Phoenix Jones Very Emotional Pre Fight Interview Before Fighting His Brother Caros Fodor #WSOF32 pic.twitter.com/el3khAG1Ob
— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague) July 31, 2016
Recently, Caros Fodor and “Phoenix Jones” squared off in a meeting of “brothers” at World Series of Fighting 32.
Prior to the bout taking place on NBC Sports Network, an emotional interview with Ben Fodor was shown to hype the fight. After seeing it, many questioned the booking of WSOF president Ray Sefo and staff to have two fighters compete that didn’t seem to want to.
That isn’t the case, according to Sefo.
“In the week since our card, I’ve seen some backlash about why we decided to promote this fight, and I honestly think much of it is unfair,” Sefo wrote online. “This fight was not our idea. In truth, these two brothers have been at odds for years, and both Phoenix and Caros have talked about the possibility of meeting in the cage on several occasions. After years of discussing the potential, both men finally decided it was time. With both athletes on the World Series of Fighting roster, it only made sense for us to book the fight, but I can assure you, this contest would have happened with or without our involvement.
“Phoenix was featured in a very emotional pre-fight interview on the day of WSOF32, and some observers took that as some type of sign that Phoenix was unhappy about the situation, but I can tell you that simply was not the case. Phoenix is a very emotional guy, there’s no question, and as a fighter myself, I can tell you that all of us get even more emotional on the day of a fight. For that fight to be against someone who you grew up with must certainly even amplify that emotion. However, Phoenix and Caros both very much wanted this fight. This was not something we forced either man to accept.
“In the end, Caros wound up winning a decision at WSOF32. Whether or not the feuding between the two will come to an end, I don’t know, but I have no regrets providing them with a platform to contest the prizefight they had been discussing for years.”