It has been an interesting week for Uriah Hall.
So says the man himself, who found himself a multi-day fixture in the MMA news cycle and beyond after his devastating spinning hook kick landed opponent Adam Cella in the hospital following the bout, which aired during last Tuesday’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter.
“It’s been crazy,” Hall said Monday on The MMA Hour broadcast with reporter Ariel Helwani. “Facebook, Twitter, all that stuff. Occasionally I’ll get stopped…It’s pretty cool, I like it, but at first it was like a swarm. It was overwhelming.”
Hall (7-2), who is coached on the show by Chael Sonnen, told Helwani that he enjoyed watching the kick when the fight aired, and admitted he was first inspired to learn the flashy move from a somewhat unconventional source.
“When I saw it, it was like ‘oh, that’s how I did it?’ It was interesting to see it,” Hall said. “It’s definitely one of my favorite techniques. The spinning technique. I throw some crazy stuff…I love to think outside the box…I was inspired by video games and always thought, man, if I can pull something like that off that would be cool.”
Hall, a middleweight, said he welcomed the opportunity to compete on the show.
“I went on the show to pursue one of my biggest dreams, which is pretty much to be in the UFC,” Hall said. “The show made me a better person overall.”
Hall, who immigrated to New York City from Jamaica as a teenager, said during the show and during Monday’s interview that he originally began training in mixed martial arts in order to defend himself against bullies. He said Monday that he would be happy if his story and his notoriety provided a helpful example for young people experiencing similar situations.
“It’s horrible, man. It’s a horrible feeling,” Hall said of being bullied. “If I inspire someone out there to get out of their dark place, then that’s great.”
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