Tag: quick quote

UFC featherweight ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung is set to headline his first UFC event this coming Tuesday when he steps into the cage against ‘The Diamond’ Dustin Poirier in Fairfax, Virginia.

Jung has grabbed two memorable victories in 2011, having knocked out Mark Hominick in seven seconds at UFC 140 and submitted Leonard Garcia with the first twister submission in the Octagon.

The Korean hopes for another memorable win against Poirier, feeling that a victory will launch him into the No. 1 contender spot.

Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Jung had this to say about the fight.

Do you think a win over Dustin Poirier should make you the No. 1 contender at 145?
Yes, I think so. I think right now Dustin and I are the main contenders for a fight against Aldo, for a number of reasons, so it makes sense that the winner of our fight would be the next in line for Aldo.

Do you feel as though not enough people talk about you as one of the current top contenders in the weight class?
A lot of people count me out as a top contender in at 145. I still have a lot to prove in the minds of the fans and in my own mind, as well. I want to fight, and beat, the best competition. Once I’ve done that, people will have no doubt about my standing in the division. I want to prove it to myself and to everyone else. Shouldn’t that be the goal of every fighter? To fight the toughest guys, the best guys and show that you’re better than them?

Have you brought in anyone in particular to help you to train for Poirier?
I’ve been working with our team captain, Jang Yong Kim, because he most closely resembles Poirier skill-wise. Other than that, I’ve been working my all around game, because Dustin is such a well-rounded fighter. Ben Henderson stopped by and trained with KTT a few times, too. He is a great guy and a beast in training, so working with a guy like that is only going to help.

The two headline the May 15, 2012 UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier event at the Patriot Center in Fairfax. Their bout will air on FUEL TV.

Heavyweight fighter Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva (16-3) has one of the biggest fights of his career coming up at the end of the month when he faces former UFC champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 146.

Not only is ‘Bigfoot’ making his Octagon debut on May 26 against a former champ, but he’s the co-headliner for the event. So one could hardly blame him for pulling out all the stops in preparation for Velasquez.

Speaking to Tatame.com, Silva tells them that he’s brought in a few wrestlers and strikers into his camp for the fight. One of those wrestlers happens to be someone who competed against Velasquez in high school, former 2008 Olympian Steve Mocco.

“I was really glad about the opportunity. It’s my UFC debut and they are giving me a chance to fight one of the top two guys of the division, a former champion. I have two and a half weeks ahead of me and I guarantee it’s going to be a good fight”, said the heavyweight fighter.

Questioned about the changes on his trainings with his opponent replaced, the Brazilian affirmed he needed to bring two wrestlers to help him out, besides some strikers.

“I brought a couple of wrestlers to help me out. One of them (Steve Mocco) fought Cain Velasquez three times in high school and defeated him every single one. He’s spending a couple of weeks here to give me tips and tell me why I should worry about Cain Velasquez”, said.

“He’s a good guy. He’s very strong, about the same height as Cain and has a lot of experience for having fought him before. It’s a great thing for me. There’re some strikers coming to support me too, like Mark Hunt, who’s being really helpful. There’s Thiago Silva, who’s a great helping hand at this point”.

We’ll have to wait and see if bringing in a wrestler like Mocco, who defeated Velasquez in high school, will help him or not.

Less than a month ago, UFC welterweight Paulo Thiago (14-4) suffered the first knockout loss of his career at the hands of promotion newcomer Siyar Bahadurzada at the UFC on FUEL TV 2 event in Sweden.

The stoppage was also the first of Thiago’s career, having only been defeated by decision three previous times, and now puts him at 1-3 in his last four matches.

Speaking to Tatame.com, Thiago admitted that he made a “fatal” mistake against Bahadurzada and vows to get back on the “winning track” in his next fight.

“There was no fight. Congratulations Siyar for having punched me at the right time. There’s no bruise in my face, but my neck still hurts. I don’t know what happened to my neck, if he punched it really hard”, reveals the fighter.

“I went for a swing and wanted to fit him a hook, I wanted to take him down so he wouldn’t keep his guard up. But then he moved. I made a mistake because I was too far from him, so I gave him the chance to counterattack. I made a mistake and paid for it. On a fight we make many mistakes and get things write and in the end of the day it’s about who makes fewer mistakes. But there wasn’t it. My mistake was fatal”, said.

UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva took place on April 14, 2012 at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. The bout between Thiago and Baharduzada appeared on the FUEL TV broadcasted main card.

It’s likely a dream for to be headlining your first major mixed martial arts event at twenty-three years old, but UFC featherweight Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier (12-1) will do just that next Tuesday (May 15, 2012) when he faces ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 3.

Poirier could potentially go 5-0 in the Octagon and it’s something that “means everything” to the Louisiana fighter, who carries a five fight win streak into the televised main event.

A win for ‘The Diamond’ would certainly put him into title contention especially after the recent announcement by the UFC naming Erik Koch as the number one contender. To put things in perspective, Koch is just 2-0 in the UFC and is on a four fight win streak.

In a recent interview with MMAMania.com, Poirier talks about the importance of this fight with ‘The Korean Zombie’, Koch earning the title shot over him and others in the division, his “tunnel vision” when it comes to training and more. Be sure to hit the link to read Part 1 of the interview.

Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You mentioned that tunnel vision, that obsession that you have with your opponent once you know who it is. Can you tell me about what that’s like where you’ve got your opponent on your mind 24/7. Is it tough to take a break from it?

Dustin Poirier: It doesn’t go away until the fight’s over with. I’m a madman. I’m a crazy person. All I think about is fighting. All I do is thinking about winning this fight, what happens if I win this fight, the years of work and dedication that I’ve put in to get to this point, taking a couple of steps back after this fight with a loss or taking a leap forward with a win. Going 5-0 in the UFC means everything to me.

This fight, getting my hand raised means everything to me and there’s nothing else I want to be doing on May 15th except winning, fighting and winning. I’m intense. It’s all or nothign with everything I do. When I get ready and I find out who I’m fighting and I start getting emotions, I lock myself away from the world. I’m at the gym all day. That’s just the kind of person I am. These last three months have been a 12 week training camp. It’s been 85 days.These last three months I’ve been either at the gym or at my house.

My wife and I pass each other up. She’s going to school, I’m here in the morning, I’m here at night. It’s like I’m living in my own world. I don’t hang out with my mom or my brother and I don’t hang out with family or friends that often in person even though we’re in the same town. I’m committed 100 percent to any fight that I’m in.

Former UFC and PRIDE heavyweight champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1, 1NC) will be looking for a win when he returns to Canada this summer when he faces French striker Cheick Kongo at UFC 149.

Nogueira’s last visit North of the 49 ended in up with him having his arm broken by Frank Mir at UFC 140 in Toronto, Ontario. The loss was the first time the Brazilian had been stopped by submission in his career.

Since that time, ‘Big Nog’ has undergone surgery and a lot of rehab to repair the damage done by Mir in their fight. Many felt that Nogueira would be out for the year, let along taking a fight eight months after breaking his arm.

Speaking to Tatame.com, Nogueira wants fans to know that he is fully healed and will be 100% ready by the time July 21st rolls around.

How are you physically? Do you have any move limitations?
No. I’m doing fine. I don’t have any move limitations, but I want to be 100 percent when the fight comes. I’m feeling well enough to train and do my physiotherapy sessions, which is something I always do. I’m just making sure I’ll get there to mess around. I had a disappointment in my last fight against Frank Mir, because it was won and I had a bad outcome afterwards. I’ll try to keep my mistakes to a minimum now.

How do you evaluate Check Kongo?
I’m coming from a loss and so does he. Both want to win, but I’m not losing my aggressive side and I’ll try to finish it. I respect Kongo. He’s strong, dangerous at striking, comes forward, but I believe I’m better than him and that I can win.

Are you going for the knockout?
As per use, I’m going for the KO or the submission. Kongo will do his best to knock me out or submit me, but I believe I have more weapons

UFC 149 is expected to take place on July 21, 2012 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.