LOS ANGELES, CA – The following quotes are from tonight’s UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FOX SPORTS 2 for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MACHIDA VS. MUNOZ. The show was hosted by Jay Glazer, with UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and light heavyweight Daniel Cormier offering analysis. Gareth A Davies conducted interviews on-site.
UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FOX SPORTS 2 Analyst Dominick Cruz on Lyoto Machida defeating Mark Munoz: “You can’t block a head kick with one hand. The body kicks set up the head kicks. Mark went to block the body and got kicked in the head. Machida makes you guess and second think yourself. He’s feinting, countering, and switching his stance. You start to ask yourself, do I attack or do I wait? Mark Munoz is a come-forward guy, and wasn’t sure where to go.”
UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FOX SPORTS 2 Analyst Daniel Cormier on Machida beating Munoz: “Mark was on the outside and he was not sure what to do. He only tried one takedown. That was his key to winning the fight, but he only tried one time. Machida took away is game plan.”
Cormier on how Machida looked different in this fight: “I saw him going forward more. He had a more aggressive stance and was more grounded. He was walking Munoz down, and knew Munoz wasn’t going to take him down. Machida looked comfortable in the cage. He knew he was the bigger guy and the better fighter.”
Machida on defeating his friend Munoz: “I’m a professional. I have to do the job. It’s very natural for me to set up the kick. I listened to my coach. He said: ‘Try to kick his head right now,’ and I did. I trained more for this fight. Sometimes you have to move forward. I want to be champion. I want the belt. I have to chase the belt. I want to be busy. If they ask me to fight 205, I can still fight at 205. Bisping is a great fight for me next. If he accepted it, that’d be great.”
Video: Machida scores KO victory over Munoz:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=04151a3d-0ed6-4487-8856-52e603339d31
Video: Lyoto Machida on defeating Mark Munoz in his middleweight debut:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=2908446b-dbd8-42ed-b745-cf131f8c751c
Video: Machida knocks out Munoz in first round: http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=66091cbb-bbd3-45a1-991c-6b52c97c3783
Cruz on Melvin Guillard vs. Ross Pearson: “It’s a very controversial fight. His hand was on the mat, but he was coming up. Melvin wasn’t sure if it was a legal knee. Everyone was very confused by this. I think we’re going to see a rematch between these guys.”
Cormier on if Guillard’s knees were legal: “I though the knees were pretty close. He was lifting Ross up while he was trying to finish him. Melvin was dictating the fight at the start. Ross got a little desperate with the flying knee. I thought it was a legal knee. Melvin thought it was legal. When Melvin gets a chance to finish, he’s going for the finish. He’s an emotional guy. It’s really sad that it ended this way. When they fight again, there will be fireworks.”
Melvin on how the fight was ended: “It was a close call. It could have been a hairline faster. I watched it and I thought it was legal because he went limp and was out already. I never would intentionally hurt one of my opponents. He’s a friend of mine. It’s a grey area. Rules are rules. They are there to protect us. I’ve been in MMA since before they had rules. I grew up with the sport and the rules are there to protect us. I was penalized by it and it was ruled a no contest. It sucks. I had him hurt and I could have finished him. I want to fight someone else now. I want to keep fighting. I want to fight on the December 28 card in Vegas, but I’ll fight Ross again when he’s ready. I’ll come back to England.”
Video: Melvin Guillard comments on no-contest ending:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=051dad65-ecbc-4706-b48d-816162725481
Video: Pearson vs. Guillard highlights:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=ef0053a9-549e-48f5-b0df-764bd52b13de
Video: Ross Pearson reacts to his no-contest decision versus Melvin Guillard:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=41a0b19c-cf1a-4e4f-9f35-e394e8c5ea81
Cormier on Ryan Jimmo vs. Jimi Manuwa: “Manuwa always moves forward and everything Jimi throws is with bad intentions. He says he loves Mike Tyson and you can see it in his style. Jimmo took a bad step and it was over. Manuwa was clearly ahead on the scorecard. He gets another finish. All of his fights have been finishes.”
Manuwa on his victory and who he wants to fight next: “I knew I had to pick him off. He tried to make the fight boring and I killed his legs in the clinch. I never call anyone out. I’m just climbing my way to the top.”
Video: Manuwa vs. Jimmo highlights:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=a9073178-ba4e-4786-94e5-535ecdf18d36
Cruz on Norman Parke vs. Jon Tuck: “Parke was landing his left hand all day and he was steering away from Tuck’s right hand. It was a good win for him. He’s very mentally sharp and strong. That carries you pretty far.”
Norman Parke on if he was happy with his performance: “I wanted to get the finish. Tuck took some heavy punches. He was tough. I know I’m tough and I’m trouble for anyone in this division.”
Video: Parke vs. Tuck highlights:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=b1959264-8b32-4a19-bfca-e6b35fa4f4a1
Video: Norman Parke talks after his win over Jon Tuck:
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=763b36ac-8644-448c-aa8c-97905214ca8c
Video: John Lineker discusses his KO against Phil Harris and his recurring weight issues.
http://msn.foxsports.com/video/UFC?vid=fbce2207-9566-4c1a-9e72-b5e3a315c8c6
Follow the talent on Twitter at: @JayGlazer; @TheDomin8r; @dc_mma; @GarethADaviesDT
