LOS ANGELES, CA – On this week’s UFC TONIGHT, guest host Daniel Cormier and Kenny Florian break down the UFC 159 card. Plus, we’ve got an exclusive Georges St-Pierre interview and much more.
Quote of the Week: Chael Sonnen on his upcoming fight with Jones: “When I step off that plane in New Jersey, there’s a new family in town, the Sonnen family and I’m the new Don. I’m taking over that state. And my first order of business is to beat the bejesus out of Jon Jones. Jon Jones, you will be reminded the hard way why you never piss off a gangster.”
UFC TONIGHT’s Kenny Florian on Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones: “The reality is Jon Jones has an amazing arsenal of weapons and he’s going to have that advantage against anyone at 205 pounds. But we can’t forget that Chael Sonnen is a tremendous wrestler. We haven’t seen Jones really fight off of his back too much and Chael is a guy who will back you up and pressure you. And that’s exactly what he needs to do against Jones. This fight is very interesting.”
UFC TONIGHT Guest Analyst Daniel Cormier on Sonnen vs. Jones: “Chael is going to make him fight in places where he’s not used to fighting. I know Chael will take him down and is going to pressure him. Chael is going to make him uncomfortable by constantly going forward. Chael won’t make the mistake that many fighters make: backing up and circling. You cannot allow Jon Jones to be so comfortable going forward in the cage.”
Cormier on if a Sonnen victory would be the biggest upset in UFC history: “Hands down, without a doubt. People talk about Matt Serra vs. Georges St-Pierre. Serra had great knockout power and he also had the submission threat. If Chael is going to beat Jon Jones, he’s going to have to beat him over the course of 25 minutes and dominate that fight.”
Cormier picks Jones over Sonnen: “Chael’s speeches are great. But Jon Jones is the man and is going to win this fight. But Chael, go out there, take him down and set the game plan and the way to beat Jon Jones for the rest of us!”
Cormier on Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher: “It’s going to be a great fight. Bisping is a guy who has great, technical boxing. Belcher is a tough, durable guy who likes to pressure and can fight everywhere. They’re both great on the feet, but Bisping has a little bit of an advantage there.”
Florian on Bisping vs. Belcher: “Bisping has the wrestling and that’s the thing: we’ve seen Alan Belcher shut down against other guys who try to take him down. We saw him against Yushin Okami. Not only that, but Michael Bisping has been putting a lot of pressure mentally on him with his last comment on the conference call, where he said that if Alan Belcher does beat him, that will be the biggest win in Belcher’s pathetic career.”
Florian picks Bisping over Belcher: “Alan Belcher has the ability to knock out Bisping, but Michael Bisping is going to fight smart and has too much experience. I’m taking Bisping by decision.”
Cormier picks Belcher over Bisping: “Alan Belcher does have the ability to knock out Bisping, but Bisping doesn’t have the power to knock out Belcher. I’m going with Belcher.”
Cormier picks Roy Nelson over Cheick Congo: “I’m taking Roy Nelson. He’s a big, strong, durable guy and he’ll take this to the ground with his great grappling and that’s what’s going to get it done.”
Cormier on if he’ll fight at heavyweight or light heavyweight next: “I’m thinking about both weight divisions. I’ve been watching the rankings and I want to fight someone who actually advances my career. I’m interested in big fights. I’m getting with my team this week and to make a decision.”
St-Pierre on if he’s talked to UFC President Dana White about his next fight: “We haven’t spoken. I probably need to know the outcome of the next couple fights. We’re going to talk later on.”
St-Pierre on if he’s going to change weight classes: “If I’m going up to 185, I will not be able to come back down after. At 170, I don’t think I have the luxury of choosing my opponent, and I will fight whoever the UFC tells me to fight.”
St-Pierre on if he needs to move up to fight new opponents: “I haven’t fought everybody at 170. I’ve been out for a long time and my division has changed. Now Johny Hendricks is a new guy right now, and he brings a very big threat to me.”
St-Pierre on why he wrote his new book: “I was injured, I was in bed and couldn’t do any training. I started writing notes and one of my friends picked up the notes and suggested I should do something with them. It’s not a biography and it’s not a book for MMA fans only. It’s about what I did from the bottom and my strategy to reach my current point. It’s not just a strategic fighting book – it’s more like a philosophical book.”
UFC TONIGHT Insider Ariel Helwani on Gegard Mousasi moving down to 185: “I spoke with his manager Nima Safapour and he told me that they like the idea of moving down to middleweight. He said he wants to talk to Zuffa, to the fans, and if they’re interested, they’ll consider going down. He said they can make the cut easily and want a top-five opponent. They also told me Anderson Silva is on their radar, so stay tuned for that.”
Helwani on what’s next for Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche: “Both Liz and Miesha lost their UFC debuts. They want to fight each other on FOX UFC SATURDAY 8 on July 27 in Seattle. The UFC has not confirmed this.”
Helwani on the next international season of The Ultimate Fighter: “My sources have said that the next international season of The Ultimate Fighter will be Team Canada vs. Team Australia. The UFC has not confirmed this.”
UFC TONIGHT
UFC TONIGHT is the official weekly news and information show of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The show is co-hosted by veteran UFC fighter and multiple title contender Kenny Florian and UFC light heavyweight contender Chael Sonnen. Leeann Tweeden contributes, while three-time World MMA Awards Journalist of the Year Ariel Helwani adds insider news.
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