ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey - The International Fight League held its inaugural event at the Taj Majal here on April 29. Coached by Bas Rutten, the Anacondas squared off against Pat Miletich's Silverbacks. In the other team match-up, the Tiger Sharks, coached by Maurice Smith, faced off against the Pitbulls, led by Renzo Gracie.

In the following interview, Rutten and Miletich talk about their teams, the league and their new role as coaches.

Q: Evaluate your team for us.

Bas Rutten: They could have done better. Some just weren't listening. Mike Pyle shouldn't have lost. He got overconfident, but the good part is that it will never happen again. He's a star in the making. Amir Rahnavardi had a very good first round and then started to think that it was more important to entertain the audience than to listen to his corner. That won't happen again, either.

Krzysztof Soszynski is a very strong guy, but he has never been in a street fight, so he doesn't have that killer instinct. He had Ben Rothwell shaken, but he did not have the killer instinct to finish the job. Otherwise, he would have won, so that also will not happen again. I will get that killer instinct in him ... you watch!

John David's opponent had more than 20 fights than he did. He just did not have enough experience, but he fought hard and gave what he had, which was good enough for me.

Alex [Schoenauer] was the surprise of the night. Man, did he improve dramatically over his last two fights. I was really proud of him!

I also have to give major props to my buddy Kevin Randleman. While in California before the fight, the whole team got sick, including me. Therefore, we sent Alex to Las Vegas. Shannon Knapp set up training sessions with Kevin and he helped Alex so much with his takedown defense. I really think that helped him to win this fight. Thanks, Kevin!

Pat is just a really good coach, and we had some problems. I am sure that we learned a lot from our mistakes. I also have to give special thanks to Shawn Tompkins. He trained Krzysztof and Amir when I was gone, and he is a really good coach. His fighters did really well in the last UFC. Mark Hominick beat Yves Edwards and Sam Stout beat Spencer Fisher, both of whom are very strong fighters. Ron Frazier, the other assistant coach, did a great job with the guys from Las Vegas.

Pat Miletich: I picked my guys because they are all young, they have a lot of potential and I knew they would step up and perform at a high level. I am very happy with my team, obviously. I am glad we made it through with just one loss. I would have liked to have gone 5-0, but it was a great experience for my guys. They performed at an incredible level.

Q: Bas, you guys lost, 4-1, but you can walk away from this with some lessons learned.

Rutten: Right. If you are smart, you learn from your mistakes, and we will learn from this and come back stronger.

Q: Pat, what were the keys in your victory?

Miletich: We had different strategies for different guys, so it was an individual thing really. Overall, what really gave us success is our great conditioning, our knowledge of the fight game and our ability to execute the strategy. And, of course, we take advantage of our opponent's weaknesses.

Q: To formulate the strategy, you obviously knew the fighters.

Miletich: Yes, we studied the opponents, and I am pretty familiar with most of the guys who fight across our country, so it was easy to formulate what to do and how to attack guys.

Q: Tell us what it was like to be a coach.

Rutten: It was a little tough, because I haven't trained with Mike Pyle and John David before. I had trained with Alex, but only a few times, so I learned that we have to train together now as a team. They will get used to my voice. This way they can tune in to my voice and hopefully listen to what I tell them. I am not saying that I am so good that they would have won, but as a team, you have to have one coach ... not a lot of people in the corner all shouting different things.

Shawn and I worked together quite a bit, so we are used to it. Next time we will do it like that. It was a great experience. OK, we lost, but when Alex got the win after we were down from two consecutive losses, the audience went nuts! Not only were they super impressed with Alex and his win, but he also put our team back in the race, since three losses in a row would be the team loss. So I enjoyed it a lot.

Q: Assess your performance as a coach.

Rutten: Like I said, we should have trained more as a team. But we will learn from our mistakes, and that means we will train together in the future and return with a bang!

Miletich: You can always learn as coach. If you are not learning, you are wasting your time. I am not happy if we lose one fight. We have had incredible fights in which we won five or six fights and lost one. However, that one loss can create a somber feeling in the locker room.

Q: Did you have that urge to climb into the ring?

Miletich: Always. Anyone who corners always wishes he was out there doing it because you're helpless in the corner. Your hands are not on the steering wheel. It's easier to fight than corner. It's more stressful cornering, too. It's like you're in a car without brakes headed down a mountain. If my hands are on the wheel, I'm good. If I'm in the passenger seat, I'm freaking out. But it's a blast to hear the crowd roar and cheer for your fighters. It's also a blast to see them successful and experience that rush you have felt for so long.

Q: What are your thoughts on the IFL's format?

Rutten: The team concept is great. Like I said, when Alex won, he not only got an ovation for his win, but his victory meant the team was going to have another shot at the win. So, it was like a double win!

Also, when we hang out all together as a team the days before the event, everybody got really close. That's why I think that it will be different next time ... at least I hope!

Miletich: It is awesome. Any guy who went out there and participated will tell you it was great. Besides, I grew up wrestling, so I am familiar with the team concept. So, you've got guys fighting for themselves and their team. So, there is an extra twist and tension in the air.

Q: When does your team compete again, and will it be the same fighters?

Rutten: I will have three fighters in the next show, and they are all super fights. Jay Hieron and Alex will fight and the other one is to be announced.

I also believe in second chances, so the guys who lost will get in super fights. A few of them didn't listen to me, and I really think that could have made a big difference. If they don't listen, in their next fight, they will become the alternates and not the so-called "A" team once the season starts in August.

Finally, let me send out a special thanks to Kurt Otto and Gareb Shamus. They did everything that they said they were going to do. Great hospitality and great show. I loved it!

The Results and More

On April 29...
  • The Silverbacks defeated the Anacondas, 4-1
  • The Tiger Sharks defeated the Pitbulls, 3-2
For more information, go to www.ifl.tv.com