Tag: Press Release

Press Release – LOS ANGELES, CA – The following quotes are from today’s UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV, for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 16 FINALE. The show was hosted by Jay Glazer, with UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson and UFC Light Heavyweight Contender Chael Sonnen offering analysis. Heidi Androl conducted fighter interviews on-site in Las Vegas. Plus, we have an interview with UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre who talks about his upcoming fight against Nick Diaz, and Sonnen and Henderson break down the UFC 155 title fight between Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez.

UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Chael Sonnen’s impression of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 16 FINALE: “This was an incredible night. Everyone came out to get it on. They got after, including the losers.”

Sonnen on Roy Nelson vs. Matt Mitrione: “Mitrione asked for this fight. He came out and threw some big shots and delivered some good kicks. But when Roy gets through and hurts you, he goes for it. Mitrione started to have some good moments, but then it didn’t work.”

Henderson on Mitrione’s mistake in the fight: “He stood in there with Roy, which is what he shouldn’t have done. Roy Nelson is a specialist and he does what he does really, really well.”

Sonnen on Nelson looking better in this fight: “Roy weighed in lighter than he ever has and he moved really well. He only has a few skills, so does Dan Henderson and Mike Tyson, but he uses them really well. It’s all about distance and range. You make a fist and run it into your target and we see Roy do it over and over. Roy is so good at it. Dan Henderson is, too. It makes your opponents think about the hand. Mitrione was covering up and then Roy gets it. If you can trust your chin, you know you can take it and give it back.”

Henderson on Nelson’s technique: “The Diaz brothers do the same thing. They have a good chin and they’re just going to keep going right at you, throwing punches.”

UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Reporter Heidi Androl asks Roy Nelson if he was surprised at finishing Matt Mitrione: “No, I think I was surprised he stood in front of me. He wanted the fight and I brought it to him.”

Nelson on if he was going to use his jiu jitsu skills in the fight: “I was going to use my jiu jitsu. I was waiting to use it in second round. I knew it was a five-round fight and I wanted it to go five rounds.”

Nelson on if he still wants to fight Shane Carwin: “I’m focused on someone else now. Shane, I’ve gone down that road two times and don’t need to go down that again. I’m also the best coach, my guy won tonight.”

Nelson on if he saved something for the fight: “With me, I like to use my weaker stuff first in the fight, so I start with my striking. If I can do that, I will, before I use my better stuff.”

Sonnen on who he’d like to see Nelson fight next: “I’d love to see him fight for the title. I know he’s busy turning down offers to model for GQ. I like the Mark Hunt fight, after Hunt fights Stefan Struve.”

Henderson on who Nelson should fight next: “I could see him fight Bigfoot or maybe Overeem. I think the Bigfoot fight would be good.”

Sonnen on Nelson fighting Bigfoot: “I’d love to see the Bigfoot fight. Roy is a legitimate top 10 heavyweight. He may not look the part, but he gets his hand raised over and over.”

Sonnen on Colton Smith vs. Mike Ricci: “Smith is a wrestler and military man, plus he was representing Roy Nelson’s team as he took on Ricci. The whole story of the fight was wrestling. The good news for Colton, when he gets on top, he’s really good. Ricci was caught on the ground many times in the fight and found the way out, but Smith maintained the top position.”

Henderson on Smith vs. Ricci: “Ricci was supposed to be a better athlete, but Smith showed more desire and really took it to him.”

Sonnen on Ricci trying to stop the fight after a low blow: “You cannot stop in a fight. It is your opponent’s job to try to hurt you. You can’t call time out. Calling time out is calling it quits.”

Henderson: “You have to protect yourself at all times. They tell you that at the start of every fight.”

Sonnen on Smith’s style: “He compared himself to Jon Fitch. Smith was all over Ricci. It was an endurance test and it was constant pressure. Ricci was a step behind the whole fight.”

Henderson on Smith dictating the fight with his wrestling: “Wrestling dictates fights, whether you want to stay standing or go to the ground. You need wrestling to dictate that.”

Smith on what he was expecting from his opponent Mike Ricci: “I knew he was a tough striker and he had knockout power in his knees and elbows. I had to keep it tight and get inside. I know he trains at a great camp with Tristar, but mine was great, too. I usually can soften guys up and get the choke and he’s a very gamed opponent and I just couldn’t get it on him. He has a bright future in the UFC.”

Smith on what was going through his mind before the fight: “The unknown, I’ve never fought in this place before, the atmosphere, it was great. The UFC is very structured. I come from the military and like the structure.”

Smith if he’ll move down to 155: “If Tim Kennedy moves down to 170, I’m definitely moving down to 155. I train with him and he beats me up all the time. I’m the little guy in my camp and get beat up all the time. I’d like to thank all the guys who I serve with, thank you for what you do. They’re the true warriors. We’re not the true warriors in the cage. They’re the real heroes.”

Sonnen on Pat Barry vs. Shane Del Rosario: “The question with Pat Barry is always one thing: Can he keep it standing long enough to finish his opponent? And in the first round, the answer was no. Shane took him down. Shane was going for an arm lock and we Pat Barry fans thought this was the end. Pat escaped. And at the beginning of the end of the match, Pat realizes what happened and he just starts swinging. When the referee stepped in, he really had no choice.”

Henderson on Barry vs. Del Rosario: “This fight, while it was a bad knockout, was so back-and-forth. Del Rosario had his chance in the first round, but Pat was able to shake it off, come back and get that big KO.”

Henderson on why Barry can get long on his punches: “He’s able to sit down and fully extend his arms. When most guys punch, they just move their arms. Barry turns his whole body. He rotates and gets that extra couple of inches that really maximize his length.”

Sonnen on Barry: “He does what you’re supposed to do. That’s how we’re taught to do it, but so many guys are worried about defense that they put their hands out because they want to get it to the face. But not Pat. He commits full-speed ahead. It happened tonight. He’s a veteran. When he smells blood, he goes in for it like a shark.”

Sonnen on who he’d like to see Barry fight next: “I’d like to see him against the winner of Stephan Struve’s next fight. Struve and Barry fought once before and even though he lost to Struve, it was a good fight. What I’d really like to see is him vs. Hunt, if Hunt can pull the upset.”

Henderson on who he’d like to see Barry fight next: “Obviously, one of the greatest fights was him vs. Cheick Kongo. I’d like to see a rematch of that fight.”

Pat Barry comments on the tragedy in Connecticut during his winner’s speech: “If you have kids, hug them like it’s their last day. Hug your parents, hug your best friends, and if you have any beef with anybody – even if it was ten years ago – tell them you’re sorry and that you love them. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Sonnen on the tragedy in Connecticut: “It’s so sad, but like Jay Glazer said: Let’s suspend reality a little. Let’s try to offer people a distraction. It’s hard to move forward, but maybe we can offer a distraction. This is tough.”

Henderson on the tragedy in Connecticut: “There are a lot more important things in life than fighting. I love it – it pays the bills and it’s fun to do. But there’re a lot more important things and you have to make sure you hug your loved ones.”

Sonnen on Dustin Poirier vs. Jonathan Brookins “That fight with The Korean Zombie was a title elimination bout, so that’s how high up on the food chain Poirier is. He got beat, he fixed things, and went to a new camp. Brookins is no easy task – he looked great in this fight, but Poirier just stormed him. There were moments when Poirier was purely on defense, but he weathered the storm and then turned around and put the pressure on Brookins. As soon as he locked it up, it was over.”

Henderson on Poirier improving his skills: “He might have picked a thing or two up from The Korean Zombie and used it on this fight.”

Henderson on Poirier’s takedown: “We have to look how quickly he sinks into it. Right from the takedown, he slides into it with no hesitation. Instead of going belly down, he goes belly up, turns and locks the head and chopped the leg. He goes into the opposite direction that most guys take the darts. It’s a very high-level move on his part.”

Georges St-Pierre on cage rust in his last fight vs. Condit: “I’m not a vehicle. I’m not a car. Fighting, that’s what I do every day. I was ready for this. I did a lot of visualization before the fight. Of course, the feeling of the Octagon, I lost it a little bit, but I got it back very fast.”

GSP on how it was fighting Carlos Condit: “It was a very tough fight. Carlos is very durable fighter. He’s very hard to finish. I’m very happy with my performance. I gave everything I had. I tried my best. I used the best of what I’ve got to perform. I couldn’t do better and I’m very happy with the fight I did.”

GSP on being involved with NOS Energy Drink: “I wanted to get involved with NOS because we stand for the same thing – getting the job done and no nonsense. They know MMA very well. It’s about high performance and that’s what I’m about.”

GSP on NOS’s involvement with his foundation to stop bullying: “For me it’s important as a fighter to give back to society. NOS and all my sponsors get involved in those things to make the world a better world. I’m happy they’re getting involved with anti-bullying with me.”

GSP on why he wants to fight Nick Diaz next: “As an athlete, I want to give fans the fight they want to see. Logically, I just finished my fight with Carlos Condit. The last fight between Carlos and Nick was controversial. I truly believe Carlos won, but some people believe Nick won. A lot of things have been said between us. This is the fight everyone wanted to see a year ago, I want big fights. Right now it was logical to fight Nick Diaz. I’m fighting for myself first and I’m fighting for fans, for the show and for the UFC and I wanted to make this fight happen. I want this fight.”

Henderson asks GSP on how he’ll match up against Nick Diaz: “That’s funny you asked that question, because I watched very carefully your fight against Nate Diaz. It was a great display of athleticism, technique and wrestling. I’m going to try to use some of the stuff you have done in the fight to win over Nick Diaz as well. I’m going to learn from what you did and try to apply it in my game plan. Thanks for showing me the blueprint.”

GSP on why he’s not fighting Johny Hendricks: “I’m not ducking him. I can’t split myself in half. A lot of people want to fight me. Anderson Silva, Johny Hendricks, Nick Diaz. Everyone is calling me. They want the big fight and the Pay-Per-View. I’m going to take one fight at a time. The fight fans want to see the most right now is Nick Diaz. For me right now it’s the fight I can do the fastest is Nick Diaz. I don’t have to gain weight. It’s right there. He’s coming out of his suspension. That’s a fight and I want the best challenge. Johny Hendricks is a good challenge and is an amazing fighter, but I saw his fight with Josh Koscheck and it was very close. Some people give it to Josh. But he won in a very good fashion in his last fight. For me I was more motivated to fight Nick than Johny Hendricks. I know Johny is going to smack talk to motivate me, but right now I’m focused on Nick Diaz and we’ll see what happens later.”

GSP on how many more fights he wants: “I don’t know. I love what I do for a living. I love my job. I found the fire back. I want to give the fans a big fight. I don’t want to talk in the future, because we don’t know what can happen. I hate when they ask me when I have a fight coming up what the next one is like I’ve already won. This is the worst thing that can happen, not focusing on the present moment. I try to focus on Nick right now and we’ll see what happens. But I want to fight a lot of times and we’ll see what the future will give me.”

Sonnen breaks down the UFC 155 heavyweight title bout between Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos: “We’ve got a new year coming, and we’ll have a new champion if Cain Velasquez gets his way. But he’s got to stop the guy that took the strap from him over a year ago: Junior dos Santos. Both of these guys have a 77-inch reach. You wouldn’t notice that if you watch them. Cain keeps his hands in, keeps his arms close, gets inside, dirty boxes, and gets in nice and tight. Junior keeps you at arm’s length and you would think by watching him that Junior has three or four inches on Cain.”

Henderson on how Junior fights: “Another thing to take note of is that Junior is only three inches taller than Cain, but he fights so much differently. Junior fights tall; he fights up. Cain fights down in his hunches. He wants to get inside. Those three inches are actually a little more than that.”

Sonnen on Velasquez underperforming in their last fight: “Fighters always want to keep their height. Focusing on Cain, I want to point out that the last fight between the two was not a fair statement of Cain Velasquez. He underperformed. It was his first time on FOX, his first time on network TV and he was a huge favorite. He underestimated his opponent. He was a deer in the headlights, and he underperformed.”

Henderson on dos Santos having KO power: “About the champion, dos Santos has such power in his hands. He has that true KO, one-hit, KO power. But he still lands that shot on everybody because he does such a good job with setting it up. He goes to the body with his punches. He has that good, long jab, and then hits the uppercut on everybody. He lands that because he sets it up.”

Melvin Guillard on when he was told his fight was cancelled: “I was told in my locker room. I was sitting down and getting my rules meeting from my ref. Then someone in his corner accused me of greasing. I was a little riled up. Then they told me Varner was throwing up and the fight was cancelled, but I thought it was a joke. I’m still warming up but then the commissioner came in I knew it was over. When Joe Silva came in I knew.”

Guillard on how he felt not getting to fight: “I’m upset. I cut 30 pounds. I was going to get the best of Jamie Varner. Hopefully, I’ll get back in the gym and get on the card on February 2 with my teammates Rashad and Alistair.”

Guillard on if he still wants to fight Varner: “No, he’ll never get the chance to fight me. I thought what he did tonight was cowardly. I lost all respect for him. I have a level of respect for him as a person, but not as a fighter.”

Guillard on being told he’ll fight Varner at UFC 155: “That’s cool. I just hope he doesn’t back out again. The UFC might want to line up someone else to fill in if he backs out again.”

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