Press Release – LOS ANGELES, CA – The following quotes are from tonight’s UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV for UFC ON FUEL TV 7: BARAO VS. MCDONALD, hosted by Jay Glazer, with UFC light heavyweight number-one contender Chael Sonnen and Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz offering analysis. This was the first time FUEL TV used the “Fan CAMeo,” letting viewers be featured in the show.
UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Dominick Cruz on how Barao beat McDonald: “He used his strength. When he got a hold of McDonald, look at how he keeps his knee on the hip for the final submission. That pushes McDonald away from him and brings the head into him, which keeps the submission even tighter. Barao’s submission game the most threatening part of his game. I love how he used the upper body clench and was able to drop down to the body for the takedowns. You’re wearing down the guy and taking away their punching power. Then you drop to the legs and wearing him down. Barao used his size and grappling to his advantage.”
Cruz about what concerns him about fighting Barao: “Nothing really concerns me. What I noticed was the way McDonald chose to fight Barao. He had the same problems I thought Barao would give him. He can’t take down Barao, which gave him more chances to win and he could go for the takedowns. He can stay on the outside and strike. On top of that, McDonald was looking for the power shots, and was not looking to set them up. He was looking to counter them or force them. And, as I thought, Barao was able to keep the distance and keep McDonald from landing the big shot. He was able to dictate the range, keep the distance and score the takedowns that won the fight.”
Cruz on how he’d fight Barao: “I fight differently than anyone else. I’m not going to stand in front of you. I’m not just going to counter you and I mix things up. You take away range with angles. I can wrestle. I’m not going to just stand in front of him and strike the whole time. Feints ruin the entire game of Barao, in my opinion. You take away the range by taking away the jab. He’s going to be confused when he gets in there looking for me.”
Barao on if McDonald was toughest fight: “There’s no doubt he’s a very young talent and a very tough guy. But no, all my fights are very tough. He was just another tough fight that I had to encounter. The toughest fight is going to be the next one.”
Barao if he can beat Dominick Cruz: “I will train very hard. I’m looking forward to the fight and I want to give a great show and beat him. I wish Dominick a quick recovery so he can come fight and give a great fight to the fans.”
Cruz responds to Barao wishing him for a speedy recovery: “Thanks for the best wishes. Enjoy that title because the truth is I’m the champ and I can’t wait to get in there and fight him. This guy is so good. I’m excited. He has so many different tools and is such a different challenge than I’ve ever faced. I love the challenge. I’m excited for it. I’m sorry that I’m making you wait for me. You deserve to get to fight me and you deserve to get that loss.”
UFC President Dana White on UFC ON FUEL TV 7: “The prelims were awesome. We broke a record here, the biggest gate they’ve ever done. The fans seemed happy. So if they’re happy, I’m happy.”
White on Barao winning: “What really impressed me was McDonald. McDonald has sharp hands, has fast hands, and Barao took some big shots from him early and kept his composure and really came back. I thought he looked like a real champ.”
White on James Te Huna’s performance: “I didn’t see it coming from him. I usually hate that stuff, but it was quick and he pulled it off. I’ll admit I liked it. Te Huna has a hell of a chin and a hell of a heart. He was hurt bad in that first round, but came back and showed what he was made of.”
White clarifying his remarks about Cruz retiring: “At the press conference they said, when is he coming back? And I said, I don’t know, hopefully soon. They asked if we would strip him of the title, and I said, no we wouldn’t. Let’s see what happens. Then I said if he gets another serious injury that puts him out over a year again, then I’d assume he’d consider retiring. You can’t not work for three years and you can’t sit on the belt for three years. That’s what I said. Never did I say if he’s gets hurt, he has to retire. If he got another serious injury again, he might look at retiring, not me saying he should.”
White on Dominick Cruz: “I love Dominick Cruz. He’s a great champion and a hell of a kid, he works hard, and he’s smart. At least FOX loves him. He’s an analyst, and he can do other things too. I want to see him back here fighting Renan Barao for the championship.”
Cruz responds to White: “I’m really glad that Dana cleared that up. The media likes to construe things when they can. Wrong again media! And Dana White didn’t say that.”
UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Chael Sonnen on Poirier vs. Swanson: “This was extremely close. This was a fight that was completely about two different paces. You had Cub Swanson who was fast and explosive, versus Poirier who was a little slower, but very methodical and consistent. This was fantastic to watch. It went three close rounds. I only had one for Poirier, but going into the third it was anybody’s fight and that’s where Cub really turned it on. He had a little luck on his side; they ended up in a scramble and he came out on top.”
Cruz on Swanson’s victory: “The takedown at the end of the fight is what really shocked me about Cub. He went the whole fight without looking for one takedown, then towards the end of the fight he get this takedown and he’s able to put him on his back and start piecing things together in his ground game. Besides that, Cub’s standup was looking incredible. His boxing was picking him apart. He’s always throwing power shots. He’ll throw and right hand, he’ll come underneath, the counter hook, and throw an overhand left and everything just flows together with him. It’s nice to watch.”
Cub Swanson on if he was satisfied with his performance: “I knew he was going to be a tough guy. I just know I’m sharper than that and I was really frustrated about that. I know I need to do better. I know I did good enough to get the win. I’m proud of that. I fought through it, but I could be better. He did a good job pulling back just enough and I give him credit. He was a lot trickier than I thought and my hat’s off to him. He was talking some trash at the end, but I won it.”
Sonnen on Jimi Manuwa vs. Cyrille Diabate: “Manuwa moves to 13-0 and he stopped them all. This was interesting. We’ve got Cyrille, five-time kickboxing champ, plus Manuwa, who was trained in the streets, a true fighter. So you have a technician versus a brawler and I thought Manuwa beat him everywhere.”
Jimi Manuwa on how the fight ended against Diabate: “The fight didn’t go according to plan. I’m upset that I didn’t get to finish him. I’m disappointed that it didn’t go on.”
Sonnen on Jimmo vs. Te Huna: “Jimmo gets a knock down in the first and swarms, but Te Huna showed heart. Jimmo punched himself out. When Jimmo got on the ground, couldn’t tell if it was inexperience or being tired, but he looked like he didn’t know what he was doing. This helps Te Huna’s confidence. When you can come from behind, that’s the sign of a champion. He comes back and finds a way.”
James Te Huna on what happened with the head kick from Jimmo: “To be honest, I can’t remember how I got my on my back. I asked my coach how I ended up on my back I thought it was a takedown and he said it wasn’t a takedown. He threw a head kick at me and I ended up on my back so I was that close to being finished.”
Te Huna on how he overcame the knockdown in the first round: “Just putting in a lot of hours and hard work in the gym. I’ve been in that position before and been hurt and come out and try to stay on top and stay dominant. Eventually he started wearing down a bit and gassing a bit and that’s when I took advantage.”
Sonnen on Jorge Santiago vs. Gunnar Nelson: “Santiago fought a great fight, but Nelson out grappled him. He made him look amateurish at times. Nelson has a different style.”
Cruz on Matthew Riddle vs. Che Mills: “Riddle finally went out there and fought a thinking fight. He went out there and wrestled Che and grinded him and stayed on that single leg. I couldn’t get why Che was still kicking him after he’s been taken down.”
Sonnen: “Mills looked horrible tonight and he needs to get in shape.”
Sonnen on Rousey vs. Carmouche: “Rousey is a pure athlete. We’re talking about an Olympian. We’re talking about a world champion both at the Strikeforce and the UFC. We’re talking about a debut. We’re talking about UFC 157. She’s taking on one of the only women willing to fight her.”
Cruz on Rousey’s strengths: “One of the reasons I like Rousey as a fighter is she’s doesn’t try to do something she’s not super good at. She knows I’m not a boxer. She uses her boxing to get her hips inside to toss you on your head so she can use her grappling. And she’s been able to rip people’s arms off with that technique every single fight. Carmouche though, let’s not forget she’s got a lot of experience. She’s a strong girl and she’s got a great mentality to fight a girl like Rousey and this is going to be a great fight to watch.”
Sonnen on Machida vs. Henderson: “To get a world champion like Lyoto Machida on the docket with a world champion like Dan Henderson is very rare. Guys, this fight could sell out any arena in the world.”
Cruz on Machida vs. Henderson: “The reason I love this fight so much is styles make fight. You have a karate guy versus a wrestler, and the wrestler is going to be chasing Machida around the entire fight trying to figure out how to get a hold of him. It’s the perfect match-up.”
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