Alexis Savvidis took time out of his busy camp at Greece based Aspropirgos Lions Team to speak to me about his hugely anticipated fight against Liverpool’s own Paddy Pimblett at Cage Warriors 90 on February 24, 2018.
Savvidis “The Furious Kid”, from Greece, will be fighting for the promotion for the first time in three and a half years. His last Cage Warriors bout at Cage Warriors 70 in August 2014, seen him submitted by Paul Redmond to start a 1-4 slide. But since that blip in his otherwise prosperous career, he’s gone 7-1-1 over the past two years with six stoppage wins, inevitably gaining him a crack at a top-flight European featherweight in Pimblett.
Here what he had to say…
Brad: So Alexis, Can you tell me about your background for all of the UK based fans that may not be fully aware of the details. We will start with where you currently live and train?
Alexis: I live and train in Aspropirgos near Athens in Greece. I started training when I was 16-years-old. I was playing football before and I didn’t have any Martial Arts experience prior to that. Our Gym is Aspropirgos Lions under the Gracie Barra Greece flag – I have been training there since the beginning of my career with my coach Giagkos Polatidis in MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Brad: I can see that you have recently served in the military. Has this had an effect on your training and preparation for fights?
Alexis: Serving in Army, specifically the Special Forces has helped me be more disciplined and have more focus with my training.
Brad: What is different from your last fight under the Cage Warriors banner back in 2014 where you were defeated by Paul Redmond and how has this shaped you? How has helped your current good form?
Alexis: I have gained much more experience since then. I have worked on a lot of aspects of my game. My Jiu-Jitsu is better, and my stand up more accurate. I have also worked a lot on my wrestling.
Brad: I notice that you have had some grappling only contests lately. Is this something you are concentrating on to improve your MMA game, or is it just a specific part of Martial Arts you enjoy?
Alexis: As I said before, we under Gracie Barra Greece, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a big part of my training and I compete in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gi, and no-Gi competitions at least 3 or 4 times per year alongside MMA fights.
Brad: Coming on to the Paddy Pimblett Fight at Cage Warriors 90, what do you see as keys to victory and how do you see the fight going?
Alexis: I’m feeling pretty confident on my game either standing or on the ground. I will always go for the KO above all.
Brad: As you know, Pimblett has a huge following in his hometown of Liverpool – have you ever faced a crowd like this before and do you envisage this having an influence on your performance on the night?
Alexis: I have competed a lot abroad; it’s something usual for me. It makes no difference.
Brad: Finally, do you have a message for Paddy?
Alexis: Well I noticed he is a talker, and he likes to tweet a lot. Let’s hope he fights as well as he talks…
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