Ronda Rousey: “I felt fine with her on my back. I was more concerned with my sports bra staying on while she was choking me because I felt safe and in control.”
Sonnen and Evans Break Down UFC 157 Fights, Plus White, Machida Interviews
LOS ANGELES, CA – The following quotes are from tonight’s UFC 157 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV for UFC 157: ROUSEY VS. CARMOUCHE. The show was hosted by Jay Glazer, with UFC light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen and former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans offering analysis. Ariel Helwani conducted fighter interviews on-site.
Quote of the show: Ronda Rousey on how she worked through the challenge when Carmouche was on her back: “On the ground I feel so comfortable in every position, so I never feel in danger and I take a lot of risks. I felt fine with her on my back. I was more concerned with my sports bra staying on while she was choking me because I felt safe and in control. She squeezed across my face and my mouth, and she almost forced my mouth guard out. I didn’t try to bite her. She put her hand in my mouth. Sorry.”
UFC 157 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Chael Sonnen on Ronda Rousey beating Liz Carmouche: “This was back and forth and it was so exciting. Liz gets after it. I can assure you that Ronda has never been in that position when Liz gets on her back. Ronda stayed calm, and she worked through it and overcame the adversity.”
UFC 157 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Rashad Evans on how Rousey got the armbar: “She was working on the elbow for a while, but then grabbed the wrist and pulled back and that’s what made it work. She was business minded. She was intense. She’s a fighter inside her. People like to see champs win, but they like to see them overcome challenges and win. She did it for women’s MMA, but she did it for all of us. To see a woman do it, she’s good looking and smart, and she’s doing it for the whole sport.”
Ronda Rousey on if she was nervous entering the Octagon after all the build-up to the fight: “Not really. When I was in there, it seemed like I was just in there yesterday. It seemed like a familiar place. I was more nervous for the Julia Budd fight. I don’t know why.”
Rousey on what she was thinking when Carmouche had her back: “I was thinking about my bra, I didn’t pick this one out actually, so they gave me my weigh-in bra for the fight and I was adjusting myself when she was on my back. Next time I should get my own stuff, I guess.”
Rousey on if she knew the round was almost over when she got the armbar: “I was worried I was running out of time, I take my time a lot more in MMA than I did in judo, I was trying to take my time and do it right, but I didn’t know how much time had passed.”
Rousey on if she was surprised by how tough Carmouche was: “I knew she was tough and I was expecting to go five rounds. Ten seconds difference and it could have gone a different way and we would have been in round two. Much respect to her.”
Rousey on who she wants to fight next: “I’m going out to Vegas to see the fight between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano and I’m interested in taking the winner.”
Evans on how Lyoto Machida beat Dan Henderson: “Dan Henderson could never really find his range. You do get mesmerized with Machida. He’s so crafty, he’s so tricky, and you never know his distance. And that’s the biggest problem when you fight him. He moved around a lot. And you’re looking for him to land that home run strike. It’s always hard to have those landslide victories. This is a big professional sport and it’s won by margins sometimes, and that’s what happened tonight.”
Sonnen on Machida’s victory: “Competitively he gets the job done. He’s wildly effective. I’m scratching my head thinking of anyone at this level who has done so much to avoid a fight. He’s out there running around, throwing kicks. You’re scratching your head at the end of round one going, is this fight over yet? It’s painful and boring to watch, and there’s no other way to say it.”
Machida on if he was confident he won the fight: “I felt that I won the fight because of my score. I kneed him. I kicked him. I slapped. I took advantage. I took it all three rounds, but I was very surprised at the split decision.”
Machida on his game plan: “It was my plan to keep the fight standing up, to avoid the ground position, and to avoid his right hand. And defend all the time.”
Machida on if he’s the number-one contender in the light heavyweight division now? “I hope so. It depends on what the boss Dana White says.”
Sonnen on if Machida deserves a title fight: “I’m in on the business. I’m in on the Pay-Per-View, and so is Jon Jones. Neither of us want to fight Machida because he can’t draw flies and that’s the bottom line. You got booed tonight. You got booed in your last fight. I can’t sell out an arena with you. I can’t sell Pay-Per-Views with you. I’m not giving you the shot.”
Evans if Machida deserves a title fight: “It wasn’t the most exciting fight, but at the same time he got the job done. Who wants to get punched in the face by Dan Henderson? Not me. Who’s going to line up for it? And that’s what fighting is. When you impose your will on somebody, and tonight he imposed his will. It might have not been a big will, but he imposed it.”
Urijah Faber on his victory: “I thought I did well. We didn’t get too far into it, which is good. It was a good, solid win. I had a tough opponent in Ivan and I’ve got nothing but respect for him. He’s done so much for the sport and a lot of people don’t know that about him. To get a submission over him was awesome.”
Faber on if he was feeling pressure to win or get cut from the UFC: “No, not at all, I know how the media is. It was a big discussion about how anybody is at bat. I knew I wasn’t going to lose the fight. I’m ranked number three in the world. I’m just going to keep fighting and winning.”
Faber on if he feels he deserves a title shot: “You keep saying, do you deserve it? I deserve whatever I can get in this world. If I can get a title shot, I’ll take it. I’m just going to keep on fighting and winning and answering to the haters.”
Faber on if he wants title shot: “Of course, that’s why I’m here. That’s why I compete in this sport and why I train every day for ten years in MMA and 20 something years in wrestling. I want the title shot. Save Olympic wrestling!”
UFC President Dana White on how big UFC 157 and the first women’s fight was: “There’s no doubt about it. This was one of the biggest moments in sports. I’ve never had so much media around one event. SportsCenter was live tweeting about it. But in 2013, I never realized the hate some guys have about women in sports. It’s sickening. And tonight, the main event was one of the best fights of the night.”
White on if Machida is the number-one contender now: “Yes, Machida is number one. He just beat Dan Henderson and Dan was the number one contender.”
Miesha Tate on if she was surprised by Rousey’s win: “It’s pretty much what I expected. But she did get sloppy giving her back up, and that’s a habit I’ve picked up on. And I got her back in the first fight and I guarantee if I get in the second one, I’m going to rip her face off.”
Evans on who he wants to fight next: “Shogun. It would be a great fight and something to see. Shogun, where you at? Call your manager, call Dana White, it’s on!”
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