LOS ANGELES, CA – The following quotes are from tonight’s UFC 159 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV. The show was hosted by Jay Glazer, with former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans and middleweight Brian Stann offering analysis. Ariel Helwani conducted fighter interviews on-site.
UFC 159 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Brian Stann on Jones vs. Sonnen: “It was a very surprising game plan: Jon Jones executing his own takedowns and put the wrestler Chael Sonnen on his back. As Jon Jones said, he wanted to ‘Chael Sonnen’ Chael Sonnen.”
UFC 159 POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Rashad Evans on Jon Jones’ victory: “I hate to admit it, he’s good. He’s really good. He went to work right away taking Chael down, and worked the ground and pound. His ground and pound is second to none. When he gets you down, it’s relentless pressure. It’s very hard to get up. He’s so long, inside closed guard, he’s really dangerous. Those elbows are long, pointy and dangerous.”
Stann on if he thought the stoppage was early: “I felt the stoppage was early. They tell you the fight will continue if you intelligently defend yourself.”
Evans on if the stoppage was early: “I don’t think it was too early. When a fighter covers up, you know what is going to happen. They’ll stop it.”
Jon Jones on how he injured his toe: “I don’t know. Late in the round, I was springing forward. I thought my foot got caught in a hole in the mat. When the fight was over, I looked down and I saw the blood. It’s all good. The big toe isn’t going to slow me down.”
Jones on if he would have continued to fight with the injured toe: “With my coaching staff, they wouldn’t allow me to dwell on it. They would have twisted it and sent me back out to fight. I just want to be a warrior.”
Jones on his relationship with Chael Sonnen after the fight: “I wish Chael Sonnen the best. I respect Chael and his team. Hopefully those guys have buried the hatchet. Chael’s a good guy at the end of the day. We’re going to have a lot of respect for each other.”
Chael Sonnen on comparing Jon Jones and Anderson Silva: “Jon is a lot better than I thought he was. To beat a guy is one thing. To beat a guy at his game is another. He’s the best fighter I’ve ever fought. He was stronger than Silva. The last thing I want to do is disparage Anderson Silva. It’s tough. I whipped him for 30 minutes. He whipped me for 30 seconds. I whipped Jon for zero seconds. He whipped me the entire fight. If you’re asking me for my opinion, Jon’s better.”
Evans on who Jones should fight next: “I would like to see him fight Daniel Cormier. I think he has what it takes to bring Jon Jones into deep waters. He has the ability to take him down, he has the ability to strike, and his stand up and transitions can definitely cause problems.”
Stann on who Jones should fight next: “I’d also like to see Alexander Gustafsson fight Jon Jones just for the striking aspect. I think it’d be an interesting fight being a guy with similar creativity and reach to Jon.”
UFC President Dana White on a possible Anderson Silva – Jon Jones fight: “Anderson called me tonight and wants a fight. I’m not going to tell you which fight he wants, but I’m going to get to work on it as soon as possible.”
Stann on Michael Bisping vs. Alan Belcher: “There was absolutely no groundwork on this fight. We expected them to be mostly on their feet, but we thought they would hit the mat at some point. It was Michael Bisping’s boxing that was the big difference in this fight. He just out-landed Alan. Belcher started to fade in rounds two and three.”
Michael Bisping on if he was expecting the win: “Without sounding arrogant, that was what I was planning for. Of course I believed I had the speed advantage. He’s a big-sized middleweight, but I thought I had the speed advantage going in and I think that was obvious tonight.”
Bisping on how he felt during the fight: “I have stenosis, which is a trapped nerve that causes atrophy and numbness in my right arm. It’s progressively getting worse and worse. I saw a surgeon about six weeks before this fight and they told me I needed surgery. There was no way I was going to pull out of this fight.”
Bisping on Alan Belcher: “It was a shame I caught him with my thumb there at the end. I apologize for that – it was a complete accident. Alan’s one hell of a performer and a good opponent. I have nothing but respect for Alan and I’m sure he’ll continue to have a great career.”
Evans on Roy Nelson’s knockout of Cheick Kongo: “Don’t you know if you’re fighting Roy Nelson? If you are, you know one thing. He’s got the right hand. Please tell me why he was circling to the right when you know that?”
Roy Nelson on if he knew he had knocked out Kongo: “I pretty much knew. When he dropped, I knew he recovers quickly, so I hit him again and then checked with the ref and knew he was out.”
Nelson on if he’s improved his conditioning training: “I don’t need conditioning when I only go one round.”
Evans on Phil Davis’ victory over Vinny Magalhaes: “This fight was all about Phil Davis’ improved striking. Vinny had to take him down, but he didn’t. Davis was just chipping away with his striking.”
Phil Davis on if his victory was more important after all the trash talking before the fight: “It’s as sweet as any victory. I’m glad he said what he said. It proved I’m in the top 10.”
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