UFC president, Dana White, ready for UFC on Fox 3
MMADieHards.com was on site with Dana White during the media scrum after UFC on FOX 3 Presser, which was held at the Beacon Theater in NYC.
While there, White addresses issues related to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, refereeing, and the difference between MMA and baseball. UFC on Fox 3 takes place May 5 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (Photo courtesy of 5th Round)
“When I started practicing martial arts, Chael Sonnen, doesn’t start practicing in martial arts, he is a wrestler. So he doesn’t know what martial arts is. It’s respect. Respect for a country, respect for the people and respect toward human beings. Many times, people ask me, ‘But isn’t he promoting the fight?’ Yeah, okay, but there are many different ways to do that. He did not respect our country, he disrespected my family and above all, he disrespected all the UFC audience and some people don’t realize that. They find it great what he is doing. In my opinion, I think the best fight of the century would be myself and my clone, that’s something I think will never happen. That doesn’t mean I am the best, that means I would like to be beaten by someone, many other things may happen, much like Sonnen here. He beat me for five rounds, but he didn’t do the most important thing which was to win. So, I am going to continue to do my job, I am going to practice really hard and I am going to try and bring this victory to Brazil.”
- Anderson Silva explained at the UFC 148 pre-fight press conference that Chael Sonnen lacks respect due to a lack of being a true martial artist.
“I don’t’ know man, this guy says the craziest things, he is surrounded by such yes men and it’s unbelievable that he actually thinks like that. He talks about his legacy, he is so close to the trees that he can’t see the forest. Come to America and ask people what they think of him. I mean this guy is the real deal, wow, he became the number one contender when he beat up the great Chris Leben, he then defended his belt against the great Patrick Cote and the amazing Thales Leites, what a star this guy is. What about the fact that I called him out for six years, ‘He disrespected my family.’ Yes, I did and what did you do about it? You didn’t do a damn thing and you’re not going to do anything on July 7th. Get your excuses ready now Anderson. I told everybody the first time I fought him that our skills are not even close, I will destroy him and I am going to tell you again now, our skills are not even close. So, go to your Ed Soares school of excuse making and get them handy because you are going to need them on July 7th.”
- Sonnen commented on his bout against Silva at the UFC 148 pre-fight press conference in typical ‘Gangster from Oregon’ fashion.
“I have nothing to say to him. I won’t give him that kinda audience. I don’t care about what he says, I’m not interested. If he wants to say those things looking me in the eye, come here. But that way, saying things when we’re distant, he’s an ass face. Only p—–s say things at your back”.
- Wanderlei Silva talked to Tatame about Sonnen.
“I wasn’t very optimistic about his chances. I didn’t think things were gonna turn out very well for him, as expected. Nine months? That’s not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. I thought he’d get a year, easily a year. Here’s the rules: If he was on anti-inflammatory meds and whatever the deal was, you’re supposed to disclose that to the commission before you get any drug tests. Whatever medicine you’re on, you’re supposed to tell them before you test, not after you test. I’m not a fan. I’m not a fan at all. You’re not going to hear me defending Alistair Overeem on your radio show. We’ll see what happens. He claimed he was on anti-inflammatories which he should have told them before he tested. I know he lied to me. I don’t like it. If they’ll sit in front of you and lie to your face, I don’t know, not the type of guys I wanna do business with.”
- Dana White was a guest of The Jim Rome Show and he explained his anger with Alistair Overeem for failing a drug test.
“There is such fine line with all of the anti-aging stuff that’s out there now. TRT is generally something a guy does in their 40’s and 50’s when their natural production of testosterone drops off. There are other natural ways to boost your own body’s production without replacing it and it’s safer as well, but it still should be under the care of a physician. It’s a very fine and a very personal thing and there is no easy answer. An athlete is using his body to earn a living and entertain the fans, they want to get the most out of themselves, but sometimes they go too far with it.”
- Star of The Expendables 2 and UFC hall of fame member Randy Couture gave his opinion on TRT in MMA to MMA Frenzy.
“I want to see the best fighters; I want to see who is the strongest the best! Guys should be able to do whatever it takes to be the strongest. Getting choked and kicked in the head is really bad for you, worse than pot, TRT, or steroids. I don’t care who’s the cleanest, I wanna’ see the strongest, the fastest and the most gnarly fighters. I don’t want to see who is the best at passing drug test. Overeem isn’t the only guy taking sh*t, he just got caught. I wanna’ see the baddest mother f*ckers going at it. That’s why PRIDE was the best — I wanna see a 205 (ripped) Wanderlei Silva kill dudes.”
- Phil Baroni takes a different stance than Couture when it comes to TRT, as he explained to Fight Sport Asia.
“I really don’t hate Fedor. His management made the biggest f*ck-up in the history of all sports. We flew down there and tried to make Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor and it was for big, big money. They f*ckin’ laughed at it and I told them, and he’ll lie if you ask him this, I told him and he knows I f*ckin’ told him — not Fedor, Vadummy — I told Vadummy, ‘You’re one punch away from being worth zero.’ He didn’t take it. They thought they were too cool and too slick and too f*ckin’ funny. Like I said, they’re not laughing now.”
- White told MMA Interviews he’s laughing at Fedor Emelianenko’s management staff now.
“We’re getting ready to leave Bahrain, and I get detained at the airport. Jardine and Franklin get on the flight, and they take me in the room. They’re asking me all these questions, and they’re furious. One guy’s comin’ in the room and pointin’ at me, all furious, like that. And, what I think is that, I had on the ‘Young Assassin’ shirt, with Melvin Guillard, and there’s a guy with a turban with his brains spillin’ out. I don’t think they liked that too much.”
- Stephan Bonnar detailed his eventful visit to Bahrain, while the TUF 1 finalist was a guest on Inside MMA.
“It’s been said that I might be getting a title shot, but I honestly don’t care at this point. I’m fed up talking about it. I just wanna get in and fight on the 5th. After that, we can talk about it. I try not to (look past Diaz). Nate is a tough fight, and that’s where my focus lies. The title picture got so bottle-necked, with the rematches, and everybody lost. In my opinion, if you have under five UFC fights, let alone wins, you shouldn’t be considered for a title shot yet.”
- Jim Miller told MMA Uncensored his frustrations with the rematches tying up the UFC lightweight belt.
“It was a bittersweet night. I’m glad Jon won, but I’m just sad about the whole situation. It’s nice to just kind of move on and be done with the whole thing. …. I went up after the fight and shook [Rashad Evans'] hand, and we kind of patted each other on the shoulder. That’s kind of where we’re at right now. There’s no animosity or hard feelings on my end at all. We’ll see where it goes from here.”
- Greg Jackson described his current relationship with Rashad Evans on the Savage Dog Show.
“I want to be UFC middleweight champion, and I want to fight Anderson Silva to do it. I have such respect for him as a fighter. It would be an honor and a dream come true to test my skills against his.”
- Recent UFC signee Hector Lombard told mmajunkie he wants the UFC 185-pound title, but he wants to get it by defeating longtime champion, Silva.
“I had to pay them back my signing bonus, but at this point in my career, I would rather do that than sit on the shelf.”
- Jay Hieron explained to NBCSports that he had to pay Bellator to get out of his contract.
“Eddie has been an amazing and important, productive part of Bellator since day one,” Rebney said. “He was one of the first guys I ever signed and one of the first guys I ever went out on a limb for and paid a signing bonus for. He has been worth every penny we’ve paid him. He’s been a class act and a great ambassador for not only Bellator, but the sport of MMA.”
- Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMA DieHards his pleasure of having Eddie Alvarez in his promotion.
“They are so far away, but the thing is, I don’t care about them. I really don’t. I see so many holes in their game, I see a ton. I think it’s confusing, what they do. I’m an expert in martial arts, I could tell them what they could fix, but they’re too arrogant and they don’t know (enough) about my sport that they could understand and fix it. I don’t need to talk about them, but I just know what they do is confusing for fans.”
- MFC owner Mark Pavelich told MMA DieHards what he thinks about Bellator.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/28405/ufc-147-keeps-belfort-vs-silva-2-expected-to-get-champ-aldo-at-date-tba.mma
http://www.mmafighting.com/ufc/2012/4/23/2970255/roy-nelson-vs-gabriel-gonzaga-announced-for-ufc-146-fight-card
UFC Hall of Fame member Chuck Liddell. (Photo courtesy of Zimbio)
“The opening line is five, six-to-one? I think it’s ridiculous. Jones is facing a different style of fighter than he’s fought recently. Jones is used to controlling where the fight is, if it’s on the feet or on the ground. He’s gonna have a real hard time with this one. It’s gonna be a good test for him. I like both guys but it’s definitely not a five-to-one fight. It’s gonna be fun to watch.”
- Chuck Liddell gave his thoughts about Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans to Fight Hub TV.
“Anderson think it through,
There’s still a few months before they lock the cage door behind me and you.
Last time they raised your hand,
But it was plain to see
That I took a lot more out of you than you took out of me.
I broke the mirror and I blew away the smoke.
It was me who tapped,
But it was you who broke”
- Chael Sonnen unveiled his poem for Anderson Silva at the UFC 145 Q&A.
“I think Chael will out-wrestle Anderson and beat him this time, and then I’ll get the rematch with Chael considering how close our fight was. If I had Chael over five rounds, I’d definitely beat him. In that last fight, I’d have stopped him in the fourth for sure. He was spent after trying to submit me in that third round. Towards the end of that round I was raining down shots on him.”
- Michael Bisping told Your MMA what he thinks will happen when Sonnen meets Silva, and when the Brit gets a rematch against the UFC middleweight No. 1 contender.
“I think random drug testing is good. I’ve always been part of a sport where we were always randomly drug tested and that’s good. I’m clean, I don’t take anything and I’m happy to do those kinds of tests. I want to fight against somebody who is clean. If somebody isn’t, that’s definitely a big advantage for them. I want it to be on the same playing field. I’m hoping everyone is clean. With Overeem’s situation, I think the UFC or commission will find something to do and definitely take care of the situation, so I’ll just leave it in their hands.”
- Cain Velasquez told kimura.se he just wants a PED-free opponent.
“Actually, no one in MMA was surprised. I guess it’s impossible to get that big naturally. No one expected it (random drug test), I guess that’s what happened. I don’t know when he stops taking it, I don’t know how these things happen and how he doesn’t not to get caught, but it was a surprise (test)”.
- Fabricio Werdum admitted to Tatame.com that he, nor any of his colleagues are shocked at Alistair Overeem’s testosterone levels.
“Me and Georges are still tight. It’s always been that way he always lived in Montreal, he’s always traveled around. I think people are probing for weaknesses now, anything they can get, but that’s business as usual for Georges. He’s a great guy. Two of my champions are fighting each other and I just step out of it. Let the other coaches get a lot of credit so we have all these protocols now after this situation. Now I step out and those guys will have a lot of fun and I’ll be eating a cheeseburger somewhere. Everything’s cool, Georges is great and we’re the same tight team we’ve always been. I’m not gonna help either of them against each other.”
- Coach Greg Jackson confessed to kimura.se that he will partake in either corner when UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre meets Carlos Condit, two of Jackson’s students.
“There is one thing that is an absolute fact, and no matter how often Greg Jackson pumps that family [expletive], Greg Jackson is a [expletive] businessman. The more top guys he brings in, the more money he makes. There’s nothing wrong with Greg Jackson, but he’s a [expletive] businessman. Some of these fighters, who ought to know better but don’t listen to that [expletive] and don’t take it for the crock of [expletive] that it is. These guys need to make the decision where they train based on where they think they’ll get the best work and develop the best, and not on this [expletive] crazy idea that you’re becoming a part of a family. Greg Jackson [expletive] told Rashad this wouldn’t happen, that they’re family and all that other [expletive], but look what is going on now. Look and see who is at Jackson’s and who is not. Train where you think it’s going to be best for you and if that’s Jackson’s, that’s fine. Just don’t buy into this family [expletive] because there’s nothing to it. This is the fight business, not the friend business.”
- White explained via Yahoo’s Cagewriter that coach Jackson is a business man and that the trainer should not take all the flak from Jones and Evans having a fallout.
“We had a flurry of people contacting us through e-mail, Twitter … Rashad throwing a complete fit … and then Dana having to call him to calm him down. If (people) thought it was just satire, we wouldn’t have had that reaction. Dana had to talk to Rashad on the phone for 30 minutes to calm him down, to tell him, ‘Are you crazy? There’s no way I would ever bet on a fight or bet against you.’ It didn’t read like a joke at all. If you look at the article, when you first read that, it sounds like that they were in a room with Dana, talking to him, and he says, ‘Oh, and he kind of made a mistake and said something, and said ‘Don’t print that.’ We’re currently evaluating whether [their retraction] is sufficient or not. Like I said, there’s been a massive amount of fallout in the wake of them putting out something that is completely reckless in the way that they did. I don’t understand how anybody could defend what they did. It’s a very serious allegation. You’ve got to understand, Rashad’s entire team — his entire camp — was in his ear telling him they read this online and that Dana bet half a million dollars against him. This was a real issue. This isn’t just some kind of slap on the back, funny little joke. This was reckless reporting on their part.”
- UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta spoke to USA Today about the allegations made by a website that White makes financial wagers on UFC bouts.
“When I watch my first fights I used to flail. Everything’s flail-y, and I realize the power of flexing your abdominal when you try to strike and things like that. I definitely feel as though I’m hitting harder, and I’m excited. I wobbled Rampage (Jackson) a little bit when I hit him, and I wobbled Lyoto (Machida) when I hit him, and I think out of all those guys, Rashad has the weakest chin. I think he has the weakest chin of anyone I’ve fought since 2010, and I think I’m going to exploit that.”
- Jones said at the UFC pre-fight press conference his previous opponent’s had a more solid chin than Evans.
“I think a fighter like Dan Henderson or even Chael Sonnen who is a very big 185-pounder and used to compete as a light heavyweight with strong wrestling. They have to take him out of his comfort zone and take away his reach advantage. There is no longer in the division and maybe not in the sport as far as Jones reach. His takedown defense is good and he has very good wrestling. He has very unorthodox striking which makes him very dangerous. I think you have to use the fence, use your wrestling and force him to fight your fight. Either one of those guys can do that.”
- Randy Couture predicted to Five Ounces of Pain who he thinks could beat Jones.
“I want to be champion one day, but I’m still very young. One thing I lack in the top of this division is experience. I need more fights, to stay regular and fight three times a year.”
- Rory MacDonald admitted in a UFC 145 post-fight interview what he lacks and wants.
“I get to eat some pizza, some ice cream; it’s going to be a party tonight! But, no alcohol.”
- Michael McDonald detailed his victory party in a UFC 145 post-fight interview after defeating Miguel Torres.
“[My performance] sucked. I didn’t get the job done…. I allowed his range to kind of throw me off a little bit. I hurt my foot in the second round, so it kind of messed up my mobility a little bit…. It’s something I’ve got to go back and work on…. I thought I could catch him off [grabbing the hands]. I couldn’t and I should have stopped reaching for his hands. His elbows [laughs]. He kept catching me with those elbows. It’s a lesson learned…. I still don’t like him. He fought a good fight, I have respect for him as a fighter. I had respect for him as a fighter before, but I still … nah. I’ll tell you what: We’re going to fight again.”
- Evans admitted in a UFC 145 post-fight interview that he still doesn’t like Jones.
“If (a teammate) can beat me, they can beat me. It is what it is. They deserve to fight me then. I’m not going to hold back some guy that’s in my camp if he wants to fight me. That’s not my thing. It’s just a personal choice and a personal opinion, but I think eventually, hey you guys are going at it, then go out and have two beers together afterwards. Go out there and prove who’s best that day, and go out and be friends again.”
- Liddell was a guest The MMA Hour, and he gave his best advice for teammates fighting one another.
http://mmajunkie.com/news/28371/following-ufc-145-dan-henderson-up-next-for-champ-jon-jones.mma
Ben Askren @Benaskren
@arielhelwani Are you mad at me bc I was cooking lunch during your interview? Or bc I said something to the Canadian fans?
Ariel Helwani @arielhelwani
@Benaskren But yeah, didn’t love it. It happens. Can’t love ‘em all.
Ben Askren @Benaskren
@arielhelwani well since you are an MMA expert what strategy do you suggest I employ to finish. Stand and bang?
Ben Askren @Benaskren
Hey @arielhelwani I am still waiting on your expert advice. What strategy would have helped me finish the fight?
Ben Askren @Benaskren
@arielhelwani well I invite you to go in a cage with me. When you do that I will do your show. Otherwise kiss my ass.
Ben Askren @Benaskren
If all you fight nerds think I am losing sleep over being banned by@arielhelwani you really need to get a life.
Ariel Helwani @arielhelwani
@Benaskren not sure what you’re talking about; I haven’t banned you. Sooo we still on for Mon? I’ll let you cook lunch during the intv again
Ben Askren @Benaskren
@arielhelwani I don’t really wanna discuss the merits of my fighting style with a non fighter. If @patmiletich interviews me I’m game
chael sonnen @sonnench
Andy, you’re not the best, you’re just next.
Jason Mayhem Miller @mayhemmiller
I love the MMA media’s obsession with Fael. After the Brazilian kicks his head in, I’m going to end his career.
chael sonnen @sonnench
MayHem: Due to time constraints I am currently confining my Twitter wars to active, relevant, fighters ONLY. Buy a T-shirt on your way out.
Eddie Bravo @eddiebravo
Renato Laranja scolds Junie Browning about his insane trip to Thailand, a must see!… http://fb.me/VHyhX0B5
Rashad Evans @SugaRashadEvans
Me thinking I was cool as a freshmen 95′ #throwbackthursday http://instagr.am/p/JUuqN1E1KF/
Rory MacDonald @rory_macdonald
here comes that familiar feeling again, fight is creeping closer, only 10 more days
Zachary Makovsky @ZachFunSize
Feel I didn’t perform like I could have. certainly wasn’t assertive enough. Losing is not failure &I look forward to learning and improving.
Zachary Makovsky @ZachFunSize
Congrats to @Dudantas22…great fighter with a bright future!
Georges St-Pierre @GeorgesStPierre
Congrats to my friends @franciscarmont & @CyrilleDiabate for their Saturday wins! Special thanks to the fans- Had a great week in Stockholm!
Dana White @danawhite
Stann is one of the classiest people on earth!!!
Daniel Straus @DanielStraus
R.I.P brother. We love you http://instagr.am/p/JfUHPJuTs2/
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UFC 145′s Marcus Brimage and MMA veteran-turned-commentator Don Frye join Mike, Amy, and 790 The Ticket’s Alex Donno on tonight’s MMA Beatdown.
Brimage (twitter: @brim205), TUF 14 cast member turned contracted UFC fighter, faces off against UFC newcomer Maximo Blanco at UFC 145, April 21 in Atlanta, GA. Marcus, still relatively young in the sport (five professional fights to his credit), discusses his upcoming fight, his reality TV stints, why he moved from Bama to Florida, the opponent he faces in Blanco, and more.
Don Frye, Don Frye, Don Frye. What can you say about Don Frye, really? MMA Beatdown welcomes back the most colorful of commentators, fresh off his newest gig. Don talks WMMA Sports, Dana White, the “ruin of the UFC”, the possibility of fighting once again, and his upcoming autobiography (you heard it here first!).
The show streams live here at MMADiehards.com at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, 5:30 on the West Coast, which we’ve been told is the Best Coast – though that’s up for debate. Face buried in a pizza? Picking up The Wife’s clothes at the dry cleaners? On a mandatory Tuesday Date Night? Look, we get it. Shiznit happens. You’ve got a life to live outside of little ol’ us at Beatdown Radio – even though we managed to get an entire extra day added onto the calendar for you. So we’ll do ya another favor. We’ll make the show available on demand RIGHT HERE after the completion of the broadcast or as a download at iTunes for the low-low, low-low cost of FREE. (But you’re way, way cooler if you’re here with us live.)
http://mmajunkie.com/news/28009/ufc-president-cuts-king-mo-lawal.mma
http://www.mmafighting.com/2012/2/7/2775922/ufc-jason-mayhem-miller-wants-back-in-the-octagon-tells-fans-to-pressure
