UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Dominick Cruz on Vitor Belfort’s victory over Michael Bisping: “I have been impressed with Vitor from the beginning. I didn’t know how he was going to do in this fight with ‘The Count.’ Belfort set that kick up. It wasn’t just a fluke. He lured him into that kick. It was beautiful.
UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Chael Sonnen on Belfort’s performance: “That wasn’t all Vitor did well tonight. Bisping made a couple of pretty good takedown attempts and Vitor stuffed them like they didn’t even happen. He really showed some good wrestling. He wanted to stay on his feet and he did. Vitor didn’t just land a big kick, he did some good wrestling and he did a number of things well tonight. Vitor’s like Machida. It’s one punch, one kill – as Rashad Evans likes to say. But this time it was in the form of a kick, not a punch.”
Cruz on how Belfort set up the knockout kick: “He took a left step that got Bisping to take a step to the right, right into his power. He set that up. If you’re Bisping, you have to keep circling to the left away from his power.”
Vitor Belfort on his win: “It’s amazing. I thank god every day for my life that I have. I thank Jesus for the strength to keep doing this for 17 years. I’m the only guy from my era and I’m still doing it. Now I’m looking for bigger challenges. I thank my coaches, the Blackzilians, my wife and my kids. Without my family I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.”
Belfort on predicting the win at the weigh-in: “That’s what the lord told me. I’m a victor, not a victim. That’s something I live for. I challenge people – the toughest battle is not in the Octagon, it’s outside the Octagon – to live in your principles, with morals and integrity. I tell people to fight with faith. My god has a name and a fingerprint. You live by what you preach. Don’t be a hypocrite. Have a moral stand and that’s what I bring.”
Belfort on his comments on Chael Sonnen in his postfight interview: “[Sonnen] is a clown. Get out. Get out of the way. He just got knocked out pretty bad by Anderson Silva then he fights Jon Jones. He doesn’t deserve the reality show. Let me fight – real champion versus real champion. I know he’s a good athlete, but he needs to go to the back of the line. Let me fight the rematch.”
Sonnen’s response to Belfort calling Sonnen out after the fight: “Let me be really clear and speak directly to you Vitor. You have been telling the world that you want to meet Jesus and I will gladly arrange that travel, but first I am going to get rid of Jon Jones, then you are next. Vitor, I accept. Don’t make any mistake about that. You have called me out twice now.”
Sonnen answers Belfort’s call for him to get out of the way of his rematch with Jon Jones: “I’m really confused as to what’s going on? We’re not in the same weight class. I don’t know if he knows he’s not the champion. I keep hearing him say champion versus the champion. He keeps saying to move out of the way. I wouldn’t tell somebody to move out of the way, but I’d damn sure knock them out of the way. And Vitor, that’s one thing you’re not going to be able to do.”
Cruz on if Belfort fought Sonnen: “I would love to see that fight. I have never seen Chael sweat and Chael is sweating.”
Sonnen on who Belfort should fight next: “Vitor is a tremendous problem. He can beat guys in multiple weight classes. He’s a former world champion. He’s the number one contender at 205. He might be the number one contender at 185, although he’s not going to get the chance again. What do you do with him? I think he should take on the winner of Yushin Okami versus Hector Lombard.”
Cruz on who Belfort should fight next: “I’d like to see him take on Chris Weidman. Vitor presents a lot of problems for him. He’s a well-rounded striker with a ton of experience. He can stuff Weidman’s takedowns.”
Cruz on Bisping’s performance: “It’s really tough. You look at the things he has done and he has worked his way up the ladder, and then lost. Then he worked his way up again and lost. I think he will get another top level fight, probably not a top five, but not all the way at the bottom of the ladder.”
Chael on Bisping’s performance: “Here is the reality. We aren’t going to judge anyone’s career on six minutes of a fight. Bisping has had a fantastic career. He takes on tough guys, he headlines fights. He has won 13 fights in the Octagon. That is an incredible amount of fights to have, let alone to win. Where does he go? He has to figure that out.”
Anderson Silva on what he thought of Belfort vs. Bisping: “Vitor tonight had the strength and power. Impressive. It was good.”
Sonnen on Rothwell vs. Gonzaga: “This is the worst Rothwell has ever looked and the best Gonzaga has ever looked, which really made it for a great night if you are a Gonzaga fan. Rothwell has never looked so bad. There is no excuse for a professional prize fighter to have his hands down in the middle of a fist fight and if you do it, you get finished and that is what happened.”
Cruz on Rothwell’s performance: “I am Ben Rothwell friend, I am a fan, but I can tell you he sure did not perform tonight.”
Sonnen on how Dollaway pulled out the victory: “C.B. landed a big uppercut in end of the second round and we were wondering if he stole the round. It was a surprising decision, but I get it. I thought Sarafian won the fight. By boxing rules, if you get the knockdown you win the round. A big sign for C.B. was his heart. He stayed the course. It’s hard to win a round if you don’t win the end of the round.”
Cruz on how Dollaway got the victory in the close fight: “I give the edge to C.B. He was pushing the pace in second and third rounds. He hurt him in the third round. He closed out every round strong. You have to do that. He gutted it and got the win.”
C.B. Dollaway on trying to finish Daniel Sarafian in the second: “I wish I did. I thought I had him in the second. I got the uppercut and rolled the dice. It really drained my arms going for the finish. I tried to get him in the third.”
Dollaway on how hard it was taking down Sarafian: “He was so strong. I’ve trained with strong wrestlers – Ryan Bader and national wrestlers. I usually have no problem taking guys down. He was strong.”
Dollaway on where he goes next: “I’m just going to get back in the gym and get another fight. I want to get three or four fights this year and get my way into the top 10.”
Cruz on Thiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov: “Khabib the eagle. That is his nickname. The eagle causes a lot of problems for Tavares, stylistically. Tavares does not like heavy handed opponents. It makes him wary, makes him take shots he doesn’t want to take. Khabib came for the kill right off the bat, like he does with everybody. He keeps an insane pace going and throws nothing but heat. That is tough for anybody to handle, even with a guy as tough as Tavares. He went out there and got the finish exactly how he should.”
Sonnen on Nurmagomedov: “I love Nurmagomedov. This might be one of my favorite 155 pounders who isn’t in the top five and I think he has a bright future. Let’s not forget this guy has a record of 19-0. I challenge either of you to tell me anyone who has a 19-0 record. That is incredible.”
Nurmagomedov on training with AKA: “I want to thank the coaches. I really improved a lot. I am thankful to all of them. They have been great as a family.”
Nurmagomedov on the next fight he wants: “The next fight I really want is Nate Diaz.”
Cruz on what he is looking forward to on the FOX UFC Saturday fight next week: “I have to go with the title fight, Johnson and Dodson. I think Johnson has the edge in this fight. I say that because his feints will keep Dodson from being able to commit to his power punches. I don’t think the title is going to change.”
Sonnen on Jackson vs. Teixeira: “Glover has a big reputation, but limited experience in the Octagon. He is coming over a very impressive win over Maldonado, but Maldonado has a weak resume, at least when you compare it to Rampage Jackson.”
Demetrious Johnson’s thoughts on facing Dodson: “He is a great opponent. He is very athletic. I am ready to go out there and face John Dodson. That ball of fire he brings, I am ready to take care of that.”
Johnson on what his advantages are against Dodson: “My advantage is me having good footwork, my technique, my pressure and always being able to mix it up. Things happen different when you are in the Octagon. Let’s see if he can go five rounds. I have gone five rounds, so I think that is a huge thing I have under my belt.”
Johnson on how he’d like to win the fight: “I want to go in there with a flash kick and knock him out and walk out of there with no broken bones, that’s the way I’d like to have it. But we don’t live in a world of fantasies, and I’ll go in there and work hard and come out with a victory.”
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