Muay Thai Authority was able to catch up with Hollenbeck and he was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding his upcoming fight.
MTA: You have your first title defense for your WBC Muay Thai interim world title against Simon Chu on August 20th. How much do you know about Simon Chu?
Ky: Just what i've been able to find on the Internet. He's a strong European fighter from England. He has been in the game for a long time and he seems like someone that will test me and give me a good fight.
MTA: Kru Sam and yourself always seem to come up with the prefect game plan, how much of what happens in the ring during your fights would you say is part of your game plan?
Ky: We always try to come up with an individual game plan for each person I fight. Everyone is different with different strengths and weaknesses and it's our job to pick out those traits and figure out how to best exploit them. That being said the game plan always has a little wiggle room because you never know 100% what to expect.
MTA: Is there anything in particular you feel will play a big role in your fight with Simon Chu?
Ky: Simon has some pretty heavy hands from what I've seen so step one would be to avoid getting hit (always a good plan). other than that its hard to say because we dont know much about each other.
MTA: Simon has a pretty impressive KO percentage. As a fighter going into a fight knowing that your opponent is known for knocking guys out does it worry you a bit or make you become a bit more aware that he has the power to turn your lights out?
Ky: No. I'm not worried. Its definitely something to be aware of, but but worrying about it doesn't do anything but increase the likely hood that it'll happen. It's my job to fight the right fight and decrease the chances he gets to deliver that knock out shot and maybe land one of my own.
MTA: Your last scheduled fight was on July 16th, but it was canceled at the last minute. Do you think the fact that you are not coming into this bout having fought just a month earlier help you or for someone who is as active as you do you think it can be a disadvantage?
Ky: The fight cancellation was a let down. I do like being in the ring as much as I can be. I've been fighting about every 3 to 4 weeks since the beginning of the year. It was nice to give my body a break from the ring, but I didn't stop training so I look at it as an extra month of training that I got for this fight and I feel stronger and more ready for this coming fight because of the extra training I got.
MTA: You are finally having the opportunity to showcase your skills here in the states, how does it feel to finally have your American fans see what all the talk was about?
Ky: It's awesome fighting back in the states. I love traveling and fighting abroad, but fighting in front of a crowd of my friends, family, and country men motivates me to do the best I can and beyond. I hope that the American crowd is happy with the way I fight and that they'll support me as one of the faces of American Muay Thai.
MTA: You are one of the most active fighters in American Muay Thai, what else do you have planned after the title fight with Simon Chu?
Ky: There are a few thing in the works. Some of which I can't talk about just yet, but I plan to continue fighting as often as I can and as much as my body will let me.
MTA: Rumors circulating are that you are getting ready to return to MMA. Can you confirm or deny these rumors?
Ky: Right now I'm happy where I am in my Muay Thai career and I plan to stay with it for now. i haven't made any plans to transfer back to MMA. Only time will tell where I go in the future, but for now I'm an American Muay Thai fighter.
MTA: If you time is indeed limited in Muay Thai is there anyone that you would like to face before you make the jump to MMA?
Ky: Like I always say I really just wanna fight people that will push me to my limit. I wanna see how well my style of Muay Thai matches up with others around the world.
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