AZ: She's feeling really good. I don't know if she feels the pressure, but people have made comments about her last fight and that in turn has motivated her to want to go out there and stop this fight. At the same time, I feel she is mentally prepared for whatever happens and isn't going to jump into any weird mistakes. I think sometimes that kind of pressure is really tough on a fighter, but as I said, she is mentally prepared.

WF: What does a Champion do to prepare for their first title defense? 

AZ: I think the big thing is fighting according to who her opponent is. We've looked at Roxy a lot, we've seen how she fights and I think we know where to capitalize to end the fight with her. At the same time, preparing Sarah the way she always prepares and not getting herself out of her own game plan. We've got a couple little tricks up the sleeve but at the end of the day, Sarah is going to treat Roxy like she treats everybody and try to punch her in the face, a lot.

WF: I'm definitely looking forward to her performance myself!

AZ: I don't know if a lot of people didn't appreciate Sarah's last fight but I really liked it when I watched it. It was a style match between those two. One wanted to go to the ground and the other wanted to keep it standing. I like those kind of fights. I heard that Roxy said she is going to really bring it to Sarah. I think she's lying, but I hope that she does.

WF: Were there any changes this last week?

AZ: No. Everything has been real smooth. Sarah's getting stronger with every fight. Her conditioning is great and her weight cutting is becoming really precise. 

WF: I've read some critics and fans predicting Roxy will submit Sarah. What are your thoughts on that?

AZ: I think everybody watches Sarah's fights and they think "how do we beat this girl? I know! No one's submitted her, so I'll try that because no one's tried that" but everybody has tried that. Sarah's wrestling is off the hook, and her Jiu-Jitsu is so strong that I don't see that happening. I literally think that at any point Sarah can pick up Roxy and throw her out of the cage, she is that strong. Joking aside, I just don't see that happening. Jiu-Jitsu is one thing, I think Sarah is phenomenal at it, she's a purple belt, but when you're getting punched in the face by Sarah, submissions are going to be the furthest thing from your mind I think.

WF: What is your response to critics who think Sarah's ground game is weak since she hasn't submitted anyone and usually tries to keep her fights standing.

AZ: That's all by design. A lot of people, if they were going to go into an MMA fight with Rickson Gracie, everybody is willing to take that fight because the worst that is going to happen to you is that you're going to tap out. Don't get me wrong, I'm also a Rickson Gracie fan and a fan of Jiu-Jitsu, I'm a Black Belt myself. But when you have to fight someone who is going to punch you repeatedly and there is a chance of being knocked unconscious, the reality of that possibility has a different effect on people going into a fight. There's been lots of situations where Sarah could have submitted people. For me and my camp, the number one submission is getting to mount and punching people in the face. It's a violent submission and I think it does a lot to opponents who have to mentally prepare for a fight with Sarah. Roxanne knows she's not going to be able to walk in that cage and just submit Sarah. She's going to get hurt in the process of her attempt.

WF: How do you predict the fight will end?

AZ: Sarah always impresses me with something a little bit new every time. I really don't try to get into how its going to end because I am a big fan of Sarah's and I also have to be careful of my coaching. Sometimes I just sit back and think 'damn, she's so good!'. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was a second round continuous punching to the face stoppage.

WF: What plans are in store for Sarah's future?

AZ: What we would really like to do is get her out to more of the American media. I think she has a lot of American fans. Many have seen people like Tara LaRosa, Shayna Baszler and Roxanne Modaferri for a really long time. Sarah's still kind of the new girl on the block. I would really like to get her out to the American Press more. I'd like to showcase her talents to show her fans what an amazing fighter she truly is and how strong & dedicated she is.

WF: Does Sarah have any future plans to fight Cyborg?

AZ: She definitely wants to dominate the 135 category for a while. She's still a young fighter and there's a lot of things we are working on. I think timing is everything and I also feel that Sarah still doesn't get the respect she deserves, being such a dominant fighter in the 135 division. As her professional career continues to grow, I don't count out that Cyborg fight. Previous to the Cyborg fight, I would just love to see Sarah fight Gina Carano.

WF: I've been wondering myself if Gina has any plans to continue with her fighting career.

AZ: I've asked Strikeforce that if Gina does come back, we get that fight first. I heard her acting career is going really well. That's kind of a nice way to make a living and not get punched in the face, but I think that Gina Carano is a true fighter and I'd be surprised if she doesn't come back to the sport. 

So what do you think? I'm going to interview you now. How do you think this fight is going to go?

WF: I think Sarah is an amazing fighter. Roxanne is good at Jiu-Jitsu and has been around a long time and has lots of experience, but I don't feel that is enough to compete with Sarah's incredible striking power. Not only that, but Sarah is an amazingly well rounded fighter with strength in every area from stand up to wrestling and ground.

AZ: I'm a little surprised by what I've read on the internet, that Roxanne is going to win. I read that and think, what do they know that I don't? Besides people getting lucky in a fight and things being unpredictable, you know a fight can go either way, but really? I'm kind of blown away by people thinking Roxanne is going to win this fight. Sarah has fought other girls who are really good grapplers. When Sarah fought Shayna, she passed Shayna's guard, she had her mounted momentarily. She was surfing all over Shayna, it wasn't the other way around. People never mention that and Shayna is supposed to be one of the best grapplers in the division. How do people miss that? Even if Sarah wasn't good at Jiu-Jitsu, her strength alone in this fight is going to be overwhelming. Her cardio is amazing, she won't quit. Those are tough things to beat.

WF: I think people love to root for the underdog.

AZ: Roxanne has also been around for a while. People know her. After this fight, I think it will be about time for Strikeforce to see that they have a really solid Champion. We really have to get Sarah out to the public. She hasn't had the media exposure that she deserves. I think that she is extremely dominate in the 135 division the same as Cyborg has been in the 145 division. And actually Cyborg's last few fights have been against lighter opponents which makes a difference.

WF: I agree. Sarah has flown under the radar for quite some time and that needs to change. I think it definitely will with this fight.

AZ: I hope so. It seems that every time she has taken on a highly regarded fighter that people say "if she wins THIS fight, then we know Sarah is good" but it never seems to end. Take for example her fight with Shayna Baszler. People were like "If she wins this fight, then we know Sarah is for real". But no, then it was the fight with Hashi that was going to prove Sarah's credibility. She won the title and still it seems people want Sarah to prove herself.

WF: Does Sarah get nervous before her fights?

AZ: Actually, I'll share something with you I haven't said before. Sarah gives me a rubdown before her fight to calm my nerves! I've been training her for a long time, she's like my kid; all my fighters are like my kids. Don't get me wrong, I have trust & faith in them. Then again, there's just that whole excitement factor.

WF: Any last thoughts?

AZ: Sarah's going to go out there ready to prove something. Sarah's smart though, she's not going to go out there and exploit herself to try and finish a fight. She's an extremely intelligent fighter. Some of the media have asked about her last few fights "why didn't she go in for the kill?". They don't realize that being able to kick and punch someone when they are constantly trying to take you down is actually pretty difficult and she does it well. Tune in to watch Sarah successfully defend her title tomorrow night.

You can follow Sarah Kaufman on twitter (mmasarah), facebook and at www.sarahkaufman.ca