Tag: Conor McGregor

Cutting Through The Bullshit: UFC 178 Edition


Low and behold, the answer to all of our political problems. (Photo by Esther Lin of MMA Fighting)

UFC 178 is in the books, and it was arguably the best UFC event of the year. Leading up to the extravaganza at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the fight card looked promising, even though the cancellation of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight championship had us all pretty bummed out.

With Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso stepping up to the plate, nobody was truly interested in their flyweight title fight, simply because the rest of the card had more compelling stories, alongside fights deemed a little too difficult to call in order to bet the house, Coleman style.

That being said, let’s take a look at the most compelling scraps, and what to make of it all after we spent the last eight hours shadowboxing, binging on dollar store mini donuts, and obsessively searching the web for that CRUZ sweater.

Welcome to “Cutting Through The Bullshit,” UFC 178 style.


(Photo via Getty)

UFC 178 is in the books, and it was arguably the best UFC event of the year. Leading up to the extravaganza at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the fight card looked promising, even though the cancellation of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight championship had us pretty bummed out.

With Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso stepping up to the plate, nobody was truly interested in their flyweight title fight, simply because the rest of the card had more compelling stories, alongside fights deemed a little too difficult to call in order to bet the house, Coleman style.

That being said, let’s take a look at the biggest scraps, and what to make of it all after we spent the last eight hours shadowboxing, binging on dollar store mini donuts, and obsessively searching the web for that CRUZ sweater.

Welcome to “Cutting Through The Bullshit,” UFC 178 style:

Demetrious Johnson Is Incredible, But So Was Jesus Christ

Look, it’s pretty obvious Johnson is a spectacular combatant, the most dominant champion in the organization, and a fighter so technically sound he generates silence throughout the arena because the fans are simply in awe of him.

Well, no.

It’s apparent “Mighty Mouse” isn’t really a pay-per-view star, and he’s suited best for FOX broadcasts moving forward. He’s definitely capable of generating interest in a co-main event, much like he and Cariaso were supposed to do at UFC 177, yet headlining the whole PPV shebang may not be his forte.

But that really isn’t his fault. He’s more so a victim of consequence here. The flyweight title fight wasn’t supposed to headline this card, however, a title fight should have enough power to generate interest on its own. You can say he’s still in a transitional phase, yet UFC 174 is still pretty fresh in our minds.

Anyhow, his win over Cariaso was like watching Sid Justice maul a jobber on Saturday mornings, and it’s funny to think that even though the champ was in a relatively easy fight, nobody is mentioning that it’s his third stoppage victory in his pas four title defenses. He was also asked one question at the post-fight presser (well, two, but from the same person … so, one).

Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez Was One of The Best Main Events Of The Year

2014 has been fairly good to us in the main event department. If Johnson vs. Cariaso lacked that particular oomph, then Cerrone vs. Alvarez was straight up going to be some deep-fried organized violence.

It turned out to be a great fight, one all too familiar for “Cowboy.” After a difficult and lopsided first round, Cerrone turned it on in the second and started to hack away at the Bellator champion’s legs, eventually breaking that tree down and earning the unanimous decision victory.

Cerrone’s been through the thick and thin, and by defeating Alvarez, he’s either going to be in another title eliminator bout, or finally challenge for UFC gold. As for the “Underground King,” it wasn’t the worst of debuts, yet that’s just what UFC wanted … another Bellator guy stifled by a golden boy employee who takes on all jobs.

Conor McGregor Is The Next Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Michael Jordan, And Walt Disney

If you watched the post-fight press conference, you noticed the Irishman sitting there glowing in his ivory elephant trunk suit, with every member of the media asking him the same three questions he’s been asked for the past year. Hell, he even got a post-fight media scrum.

Don’t get it twisted; “Notorious” truly is the biggest prospect in the UFC right now, and to be honest, he pretty much surpassed that status last night with a first-round TKO over the always-game Dustin Poirier. Did that shot hit “Diamond” in the back of the head? Did McGregor land more shots to the back of the head when following up?

It’s kind of subjective at this point. Whether he did or didn’t, it shouldn’t overshadow his performance. He was awarded the victory after all, and we’ve seen a lot more clusterfucks than that in the past.

UFC’s legendary Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Goldberg compared him to Michael Jordan, not to mention Uncle Dana saying he was bigger than Brock Lesnar, the biggest draw the sport had ever seen. McGregor is going to Brazil to sit cageside with his homies at UFC 179, so don’t be surprised if he’s slotted in the Octagon as the next contender to the featherweight strap. We’re not going to assess if he deserves a title shot or not … we’re just going to predict what we think will happen, seeing that UFC as a whole thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Yoel Romero Sitting On His Stool, Giving Less Fucks Than Ricky Rozay

Romero’s battle alongside Tim Kennedy was pretty good while it lasted, and subject to a boatload of controversy. Romero was basically out on his stool, and after “a UFC employee put too much Vaseline on him,” he sat there for about half a minute while his corner “attempted” to leave the cage.

There’s no question that if any of us were the American, we’d be pissed. “Soldier of God” was dazed, and it looked like he was prepared to vomit at any moment. Still, he comes out in the third round and completely torches Kennedy in the biggest win of his career.

Sorry UFC, but victim blaming won’t work here. That one was on “Big” John McCarthy, and it’s puzzling to think one of the best officials in the game let that one slip by. Like, dude, at least tell the guy to stand up and ask him questions.

Then again, maybe he missed this, too?

Cat Zingano Win Inspiring, But Please, Leave Her Alone

“Alpha” has been through a lot in the past year. Joe Rogan hinted at in her post-fight interview after her comeback win over Amanda Nunes in the third round, but failed to say what happened, which led to an honest assessment of Zingano saying she just wanted to go home, spend time with her son, and happy she got that shit over with.

Zingano’s third-round stoppage over the Brazilian was ultra inspiring, with the majority of the sport’s observers feeling genuinely happy for the next women’s bantamweight number one contender. However, let’s give it a rest, and leave her alone. I’ve always felt indifferent when it comes to exploring one’s personal circumstances in a difficult time, and unlike the next fighter on the list, Zingano went through hardship that nobody deserves to go through. So for next time, let’s not hint at her troubles multiple times (Rogan & Goldie) without mentioning what happened, and let her enjoy possibly the biggest win of her life?

It could be worse, though. Cue Ben Askren in 3 … 2 … 1 …

Dominick Cruz Is The Best Pound-For-Pound Athlete In The Universe, Currently Sitting In CRUZ Control

Imagine what you live for is taken away from you for three years. We’re not talking about being abstinent, you horny pervert. In Cruz’s case, we had no idea how he was going to look. He never lost the bantamweight championship, yet his last bout was three years ago, and there was a plethora of questions regarding his physical and mental state.

Call it a travesty that his fight against Takeya Mizugaki was on the FS1 prelims, although it was the best-case scenario. Dozens of thousands of viewers witnessed DOMIN8TION for free, with Cruz mauling Mizugaki after landing a takedown which may or may not have given most of us at this website an instant erection.

Credit the brass for booking Cruz against T.J. Dillashaw next, because frankly, that’s the only sensible option. “Dominator” could have fought Urijah Faber, too, especially after his post-fight jab, but let’s not pretend last night’s winner lost his title and didn’t beat Faber in convincing fashion three years ago.

All In All …

It was a perfect night of fights. Truth be told, it was the type of card we live for, and the reason we still wake up at freaking 5AM to watch putrid battles featuring foreign fighters with 2-0 records. Honestly, it felt like 2007 all over again.

In the end, we got a main event that had less drawing power than a George Lopez sitcom, a superstar’s official coming out party, #stoolgate, and two competitors that were granted guaranteed title shots (with two others in the championship limelight, also). That’s the UFC we know. That’s the pain we face. That’s why after all this time, we still put up with Stemm.

Enjoy it while you can. It’s not like we’re treated to these gifts every weekend anymore, however, something tells me the rest of the year heading into the next could be something special.

UFC 178 Results: Dispelling the “Lighter Weight Classes Can’t Draw” Myth


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

The notion that lighter weight fighters have drawing power as little as their size is among the most oft-touted truisms in MMA.

When given a cursory glance, it appears true. Demetrious Johnson is responsible for one of the worst UFC PPV buyrates of all time at UFC 174. People were so disinterested they literally walked out of the arena during Johnson’s world title fight against Ali Bagautinov.

Johnson (and perhaps flyweight in general) lacking buzz isn’t new. He headlined UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle and drew a paltry live gate of $735,000. When the UFC ran the city the year prior, the live gate and attendance were twice as high. And the ratings for UFC on Fox 8? It was 40% lower than UFC on Fox 7 at 2.04 million–a record low at the time.

Flyweights debuted in the UFC in March 2012. When flyweights–to use a loaded cliche– failed to move the needle, proponents of the division said to just give it time. Fans would be wowed by the action and speed in flyweight fights. It’s September 2014 now and the weight class is just as devoid of interest as it ever was.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean lighter weight classes can’t draw. It just means Demetrious Johnson (and much of the current stable of lighter weight fighters) can’t draw.


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

The notion that lighter weight fighters have drawing power as little as their size is among the most oft-touted truisms in MMA.

When given a cursory glance, it appears true. Demetrious Johnson is responsible for one of the worst UFC PPV buyrates of all time at UFC 174. People were so disinterested they literally walked out of the arena during Johnson’s world title fight against Ali Bagautinov.

Johnson (and perhaps flyweight in general) lacking buzz isn’t new. He headlined UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle and drew a paltry live gate of $735,000. When the UFC ran the city the year prior, the live gate and attendance were twice as high. And the ratings for UFC on Fox 8? It was 40% lower than UFC on Fox 7 at 2.04 million–a record low at the time.

Flyweights debuted in the UFC in March 2012. When flyweights–to use a loaded cliche– failed to move the needle, proponents of the division said to just give it time. Fans would be wowed by the action and speed in flyweight fights. It’s September 2014 now and the weight class is just as devoid of interest as it ever was.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean lighter weight classes can’t draw. It just means Demetrious Johnson (and much of the current stable of lighter weight fighters) can’t draw.

There is no doubt some percentage of viewers who disregard flyweights based on their physical proportions. “Who’s the toughest 125-pound man? Isn’t that a trick question.” Hell, when we were watching the fights last night, someone came by during the tale of the tape. He said “unless these guys are fighting Tyrion Lannister, I don’t care.” These same people are likely put off by the high pace of flyweight fights typically featuring technique above raw power.

The typical insult used to write off people like this is to call them fake MMA fans, but fake fans have real money. Thus, a fighter has two primary responsibilities: Win and sell.

Demetrious Johnson fails at the former as much as he excels at the latter. He’s an incredible fighter and a pleasure to watch for people who appreciate the technical aspects of the sport. Unfortunately, that kind of fan is in the minority.

MMA is pro wrestling. While people claim they cherish talent rather than theatrics, numbers indicate the opposite. Fans crave story lines and rivalries–not just in MMA but in all sports. Any physical prowess displayed is just an added bonus.

Conor McGregor was also on the UFC 178 fight card last night. As a featherweight, he’s part of the doomed-to-sub-250k buys lighter weight classes. From the sheer amount of atmosphere around him, you wouldn’t know that. McGregor is such a personality he had his own media scrum after the UFC 178 post-fight press conference. He’s reached such a level of popularity in his homeland that allegedly 10 percent of UFC 178′s ticket sales came from Ireland. McGregor broke ratings records when he fought Diego Brandao at UFC Fight Night 46.

Conor McGregor is proof the lighter weight classes can produce fighters with charisma and magnetism enough to be stars. Meanwhile, Demetrious Johnson is proof of the unfortunate reality of prize fighting: You’re only as good as your ability to draw money.

Many people are interested in seeing Conor McGregor. Not many people are interested in seeing Demetrious Johnson. Johnson’s small size might play a minuscule part in that, but the real reason is self promotion. Conor McGregor makes you care about him (either because you think he’s awesome or you want to see him get humbled). Even Dominick Cruz scored some extra attention last night when he called out Team Alpha Mail in his post-fight interview by saying he was ready to beat up more “alpha fails.”

That’s what fighters need to do.

There is no budo. There is no honor. There is no respect. After you win, you have 20 seconds to make sure fans remember who you are. You have 20 seconds to make them care about you and your next fight. If you don’t, you’re poisoning your future. You’re sealing your fate as one out of millions of generic UFC Fighters™ with a shaved head, shitty tattoos, and Dynamic Fastener emblazoned across your ass. Talent is rarely enough. You need to stand out. It’s great if you can do that with your performance in the cage, but it’s even better to do it with your words.

 

UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso — Live Results & Commentary


(Look, if the UFC isn’t promoting the main event, then we won’t either. / Photo via Getty)

UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso is underway in Las Vegas, featuring an utterly stacked lineup of crowd-friendly fight-finishers (see esp.: Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez), brilliant self-promoters (Conor McGregor!), eccentric Cuban wrestlers (Yoel Romero), and people who we just haven’t seen in a long time (Dominick Cruz, Cat Zingano). And oh yeah — a flyweight title fight. It should be a wild ride from top to bottom, and we’re psyched about it.

Our man Alex Giardini we’ll be giving you round-by-round results from the UFC 178 pay-per-view card after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and follow us on Twitter for bonus commentary. Thanks for being here.


(Look, if the UFC isn’t promoting the main event, then we won’t either. / Photo via Getty)

UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso is underway in Las Vegas, featuring an utterly stacked lineup of crowd-friendly fight-finishers (see esp.: Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez), brilliant self-promoters (Conor McGregor!), eccentric Cuban wrestlers (Yoel Romero), and people who we just haven’t seen in a long time (Dominick Cruz, Cat Zingano). And oh yeah — a flyweight title fight. It should be a wild ride from top to bottom, and we’re psyched about it.

Our man Alex Giardini we’ll be giving you round-by-round results from the UFC 178 pay-per-view card after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and follow us on Twitter for bonus commentary. Thanks for being here.

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
– Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
– James Krause vs. Jorge Masvidal
– Stephen Thompson def. Patrick Cote via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
– Brian Ebersole def. John Howard via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Kevin Lee def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (30-26 x 3; Tuck had a point deducted in round 2 for a groin kick)
– Manny Gamburyan def. Cody Gibson via submission (guillotine choke), 4:56 of round 2

Please stand by…

What Your Favorite Fighter Says About You: 2014 Edition

It’s been quite a while since we first penned our “What Your Favorite Fighter Says About You” lists and a lot has changed in the time since. While some of our choices are even more relevant now than they were when the list was originally published, most of them seem either inaccurate or simply out of date in light of current circumstances. Knowing what we know now, we’ve decided to update our list to align with today’s MMA landscape. Enjoy. 

CONOR MCGREGOR

You know a lotta tings and don’t take no shit from nobody. Your style is only outmatched by your swagger, which you often describe as “crisp perfection.” You are either Irish, or tell everyone you know that you are despite being as Irish as the average Redskins fan is Cherokee. While not exactly being a paranoid schizophrenic, you think that everyone else in a given room is either afraid of you or trying to violently harm you. You’re relatively new to MMA and have never actually trained, but your bar brawling expertise has led you to claim that you could defeat any top 5 fighter in your weight class with one good punch. Your favorite flower is the daisy because you can take its head clean off.

Favorite Fight: McGregor vs. Brimage

It’s been quite a while since we first penned our “What Your Favorite Fighter Says About You” lists and a lot has changed in the time since. While some of our choices are even more relevant now than they were when the list was originally published, most of them seem either inaccurate or simply out of date in light of current circumstances. Knowing what we know now, we’ve decided to update our list to align with today’s MMA landscape. Enjoy. 

CONOR MCGREGOR

You know a lotta tings and don’t take no shit from nobody. Your style is only outmatched by your swagger, which you often describe as “crisp perfection.” You are either Irish, or tell everyone you know that you are despite being as Irish as the average Redskins fan is Cherokee. While not exactly being a paranoid schizophrenic, you think that everyone else in a given room is either afraid of you or trying to violently harm you. You’re relatively new to MMA and have never actually trained, but your bar brawling expertise has led you to claim that you could defeat any top 5 fighter in your weight class with one good punch. Your favorite flower is the daisy because you can take its head clean off.

Favorite Fight: McGregor vs. Brimage

DONALD CERRONE

You’re just here for the party, y’all. In fact, when you aren’t chasing the ultimate adrenaline high that can only be captured by extreme mountain biking or nude skydiving, you’re chasing tail around parts unknown while getting blackout wasted on rotgut whiskey. You have at least one regrettable tattoo, either a tribal armband or the Japanese symbol for “Virtue” (which actually means “seafood salad”), yet claim to live by the motto “no regrets.” Your favorite movie is Point Break, and you always secretly cry at the end. You are white, you voted McCain, and F*CK YEAH YOU’LL LISTEN TO SOME DAVID ALLAN COE!

Favorite Fight: Cerrone vs. Guillard

DAN HENDERSON

See: Hughes, M from our previous list.

Favorite Fight: Hendo vs. Bisping. UH-DOI!!

JON JONES

You are supremely arrogant and don’t respond well to authority, yet list yourself as “down to Earth” on your Instagram profile, which you are constantly updating with selfies hashtaged #blessed and #overcome. Likewise, you are not someone most people would call “witty”, yet feel you are actually a lot more clever than people think you are. You have never lost an argument/debate in your life, likely because you refer to everyone who disagrees with you as a “hater” before dismissing them with a wanking hand gesture. Friends have never been overabundant in your life, but that’s cool, because they were just holding you back from the greatness you were destined to achieve. You’re not religious, per se, but you definitely consider yourself “spiritual.” Basically, you are full of shit.

Favorite fight: Bones vs. Shogun

RONDA ROUSEY

You are supremely arrogant confident and don’t respond well to authority. You’re not an asshole, just someone who’s overflowing with realness. You are either a teenage girl or a single adult male, and high school is/was a hellish nightmare scenario filled with constant ridicule and a whole heap of self-esteem issues. Discipline and determination fuels your every move in life, to the point that you cannot physically relax anymore without feeling guilty afterwards. You’ve been a supporter of women’s MMA since the *very* beginning (Carano) and think anyone who criticizes a WMMA fight is a misogynist.

Favorite Fight: Rousey vs. Tate 1

THIAGO SILVA

You are a misogynist, and think O.J. just got a bad rap.

Favorite Fight: The Ray Rice elevator footage

KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV

You watch way, way too much MMA, and have been since at least ’95. You constantly lament to your friends about how oversaturation is directly leading to the downfall of the sport, and how Fight Pass is a waste of goddamn money, and how the flyweight division is way more exciting than it’s being given credit for, etc. They never have any idea what you’re talking about, just like when you’re screaming for this kabob guy to attempt something called a “full guard sweep” while watching the FS1 prelims. You’ve done some unconventional wrestling in your day, and long to leave the constraints of a technology-based world behind to shack up in a log cabin in the woods where no one can bother you. You’re idol is Gary Busey.

Favorite Fight: Nurmagomedov vs. Shahbulat Shamhalaev, which you can totally spell on the first try.

GINA CARANO 

You are incredibly f*cking hard to deal with. You…wait, what were we talking about again?

–J. Jones

Injury Roundup: Jose Aldo Hospitalized With Kidney Stones, Conor McGregor Rumored to Have Busted Hand

(Because fuck it, this video is just *adorable*.)

EVERYONE JUST CALM DOWN, ALRIGHT!! Jose Aldo‘s UFC 179 rematch with Chad Mendes is not — I repeat, is not — in danger of being cancelled. UFC 179 WILL NOT be a repeat of UFC 176 a.k.a “The event that Jose Aldo’s cervical spine injury murdered.” And just because Aldo has said he was fine when he was injured in the past, only to later pull out of a fight because he *wasn’t* actually fine, doesn’t mean he’ll do it again. So just CALM. DOWN.

But yes, several of the UFC’s totally reliable sources have confirmed that Jose Aldo did spend a day laid up in the hospital due to a kidney stone, which he expelled within the day and was released. As Aldo’s coach and manager Andre Pederneiras told Combate:

Aldo has this renal calculi issue since he was 16 years old. After his fight against ‘Korean Zombie,’ he also expelled a stone. Same thing last week. It started with a little pain, he was then hospitalized, took some serum and anti-inflammatory, and then he expelled the stone.

For all you dum-dums out there, “renal calculi” is just doctor speak for a kidney stone. But again, EVERYTHING IS FINE…

OK, NOW WE CAN PANIC!!!!


(Because fuck it, this video is just *adorable*.)

EVERYONE JUST CALM DOWN, ALRIGHT!! Jose Aldo‘s UFC 179 rematch with Chad Mendes is not — I repeat, is not – in danger of being cancelled. UFC 179 WILL NOT be a repeat of UFC 176 a.k.a “The event that Jose Aldo’s cervical spine injury murdered.” And just because Aldo has said he was fine when he was injured in the past, only to later pull out of a fight because he *wasn’t* actually fine, doesn’t mean he’ll do it again. So just CALM. DOWN.

But yes, several of the UFC’s totally reliable sources have confirmed that Jose Aldo did spend a day laid up in the hospital due to a kidney stone, which he expelled within the day and was released. As Aldo’s coach and manager Andre Pederneiras told Combate:

Aldo has this renal calculi issue since he was 16 years old. After his fight against ‘Korean Zombie,’ he also expelled a stone. Same thing last week. It started with a little pain, he was then hospitalized, took some serum and anti-inflammatory, and then he expelled the stone.

For all you dum-dums out there, “renal calculi” is just doctor speak for a kidney stone. But again, EVERYTHING IS FINE…

OK, NOW WE CAN PANIC!!!!

Although the information is uquestionable at best and the evidence unsubstantiated, rumors are circlulating that Conor McGregor might have hurt his hand while training a few weeks ago in Ireland. The injury was first reported by Dave Meltzer, and started gaining credence after McGregor was shown donning a bandaged hand in the first episode of UFC 178 Embedded.

Of course there are *also* rumors going around that McGregor could have faked the injury to get in Dustin Poirier‘s head, because he’s just that much of a gamer. That Conor was not wearing the bandage during his media day appearance also seems to indicate that even if his hand was injured, it was likely something minor that has since been dealt with. I know, my insightful journalism skillz are blowing your minds right now.

We will keep you updated if any information breaks regarding either Aldo or McGregor.

–J. Jones

The 17 Greatest Quotes From ‘Countdown to UFC 178?

Irish featherweight Conor McGregor is unquestionably the best talker in the UFC. That’s an indisputable truth in the post-Chael era, and it becomes even more apparent when you watch McGregor’s segment of the new “Countdown to UFC 178” preview special. But it turns out that new lightweight acquisition Eddie Alvarez is a quote factory himself, so we decided to pick out his (and the other featured fighters’) best lines from the show, for your education and enjoyment.

Videos and quotes continue after the jump. UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas. Get pumped.

*****

“Although fans might not know who I am, I’m willing to bet every fighter in this division knows who I am.” — Eddie Alvarez

“There’s a lot of really talented guys at 155, whether it’s jiu-jitsu, really talented wrestlers, really talented strikers. But then there’s fighters. That’s what I’m good at. There’s no one better at giving damage and taking damage than myself.” — Alvarez

“I used to wonder why I always do all these crazy things, like what’s the purpose? Why do I want to jump off buildings and swing from ropes and ride four-wheelers and wakeboarding and do everything crazy? ‘Cause it gives you this feeling, like this scared feeling, you know? That same feeling is the same feeling you get right before you walk out to a cage. I’m searching for that feeling and there it is, every time I fight, it’s like the scariest feeling in the entire world.” — Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone

Irish featherweight Conor McGregor is unquestionably the best talker in the UFC. That’s an indisputable truth in the post-Chael era, and it becomes even more apparent when you watch McGregor’s segment of the new “Countdown to UFC 178″ preview special. But it turns out that new lightweight acquisition Eddie Alvarez is a quote factory himself, so we decided to pick out his (and the other featured fighters’) best lines from the show, for your education and enjoyment.

Videos and quotes continue after the jump. UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas. Get pumped.

*****

“Although fans might not know who I am, I’m willing to bet every fighter in this division knows who I am.” — Eddie Alvarez

“There’s a lot of really talented guys at 155, whether it’s jiu-jitsu, really talented wrestlers, really talented strikers. But then there’s fighters. That’s what I’m good at. There’s no one better at giving damage and taking damage than myself.” — Alvarez

“I used to wonder why I always do all these crazy things, like what’s the purpose? Why do I want to jump off buildings and swing from ropes and ride four-wheelers and wakeboarding and do everything crazy? ‘Cause it gives you this feeling, like this scared feeling, you know? That same feeling is the same feeling you get right before you walk out to a cage. I’m searching for that feeling and there it is, every time I fight, it’s like the scariest feeling in the entire world.” — Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone

“You’re telling me you’re gonna pay me X amount of dollars to fight, and then if I do really good you’re gonna give me $50,000 more dollars? I feel like when I step in the Octagon I get one of those wind machines where the fuckin’ bills are flying everywhere and I’m just scooping as much as I can…I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t just fight their ass off. Like if that doesn’t give you enough to just put it all on the line, I don’t know what would.” — Cerrone

“I met my wife when I was 15 years old. I got in a fight at a playground, and none of my friends jumped in, but my wife jumped in. And I said, ‘Man, I’m gonna marry this girl’.” — Alvarez

“Cowboy, he does well if you give him space, but it won’t be like that. It’s a different story here. I’m the boss. I say what’s gonna happen.” — Alvarez

“Them lights are gonna hit me, and you’re gonna see a high-paced, violent fight.” — Alvarez

“I believe not one of these athletes in the UFC understand what the fuck is happenin’. They don’t know what’s goin’ on with this crazy Irishman runnin’ in looking to take their head clean off.” — Conor McGregor

“I remember I walked into the cage, I stood before [Diego Brandao] and blew him a kiss. And he bowed before me. I remember that. I felt he was broke before the contest.” — McGregor

“Conor McGregor seems like a good athlete, he seems like a decent counter-puncher. But, he also seems like a scumbag.” — Dustin Poirier

“I walk the walk, you know? Conor talks the talk. And we’ll see if he’s really about it September 27th.” — Poirier

“I’m committed to this game 100%, and I’m going to be a world champion in the UFC. And Conor, he’s a clown. He’s a joke to me.” — Poirier

“…and then you’ve got me, a slick, handsome Irish kid that takes no shit, that uses his brain, and has climbed to the top of the game quicker than anyone else has done it.” — McGregor

“Dustin’s little pea-head is gonna get removed, it’s gonna get put into my collection, and I’m gonna get on my way to gold.” — McGregor

“He’s just an average journeyman fighter. He’s okay everywhere. He’s basic everywhere, he’s nothin’ that jumps off the page, he’s not flashy, he hasn’t got KO power — you know, that stiffened, curled-toes power. He hasn’t got that. I don’t feel he has anything for me. I’ll beat him everywhere.” — McGregor

“No worries, you have a good night.” — Demetrious Johnson, after smoking somebody in a video game. Man, this guy just can’t bring himself to talk trash, huh. It’s tough when everybody else is in a grudge match but you.

“Wherever the fight goes, I feel like I have the advantage.” — Chris Cariaso, massive underdog, saying words.