Tag: FanHouse Exclusive

‘Fight Now TV’ Launches Tuesday With High Hopes, Rapid Expansion Goals

Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, Bellator, News, Sports Business and MediaTo hear Mike Garrow tell it, starting a new channel is something like giving birth. It takes time, there are brief moments of pain and others of terror, …

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To hear Mike Garrow tell it, starting a new channel is something like giving birth. It takes time, there are brief moments of pain and others of terror, but behind it all is a genuine labor of love. After a two-year process of planning and execution, Garrow’s project, a 24-hour combat sports channel called Fight Now TV, will launch on Tuesday morning on Cablevision systems in the New York, tri-state area.

While Fight Now TV is dedicated to more than just mixed martial arts — boxing, grappling and kickboxing will also be featured, among others sports — MMA is expected to be a major component of programming. Among the channel’s minority owners is UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture.

According to Garrow, the company has signed deals with several promotions in the U.S. and around the world to air events. Fight Now TV will launch two franchises. One, “American Made MMA,” will showcase regional promotions like Ring of Fire and Extreme Challenge. Another, “Global Impact MMA,” will turn the spotlight on international offerings, like BAMMA and Cage Warriors. It also has obtained rights to historical events, and can offer retrospectives on current stars. For example, they might show current UFC welterweight champ George St-Pierre’s last fight before joining the UFC, or Quinton “Rampage” Jackson years before he became a superstar.

The channel also plans to cover the world’s top promotions like the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator and DREAM, in news programs, with original interviews, and taking fans behind the scenes. All in all, it’s an extremely ambitious plan for a channel that took just over two years from thought to launch.

“I want people to understand we’re trying to put our best foot forward,” Garrow told MMA Fighting in a recent interview. “There are going to be growing pains, but we will grow. Look at ESPN. When they first launched, it was with darts and softball and strongman competitions. I’m a fan, too. I want this to be as strong as we can possibly make it. If people are supportive and value it, I look forward to serving those fans for a long time.”

For Garrow, it’s his second shot at a virtually identical goal. He was the creative vision behind The Fight Network, a Canadian combat sports channel that once hoped to penetrate the U.S. market. But the two sides later split over differences, and the Fight Network’s growth eventually stalled. Garrow politely declines to talk about the situation due to ongoing litigation between the sides, but Couture — who previously worked with him at the Canadian channel — said The Fight Network’s loss is Fight Now TV’s gain.

“I think The Fight Network existed because it was Mike Garrow’s vision and his dream,” Couture said. “And when they did what they did to him, that dream and vision went somewhere else. You’re seeing it come back with Fight Now TV. He’s the guy who had all the pieces. He still has the original napkin he wrote the idea down on when he first came up with it. He has the passion to connect the dots and make this happen.”

While Fight Now TV will initially launch only on Cablevision — ironic given that New York and Connecticut are two of the few remaining states that have yet to sanction MMA — Garrow hopes to aggressively expand around the country in rapid fashion, saying they are likely to be announcing other deals quite soon.

“Like anything, we want to get it in as many homes as possible,” he said. “We’re realistic in our approach. We’ve got our internal projections. I can’t get into specific numbers but I’m pretty confident large pockets of the U.S. will be experiencing Fight Now TV by at least the middle of the summer.”

While the channel has no existing business deal with UFC and Strikeforce parent company Zuffa, there is hope that Couture’s involvement might help forge a relationship. Couture acknowledges the potential importance of such a development and says simply, “I expect we’ll be able to do it.”

Garrow, meanwhile, notes that with a 24-hour, 7-day a week existence, the channel will be able to offer major coverage of major events with analysis, features and interviews. MMAJunkie.com’s daily radio show will also be simulcast Monday through Friday, giving fans access to many major fighters and insiders. A weekend show, Fight Central hosted by JT McCarthy, will break down major fights and events. Couture will also provide expert analysis.

With 52 weeks a year in a sport that has no off-season, Garrow believes there will always be great fights to be found. Somewhere around the world, someone will be fighting, and Fight Now TV will be on the lookout for it. What SPEED is to auto sports, Fight Now TV wants to be to combat sports.

Right now though, things are still in a controlled state of chaotic anticipation. There is much to be done before the switch is flipped and Fight Now TV goes live at 11 am eastern on Tuesday. Garrow half-jokingly says that he randomly wakes up at 2:30 in the morning on most nights as the channel makes final preparations.

“Overall, our mission is to create an outlet for combative sports, not just MMA,” Couture said. “For example, there’s a huge grappling movement, not just nationally but internationally with things like Abu Dhabi, NAGA, and U.S. Pankration. And there’s always a void for amateur wrestling, no place to find or watch these dual meets. There is a ton of stuff in the combative sports genre, and we can provide that kind of programming to fans. There is a ton of opportunity and need for this kind of channel.”

 

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The MMA Hour With Varner in Studio, Maynard, Huerta, de Jong

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosThe MMA Hour returns on Monday with another stacked lineup. Here’s a list of who will be stopping.

* Former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will be in studio to talk about life after WEC.
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The MMA Hour returns on Monday with another stacked lineup. Here’s a list of who will be stopping.

* Former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will be in studio to talk about life after WEC.

* Lightweight Roger Huerta will update us on where he’s been and where’s headed next.

* Golden Glory trainer Martijn de Jong will discuss Glory World Series and upcoming fights for Alistair Overeem, Jon Olav Einemo, Marloes Coenen and others.

* UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard will talk about his recent injury and when he expects to return to action.

* And MMA Fighting’s Ben Fowlkes will stop by to preview UFC 130 and look at other news making headlines in MMA.

Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193 or 212-254-0237.

*** You can now stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.

Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.

 

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Bellator Exploring Accident Insurance for Fighters

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Bellator, NewsSince launching in 2009, Bellator Fighting Championships has tried to separate itself from the UFC in many ways: tournaments to crown champions, seasons, events held every week are just a few concepts that…

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Since launching in 2009, Bellator Fighting Championships has tried to separate itself from the UFC in many ways: tournaments to crown champions, seasons, events held every week are just a few concepts that come to mind.

But Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour that he wouldn’t mind copying the UFC in one particular department: accident insurance for fighters.

“I can tell you I’ve been reading all of the articles and all the spokespersons for the UFC have said that it’s been a long and exhaustive process,” Rebney said, “and there were very few carriers that were willing to execute on it, there were very few people that were willing to provide the insurance that they were seeking.

“I can tell you first hand that I know that to be true because we have been looking for alternatives on that front for over a year ourselves. It’s not an easy policy to obtain, it’s not easy to put into motion, but I think it’s great for the sport; I think it’s great for the fighters. It’s something that we are going to continue to look at, and I say kudos for the UFC for pulling it off.”

Providing accident insurance for fighters is an expensive undertaking, and it’s understandable that the UFC, which is 16 years older than Bellator, would be better suited to pull it off today.

But despite the fact that Bellator is just two years old and generating nowhere near the kind of revenue Zuffa is, Rebney recognizes that insurance is needed and is a perk he hopes to offer his fighters in the future.


“I think that the reality is, and I get to see it day in and day out, but very few of the fighters that we or Zuffa have under contract are in a position in their economic life to be able to afford health insurance to protect themselves against injuries that occur inside the cage when they are training. Of course, everyone that fights for Zuffa or Bellator is covered once they step into the cage in competition, but training for mixed martial arts is not like training for golf. You’re in there battling on a day in and day out basis and injuries occur.”

Bellator 45, the final event of Bellator’s fourth season, will air live on MTV2 this Saturday night from Lake Charles, La.

 

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Michael Bisping Discusses Chael Sonnen’s Suspension, What’s Next

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsWednesday’s news that Chael Sonnen’s suspension was upheld by the California State Athletic Commission will most likely ruin any chance of seeing Sonnen fight Michael Bisping in the near future.

That’s a fig…

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Wednesday’s news that Chael Sonnen‘s suspension was upheld by the California State Athletic Commission will most likely ruin any chance of seeing Sonnen fight Michael Bisping in the near future.

That’s a fight many MMA fans were looking forward to, including both Sonnen and Bisping.

Sonnen was unavailable for comment on Wednesday, but Bisping shared his thoughts with MMA Fighting on Sonnen’s suspension and what’s next for him.

Ariel Helwani: What’s your reaction to Wednesday’s news about Chael Sonnen?
Michael Bisping: I’m disappointed. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for a while now and I think pretty much everybody can work out that I was hoping to fight Chael Sonnen, and we were waiting to hear if he was going to clear up his personal problems. Obviously today we found out that he’s been indefinitely suspended.

It’s a shame for the guy. I really do feel for him. We’re all human beings; we all make mistakes. He’s being punished, and OK, he’s made some very, very bad decisions lately, but no one’s perfect — I’m certainly not perfect — and I feel for the guy. By the sounds of it, he’s stuffed in his career as a realtor and he’s also screwed as an MMA fighter at the moment. He’s an exciting fighter, and I think it’s a shame for him; it’s a shame for mixed martial arts.

What do you think you’ll do next then?
Well, I’ll probably go to bed in the next few minutes (laughs). Then after that, I’m sitting by the phone, waiting for a call from the UFC. I’m very, very eager to know when I’m going to fight again or whether I’m going to coach The Ultimate Fighter. I’m not sure what’s happening, but I’m very, very eager. I still have been training for a while. I love to fight and I can’t wait to fight again.

Did the UFC tell you about any other plans they had for you in case Sonnen’s suspension was upheld?
No, they didn’t. I’ll be honest, I haven’t actually spoken to the UFC. My manager actually spoke to the UFC about all of this, and I’ve just been waiting on the sidelines waiting for this to clear up. I knew there was a little red tape to go through and today we have the combination of all that. It’s a shame for Chael Sonnen, it’s a shame for the fans, and all in all, a bad turn of events. And for me as well, it was a big opportunity. You know, Chael Sonnen, a fight with him would have been a big deal for me and a No. 1 contender fight, so obviously, I’m disappointed as well, but yeah, I’m not sure what is going to happen now.

Are you still interested in coaching TUF without Sonnen?
Yeah, absolutely. The Ultimate Fighter did fantastic things for me as a fighter and my career. If it weren’t for The Ultimate Fighter, it’s possible we might not be having this conversation now. So, I’m very grateful for my time on The Ultimate Fighter as a contestant and as a coach. So if the UFC were graceful enough to give me another shot on the show, then who am I to turn it down? The UFC have been the best employees a man can ever wish for. If that’s what they want me to do, then I’m their man.

It feels like every other day someone is calling you out. So now that it looks like you won’t be fighting Sonnen, who do you want to fight next?
I did fancy a fight with Nate Marquardt, but to be honest, the fight that I really wanted more than anything, and I said straight after the Jorge Rivera fight, and that was before any of the rumors of The Ultimate Fighter started, I wanted to fight Chael Sonnen. I think I’ve paid my dues, I’ve proved who I am as a fighter and my skills, and I wanted to fight for the title. Chael Sonnen was ranked No. 2 and that’s the guy who I wanted to fight. Not only because of that, I mean, the guy certainly does bring a lot of hype to a fight rightly or wrongly, and I thought the guy used to be hilarious in his pre-fight trash-talk. So I wanted to fight him. Other than that, I haven’t really given too much thought about it. As I said, Nate Marquardt, but he dropped down to 170.

Yeah, you’re right, there’s a bunch of guys who have been calling me out. They’re all just jumping on the bandwagon and trying to get a name for themselves. It seems popular to talk sh** about me. They can all go f**k themselves as far as I’m concerned. If they’ve got a problem with me, come and say it to my face, as opposed to over the Internet like a f**king spineless a**hole. But we’re talking from middleweight to lightweight to heavyweight, I’ll fight anyone of those guys. I try to keep it professional. You never see me calling guys out on the Internet. You’ve never seen me once call a guy out on the Internet or on my Web site or via Twitter. But people say I’m the a**hole.

Who do I want to fight? I don’t know, anyone that is going to get me closer to a title shot.

I noticed Tim Kennedy called you out via Twitter on Tuesday. Where did that come from?
It’s completely weird. He actually sent me a Tweet. It was directed to me, @bisping, ‘Bisping you’re an a**hole,’ or something, ‘You disrespected the sport and Jorge Rivera for the illegal knee.’ Normally, I never, ever respond to negative Tweets because, you know, all you’re doing is confirming to this person that you’ve actually read it and it may have gotten to you, so I never usually respond. But on this occasion, I thought, Here you’ve got another fellow professional of the sport that should know better, and he’s directing it at me. I’ve never met the guy, he doesn’t even fight in the UFC, and I just said, You know what, Tim Kennedy? Go f**k yourself. You’ve missed the train. That bandwagon left two months ago. I don’t know what his problem is. Again, he’s another one in a long list of people who’s trying to make a name off my back.

If you were to guess, when do you think we will see you fight again?
If I was to guess, for me, I’m training hard right now. Obviously, it’s been a few months since the fight, so I’ve gained a few extra pounds but nothing too crazy. I’m not as fat as I have been at some stages, but I want to fight as soon as possible. I’m a fighter, this is what I do. I’ve literally been crawling the walls since my last fight. I’ve been doing my best to maintain my fitness and improve my skills and stay in shape, but without a fight lined up, it’s been pretty hard. It’s hard to maintain motivation.

This is what I do. I truly love the sport and I’m a student of the game. Without a fight lined up it has been hard. So for me, ASAP. If the UFC were to call me up and say, We’ve got a fight for you in the next few weeks, I would be very happy. But I couldn’t put a time as of right now.

 

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Tyron Woodley Eyes July Return, Hopes for Paul Daley Now, Nick Diaz Next

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsNo sooner had Nick Diaz retained his Strikeforce welterweight title in April when he started discussing his future possibilities. There was a potential boxing match with Fernando Vargas thrown around, t…

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No sooner had Nick Diaz retained his Strikeforce welterweight title in April when he started discussing his future possibilities. There was a potential boxing match with Fernando Vargas thrown around, then another one against Jeff Lacy. There was a suggestion that he could face UFC champion Georges St-Pierre in an MMA superfight.

One option that Diaz seemed to immediately dismiss, however, was a rising star in his own company, within his own division, Tyron Woodley. The unbeaten Woodley, in Diaz’s opinion, would be “in a little over his head” moving so quickly into the title picture.

And so the waiting game for Woodley began. At 8-0, he seems stuck in a purgatory between prospect and top-flight contender, and with no easy route to his intended destination at the top. Woodley hopes that road will begin this summer, when he is expecting to fight at a still officially unannounced July 30 show, against an opponent yet to be determined.

While he says the uncertainty of his opponent is not a source of frustration for him, he believes he should only be fighting one of two men: Diaz or Paul Daley. By their account, he’s not ready for them. And by his own, he’s beaten most of the contenders directly below him in the division, and facing anyone else wouldn’t make much sense. What we’re left with is a matchmaking stalemate.

“I think the fans want to see it,” he told MMA Fighting. “You check Twitter and message boards, and the fans want to see me fight these guys. These guys had to fight someone to get a name. Diaz had to beat someone, to knock them out, like he did with Robbie Lawler in the UFC. Daley had to knock out Martin Kampmann. I’m not going to stop asking for these fights.

“They’re calling out people they want to fight, people with names,” he continued. “And I have to sit back and hear them say, ‘Oh, he’s not ready yet,’ or ‘I’ll mess this kid up.’ That’s what they’re saying to the camera, but deep down inside, they don’t believe that.”

Woodley went into his Jan. 7 match against Tarec Saffiedine with the belief that a win would get him a crack at the belt. He handled Saffiedine in a unanimous decision victory and waited to see what would happen next. First, Daley took a fight in the UK and missed weight, but ended up winning. That set him up to fight Diaz, and the fight ended in a first-round TKO for the champion.

Under the currently accepted Strikeforce rankings, Daley is the only contender ahead of Woodley that is free to fight in the summer. He has no idea if it’s a fight being considered, but he doesn’t think it’s one Daley wants.

“For Daley, his wrestling and jiu-jitsu are his weak points,” he said. “He doesn’t want to get put on his back like Josh Koscheck did, like Jake Shields did, like Pat Healy did, especially by a kid who is not in the top 10 rankings, who doesn’t have the same name recognition that these guys have. Daley? I don’t think he wants to fight wrestlers.”

He views the Diaz situation entirely differently. He says straight-up, “I don’t think Diaz avoids bouts with anybody” and that he’s a “fan” of watching him fight. At his best, he can even look at Diaz’s situation objectively, even if it means he’s the odd man out.

“I can’t knock him, I can’t hate on him for what he’s doing,” Woodley said. “Realistically, it’s a lose-lose situation for him. If he fights me, he’s gonna hear he’s not fighting top guys because I’m not as well known. And if he loses, he lost to a prospect while I made my mark off of him. Now where do you go? So he looks around and says, ‘Maybe I’ll get the fight with Georges St-Pierre.’ Why not fight the No. 1 guy in the world? Look at the risk vs. reward, and I can see where he’s at.”

When he shifts back into sportsman mode though, he says things should be more simple. In any other sport, when it gets to postseason or tournament format, or more specifically, when you’re fighting for a championship, winners fight other winners. Victors move forward, and losers are weeded out. And he hasn’t lost. Look around the rest of the division, and few others can say that. Daley lost his last fight. So did Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, and Scott Smith, and KJ Noons and Saffiedine, and the list goes on.

With his six Strikeforce wins, he’s a proven winner, and he emphasizes that he is not “calling out” anyone out of disrespect, but out of ambition. He says he won’t be upset if he doesn’t get Daley or Diaz next, and it won’t change his target.

“If I don’t keep moving towards a world championship, what the heck am I in MMA for?” he said. “I respect these guys as fighters and competitors, but do I want to fight you? Yes, if you’ve got the belt, I do. It’s nothing personal.”

Last week, Zuffa held its annual fighter meetings in Las Vegas, and Woodley looked around the sea of fighters, saw a few he’d fought in the past, others he wants to fight in the future. Diaz was not one of them. He never got a look at him. He did see Daley, however, and the two shook hands and exchanged quick pleasantries.

Afterward, Woodley returned back home, where he is helping his wife take care of their newborn, 3-month old Dylan. Back in the gym, Woodley is working to refine his striking and get back to basics on his considerable wrestling skills, well aware that the highest levels of MMA will require him to be more than proficient at both. Diaz and Daley are very different fighters, and will require very different preparation.

He just doesn’t think they have the preparation to beat him.

“I’m not a good fight for either one,” he said. “I’m faster, more explosive and a much better wrestler than Diaz. He has gas for days, can take a punch better than anybody at 170, and his jiu-jitsu is world class, but look at his three losses: Diego Sanchez, Joe Riggs, Sean Sherk. Nobody recently has fought Diaz on their own terms. They always engage him in his war and they always lose.

“As far as Daley, I just think it’s a good fight for me, a cool bout,” he continued. “Realistically, I don’t get to decide who’s next, but my next fight needs to see a performance like I had against Andre Galvao, like in my first couple bouts. I watched [Bellator’s] Michael Chandler fight the other day, and I was thinking, ‘That’s how I used to fight.’ Putting pressure on guys, heavy pressure. After the second round, he made a gesture with his hands like he was breaking a stick. He was saying, ‘I broke him.’ I’ve got to get back to that. I’m so excited to train, and I’m looking forward to getting back in the cage. I need a big fight.”

 

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Jon Jones on Injured Hand, Future Fights and ‘Most Dangerous Man’

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveA hand injury has UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones out of commission at the moment, so he’s spending less time on the physical side of MMA and more time on the mental side.

In an interview with MMAFighting.c…

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A hand injury has UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones out of commission at the moment, so he’s spending less time on the physical side of MMA and more time on the mental side.

In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Jones said that it will be at least another month before he’s cleared for full-contact training again, and that has him working more on strategy and tactics and staying away from striking and grappling. But Jones said he does expect to return to the Octagon this year, and he doesn’t think there’s any dearth of available opponents.

Jones also talked about his desire to coach on The Ultimate Fighter, the fights he’s most looking forward to watching, and whether he deserves to be considered the world’s most dangerous man. The full interview is below.

Michael David Smith: Let’s start with the question everyone is asking you: How’s your hand?
Jon Jones: My hand is healing up, but it’s definitely not ready to withstand full-on combat training. But it is healing up.

What can you do and what can’t you do?
As far as training, the main thing I can’t do is grapple — catching myself falling hurts it and causes pain. That’s actually the biggest thing, catching myself while falling, and that’s the thing I have to stay away from the most. As for what I can do, I can run, I can shadow box, I can study footage, I can come up with tactics, come up with strategies to prepare myself for future opponents and I think the mental aspect of combat is really important, and that’s something that I can work on right now.

When do you think you’ll be ready to fight next?
I’m not sure.

Do you think it will be this year?
Yes, this year would be nice, but I’m really not sure. I know I need exactly one more month before I’m clear to start working out again, so this year would be nice — I’d be happy.

Who do you think your next opponent will be?
I don’t know, man. That’s up to Dana White, we’ll have to wait and see who wins and who loses and whether people have injuries and stuff like that. So I can’t really make a statement on that. I’ll just have to let the fights work out.

Given your time frame of maybe fighting late in the year, do you think you might be a coach on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter?
Being a coach on The Ultimate Fighter is on my vision wall — something I plan to do as a goal and a life dream. Hopefully it happens but when it happens I don’t know.

What’s your opinion of the state of the light heavyweight division these days? Most people think it’s the most talented division in the UFC, but there haven’t been a whole lot of title fights, with Shogun Rua and Lyoto Machida fighting twice and then Shogun needing close to a year off before fighting you, and now you needing some time off with your hand, do you think it’s a problem that the title isn’t being defended all that often?
No, not at all. There are lots of entertaining fights to be had even if there aren’t title fights. There’s great talent and almost every fighter in the Top 10 could potentially be in a title fight in this organization.

As a fan are there any fights in particular you’re looking forward to?
Junior dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin — that should be a great fight to watch, and that’s the fight I’m most looking forward to. And then there’s Rampage Jackson against Matt Hamill, that’s a fight that could go so many different ways so I’m looking forward to that as well.

You technically have a loss on your record to Matt Hamill although even he admits that you didn’t really lose that fight. Do you have any desire to fight him again and maybe get a definitive win over him? Do you think that if he beats Rampage Jackson he’d deserve to fight you?
I don’t think him beating Rampage would be enough for him to earn a title fight. I have no desire to fight Matt Hamill again. That was a great performance and it’s history now. I’m looking for new opponents, new threats and new challenges. I’ve already had the Hamill fight.

You’re nominated for the most dangerous man in Spike’s Guys’ Choice Awards. It’s you against Manny Pacquiao. Do you think of yourself as the most dangerous man in the world?
No, I don’t. I think there are guys out there who would probably beat me up in a fight. If you ever think to yourself as the biggest man there’s going to be someone bigger. If you let yourself think you’re the best man someone else will be better. I have to focus on getting better myself. So I don’t think I’m the world’s most dangerous man. But when it comes to me and Pacquiao, I would certainly beat him in an MMA match because I’m so much bigger than him and it’s mixed martial arts compared to someone who just uses one martial art in boxing. But the whole situation is just an honor to be a part of, and hopefully they choose me.

Where do you put yourself among all the fighters in MMA? Do you think you’re the best, pound for pound?
No, not at all. I would still be behind Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva. I’ve had some great performances but I have some improving to do as a martial artist. Shogun was a great champion to beat but there were a lot of holes in his game. I still have to prove I can beat phenomenal wrestlers and phenomenal boxers. I have to do my best against every style of martial artist and show I’m a complete martial artist. So I don’t consider myself the pound-for-pound best. But I do consider myself one of the top martial artists in that I think I’m one of the people who really loves martial arts, who cherishes what it means to be a martial artist in and out of the cage.

Is there anyone you could point to whom you haven’t fought yet who would be the best opponent for you?
No. I just look at the whole division. I don’t see one guy I haven’t fought.

Immediately after you beat Shogun, Joe Rogan said on the pay-per-view broadcast, “He might be the greatest talent that we’ve ever seen in the UFC.” Do you think of yourself along those lines?
I think that could be the case in the future. But I just have to strive for greatness, keep the passion, keep the dedication, keep working toward my goals. Right now I think that’s a little premature to say, but I think it could be true one day.

Are you surprised by how fast stardom has come for you? Not just being a UFC champion but also being on The Tonight Show and that sort of thing?
Yes, that’s very surprising. My goal was just to be the best fighter I could be and now I’m achieving things beyond that like being a role model and having people know who I am outside of MMA, and that’s really, really cool. That’s what comes from hard work and dedication and striving for greatness.

 

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