We don’t normally listen to pre-event conference calls for a multitude of reasons, the most obvious being that we are only allowed to participate in them when using a fake name/publication (mine being Chip Chessworth of FistFighter.com). That these calls are typically chock-full of the same softball “sports journalism” questions and answers we’ve heard a thousand times over (and sound as if they were recorded on a potato) only solidifies our stance, but yesterday’s UFC 172 conference call proved to be a rare exception to the rule we established earlier in this sentence.
Jon Jones, Glover Teixeira, Phil Davis, and Anthony Johnson were on hand to answer questions ahead of their respective showdowns this weekend. Roughly five minutes into the call, the conversation shifted to the possibility of Jones moving up to heavyweight for a fight with Cain Velasquez as he had previously hinted at. When Jones stated that he was no longer interested in the fight because he had plenty of challenges left in his actual weight class, Davis used the opportunity to needle the shit out of the champion to hilarious effect.
We’ve cued you up to the first exchange above, but join us after the jump for the full transcription (via Bleacher Report) because like we said, shit was recorded on a potato.
We don’t normally listen to pre-event conference calls for a multitude of reasons, the most obvious being that we are only allowed to participate in them when using a fake name/publication (mine being Chip Chessworth of FistFighter.com). That these calls are typically chock-full of the same softball “sports journalism” questions and answers we’ve heard a thousand times over (and sound as if they were recorded on a potato) only solidifies our stance, but yesterday’s UFC 172 conference call proved to be a rare exception to the rule we established earlier in this sentence.
Jon Jones, Glover Teixeira, Phil Davis, and Anthony Johnson were on hand to answer questions ahead of their respective showdowns this weekend. Roughly five minutes into the call, the conversation shifted to the possibility of Jones moving up to heavyweight for a fight with Cain Velasquez as he had previously hinted at. When Jones stated that he was no longer interested in the fight because he had plenty of challenges left in his actual weight class, Davis used the opportunity to needle the shit out of the champion to hilarious effect.
We’ve cued you up to the first exchange above, but join us after the jump for the full transcription (via Bleacher Report) because like we said, shit was recorded on a potato.
Jones: “I have no interest at this point. There’s a lot of talent to test myself against. People are interested in rematch [with Gustafsson]. Phil Davis said he’s going to crumble me like a cookie. There’s a lot of competition left for me, and I’m ready to meet them all.”
Jones: “I’m not giving up on you, Phil.”
Davis: “I’m not going to give up you either, sweetheart.”
Davis: “Whatever Glover does to him…I’ll clean up whatever’s left.”
Jones: “Not nice, Phil.”
Davis: “You’re welcome.”
Jones: “I didn’t say thanks.”
Davis was then asked to give his assessment of Jones vs. Gustafsson, resulting in perhaps the line of the evening.
Jones: “Phil, can I ask you a question? What rounds did you feel Alexander won?”
Davis: “I thought he won all the ones where he put them hot hands all over your forehead.”
Jones: “Not nice, Phil.”
When Jones was then asked what he thought his weaknesses were in the Gustafsson fight (33:00), Davis once again went on the offensive.
Davis: “We all saw you were scared (vs. Gustafsson). What have you done to overcome your scared-ness? Did you get a nightlight? Do you sleep with a teddy bear now? What did you do?
Jones: “Ummm…I actually do sleep with a teddy. I do sleep with a teddy, Phil. Does that answer your question?”
Davis: “The last time you said you could handle somebody in the striking department, Alex hit you so many times in the right eye, you almost turned into a pirate. How are you so sure you can be better than Glover standing up, because let me tell you, I’ve seen Glover before, and what are you going to do?”
Jones: “I have nothing to prove fighting a guy like Phil. I’ve already proven myself against a lot of amazing martial artists, and I think if anything, Phil is kind of embarrassing himself with all the antics. But it’s what he’s deciding to do today. I am a champion, and I fight the top dogs, and my whole career has been in the fast lane. I’m not going to sit here and belittle myself by entertaining Phil.
“At first, I thought it was funny, but it’s just silly. I’m fighting Glover, and he’s fighting Anthony Johnson. I need to stay focused on Glover, because Glover is a great challenge to me. I just think when you talk like that and you be so goofy, it puts more pressure on you.
“I mean, what if he goes out there and gets caught with one of those high kicks from Anthony and gets knocked out? It’s going to be really embarrassing talking trash to me and getting knocked out by Anthony. So I’m going to keep my mouth shut and stay focused on what I’m here for, and that’s Glover.”
My God, I haven’t heard a trolling like that since the St. Pierre vs. Diaz conference call. In fact, I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that Davis was more entertaining here than he has been in his past four fights. YOU SEE HOW EASY THAT WAS, JON? Step up your shit-talking game or be forgotten!
TUF 17 coachesJon Jones and Chael Sonnen, along with UFC president Dana White and FX exec Chuck Saftler, hosted a media conference call yesterday in which they promoted the upcoming season and fielded questions from baffled reporters. It was a lively affair, marked by an unusually aggressive Jon Jones — Chael tends to bring that out of people — and some interesting revelations about the future of The Ultimate Fighter. Here are some highlights…
FX is moving TUF off Friday nights, and preparing for a war with Spike: “The show is going to move off of Friday nights,” Saftler said. “I can’t confirm the day right now, but it’s definitely moving off of Friday, it’s definitely moving to a weekday. There will be an announcement on that somewhere in the next 30 to 45 days. But I will say that Spike should watch their ass. Spike clearly has been dogging us for most of this year…by trying to create viewer confusion and scheduling old episodes against ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and trying to pass them off as new content. They’ll be off of the UFC game effective in January. They’re going to try to launch a new product, there’s going to try to launch their own reality show that competes with ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ or does a very similar thing with their Bellator product. We watched how they behaved, and we’re well aware of their behavior and how they’ve acted competitively…I’m not ready to commit to (scheduling TUF directly against the Bellator show on Spike), but we’re certainly going to be watching how they schedule, what they schedule and where they schedule.”
Jones vs. Sonnen “made sense,” according to Dana White: “Basically, we got the word when Jon went out and got his elbow checked, that he was out and couldn’t come back until April,” White explained. “So it made sense* for him to do The Ultimate Fighter. Why block up [the division]? Machida can fight. Dan Henderson can fight. Gustafsson and Shogun are going to fight in December. Everything will keep right on moving…These guys will both coach The Ultimate Fighter. They’ll fight when the season’s over, and then whoever’s next in line at 205 pounds can fight Jon Jones** next for the title.”
TUF 17 coachesJon Jones and Chael Sonnen, along with UFC president Dana White and FX exec Chuck Saftler, hosted a media conference call yesterday in which they promoted the upcoming season and fielded questions from baffled reporters. It was a lively affair, marked by an unusually aggressive Jon Jones — Chael tends to bring that out of people — and some interesting revelations about the future of The Ultimate Fighter. Here are some highlights…
FX is moving TUF off Friday nights, and preparing for a war with Spike: “The show is going to move off of Friday nights,” Saftler said. “I can’t confirm the day right now, but it’s definitely moving off of Friday, it’s definitely moving to a weekday. There will be an announcement on that somewhere in the next 30 to 45 days. But I will say that Spike should watch their ass. Spike clearly has been dogging us for most of this year…by trying to create viewer confusion and scheduling old episodes against ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and trying to pass them off as new content. They’ll be off of the UFC game effective in January. They’re going to try to launch a new product, there’s going to try to launch their own reality show that competes with ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ or does a very similar thing with their Bellator product. We watched how they behaved, and we’re well aware of their behavior and how they’ve acted competitively…I’m not ready to commit to (scheduling TUF directly against the Bellator show on Spike), but we’re certainly going to be watching how they schedule, what they schedule and where they schedule.”
Jones vs. Sonnen “made sense,” according to Dana White: “Basically, we got the word when Jon went out and got his elbow checked, that he was out and couldn’t come back until April,” White explained. “So it made sense* for him to do The Ultimate Fighter. Why block up [the division]? Machida can fight. Dan Henderson can fight. Gustafsson and Shogun are going to fight in December. Everything will keep right on moving…These guys will both coach The Ultimate Fighter. They’ll fight when the season’s over, and then whoever’s next in line at 205 pounds can fight Jon Jones** next for the title.”
Jonny Bones twists the knife: “Chael’s an interesting guy,” said Jones. “I respect some things about him, like the way he goes out there and gets what he wants, everything except for a world championship or any championships. So he’s a good talker, he’s definitely good for the sport in some ways, and he’s extremely disrespectful and not much of a championship level athlete at all, but he has his qualities, and most of his qualities are gonna come to light when he retires and when he’s able to do his TV shows and commentating and things like that. But right now I feel as if I’m doing a lot of people in the sport a favor and I’m doing Chael a favor by showing him what his true calling is, and that’s using that gift of gab, not athletic talent.”
“[Agreeing to fight Sonnen] really just had to do with getting over this chapter in my career. I’m trying to move forward and do a lot of amazing things, and the UFC 151 cancellation was a tough moment in my career, and I think beating Chael Sonnen and after that beating Dan Henderson will help me have closure to that whole situation.
Just two months ago I had the whole world calling me a sissy and a wuss and saying that I’m afraid of Chael Sonnen, and even my own fans in my hometown questioned why I wouldn’t fight him. And it seems like a lot of people have jumped on this train of Chael not deserving a title shot, but they jumped on that train a little too late. I think I’m over the fact of whether he deserves it or not, and I’m getting more realistic with the fact that the fans really want it. And without the fans, who are any of us?”
“I absolutely know I can beat Chael, and I’m really confident going into this fight based on my skill set, my youth, my versatility, and that I’m a championship fighter,” Jones said. “I don’t think Chael’s really a guy who knows how to win championships. And with that being said, I believe in every way, shape, and form that I’ll beat Chael.”
Chael Sonnen on that tricky concept of “deserving” a title shot: “Welcome to life,” Sonnen said. “We don’t deserve things, we get what we get. And let’s understand, not one of those fighters said ‘Hey Dana, I’ll fight Chael. Let me prove that I’m the number one contender, let me fight that guy.’ Not one of them. They all sat there and said their little things, so I’ve called every one of those bastards out and I’ll call them out right now. And I’ve got no problem getting a tune up fight and slapping any one of these guys around, including the Karate Kid [Machida]. So not only do they not want to carry the heavy water and fight me, they don’t want to fight Jon Jones. Not one of them called out Jon. The only fighter to call Jones out is me. Nobody called me out.
I don’t turn down fights and I never get hurt. I will fight anybody at anytime. So these guys can say all these things they want, but not one of them has stepped up. I gotta deal with this all the time, where guys always get jealous or envious of an opportunity, but they never want to walk out to the mound and point to the crowd and tell them where they’re gonna hit the ball. I will. I’ll call my shots. And as far as talking my way into it, what do I care about that? So what I talked my way into it? I wanted it and I got it. I talked a cat out of a tree earlier today. Good for me, and chalk one more up for the bad guy.”
“Look, [Jones] needs me, he hasn’t beat anybody until he beats me. He beat (Ryan) Bader, he beat Shogun, he beat — who’s that glorified Hollywood extra — Rampage (Jackson), he beat Vitor. What’s next, he’s gonna fight Scott Ferrozzo? [Ed. note: LOL!] Listen, he needs me, and I am the man, and I’m the man because I say I’m the man, and if anybody else wants the spot, come say it and come take it from me.”
And finally, a friendly disagreement over hormone therapy: “First off, I’ve been on both sides of an ass-whooping, and that’s something that Jon hasn’t,” Sonnen said. “Jon’s been very dominant, but he’s also fought a lot of guys who’re timid and they’re afraid to get into a fight. I’m going to walk out there and I’m going to get into a fist fight. And above everything, I’m in a lot better shape than Jon or anybody else he’s fought. As much as I’ll admit, Jon is better — skill for skill he’s fantastic — Jon will admit, I’m in better shape than anybody he’s fought.”
“In good shape on TRT, or off TRT?” Jones replied.
“On TRT, Jon. You tell everybody, you let the media know…Eh, let’s move on.”
“I think it’s terrible,” Jones said later, shifting focus back to the TRT discussion. “I think it’s professionally terrible if your going to consider yourself an athlete. I mean, TRT would be perfect for Chael Sonnen if he wasn’t competing in one of the toughest sports in the world. I think Chael Sonnen made tons of money when he was a young guy, and now he’s an older guy. Now just to be able to take a drug and super-enhance yourself back to where you were in your twenties is bull. Right now I’m 25. I’m sure I’m not as giddy and happy-go-lucky as I was when I was 20, so if I take a drug at my 25-year-old age and have the energy of a 20-year-old, it just wouldn’t be fair. Everyone would hate me if I did it. But Chael Sonnen gets to do it? I think it’s bullcrap.”
“I don’t have any comment on the topic,” Sonnen said.
////////////////////////
* Speaking of fights that make sense, here’s Dana White in August, talking about Nick Diaz wanting to go up in weight and fight Anderson Silva: “Nick Diaz makes no sense. I know that it sounds fun ‘YEAH! Throw Nick Diaz in there!’ But if you really look at the thing, Nick Diaz just lost to Condit. You know what I mean? … at 170 so that gives him the opportunity to move up to 185 and fight the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world? In what f*cking universe does that make sense?” A few weeks later, Dana adamantly stated that Sonnen wouldn’t be able to just talk his way into a 205-pound title shot. But hey, can’t a guy change his mind?
** Or Chael Sonnen, right? Jesus, even the fight’s promoter can’t be bothered to give him a chance in this one.
Yesterday, the UFC and FOX held an open media conference call, which featured UFC President Dana White, middleweight contender and FOX analyst Brian Stann, and Fox Sports Media Group Co-President Eric Shanks taking questions prior to this weekend’s UFC on FOX event. Among the questions to come up was one regarding the likelihood of the Nate Diaz/Jim Miller winner receiving the next title shot at 155 pounds. True to form, Dana White did not beat around the bush, declaring that to be true for at least half of the participants involved:
Should Diaz win, Diaz is definitely getting a title shot. Should Miller win, Miller’s probably going to be a fight or two away.
White when on to state that the same applied for Johny Hendricks should he get past Josh Koscheck on Saturday, whereas our boy Fraggle would have to get a couple more wins under his belt. Considering that both Koscheck and Miller recently suffered losses to the current champions of their respective weight classes (twice over if your Koscheck), this seems to make sense.
Yesterday, the UFC and FOX held an open media conference call, which featured UFC President Dana White, middleweight contender and FOX analyst Brian Stann, and Fox Sports Media Group Co-President Eric Shanks taking questions prior to this weekend’s UFC on FOX event. Among the questions to come up was one regarding the likelihood of the Nate Diaz/Jim Miller winner receiving the next title shot at 155 pounds. True to form, Dana White did not beat around the bush, declaring that to be true for at least half of the participants involved:
Should Diaz win, Diaz is definitely getting a title shot. Should Miller win, Miller’s probably going to be a fight or two away.
White when on to state that the same applied for Johny Hendricks should he get past Josh Koscheck on Saturday, whereas our boy Fraggle would have to get a couple more wins under his belt. Considering that both Koscheck and Miller recently suffered losses to the current champions of their respective weight classes (twice over if your Koscheck), this seems to make sense.
Diaz is only 2-0 since returning to lightweight, but his victory over Donald Cerrone at UFC 141 was so utterly dominant that it set a record for strikes landed in a three round fight. A win over Miller would provide all we need to know about Nate’s future at 155 *cough* can he defend a takedown? *cough*. Miller recently bounced back from a unanimous decision loss to current champ Ben Henderson by submitting Melvin Guillard in January, but we all know that he needs at least eight victories in a row to earn a title shot, so it’s gonna be a while.
Speaking of win streaks, if Hendricks is able to best Koscheck, it would be his fourth victory in a row and eighth out of the nine fights he has had while under the UFC banner, so a title shot seems justified at this point. Koscheck, on the other hand, has scored two straight against Matt Hughes and Mike Pierce, but his aforementioned pair of losses to Georges St. Pierre doesn’t really give him anywhere to go at the moment. Then again, who knows who will be the champ after GSP/Condit goes down, whenever the hell that may be.
You can listen to the conference call in its entirety here.
So what do you think, Potato Nation? Does Diaz deserve a shot? And if so, how do you think he’d fare against Henderson, or Frankie Edgar for that matter?
Make sure to swing by CagePotato this Saturday, as we’ll be liveblogging all the action starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. WT.
(Fedor doesn’t ask for relentless positivity, he demands it.)
After showing up fashionably late for yesterday’s Strikeforce media conference call with upcoming foe Fabricio Werdum, Fedor Emelianenko did his usual song and dance about respec…
(Fedor doesn’t ask for relentless positivity, he demands it.)
After showing up fashionably late for yesterday’s Strikeforce media conference call with upcoming foe Fabricio Werdum, Fedor Emelianenko did his usual song and dance about respect for his opponent, trust in God and love of country. You may have read about all of that in the recap provided through the Friday link dump. But aside from expounding on his own core beliefs, the world’s consensus No. 1-ranked heavyweight also slipped in a dig at the competition during an exchange not featured in the Dump’s version of events.
According to a report from MMAFighting.com’s Mike Chiappetta, Fedor commented that he doesn’t totally approve of how our friends in Las Vegas are running their organization:
"I’m not a UFC fan," Fedor said through an interpreter.
