Ko: "The biggest name probably in your career so far. Oli Thompson, May 3rd, UAE Warriors, main event, light heavyweight title on the line. How excited are you about this?"

Tarek Sulieman: "When I heard, I couldn't believe it was happening. For some reason I'm stress-free, I'm enjoying the training. Part of it is I don't have to cut weight. It's my normal routine."

For the audio version of the interview CLICK HERE or go to iTunes.

고현 기자 jhkmma@gmail.com