FIGHT PILGRIM.

UFC 138 Post Fight Press Conference – at a glance

UFC 138 was the highest grossing event in the history of the LG Arena – generating $1.5 million

10,823 were in attendance

Bonuses Awarded:

Terry Etim – Sub of the Night

For his 17 second stoppage of Edward Faaloloto

Che Mills – Knock Out of the Night

After TKOing Chris Cope in 40 seconds flat

Brad Pickett vs Renan Barao – Fight of the Night

Barão defeated Pickett via rear naked choke at 4:09 of round 1

Quotes etc. after the jump

Quotes

Dana White

On the likelihood of Munoz being award a title shot in his next fight: “He’s won some tough fights, we’ll see what happens.”

“Leben doesn’t quit and let people quit for him if he’s not hurt. He was hurt.”

Reacting to British fan who stormed the Octagon: “At least he wasn’t naked.”

On Nick Diaz and UFC earnings: “Believe me, guys make money in this sport. The stuff that Nick Diaz says is crazy. If you were at that press conference, he also said he didn’t go to school to buy houses. Nick Diaz has made a lot of money this year. Believe me when I tell you, Nick Diaz Can buy a house – whatever kind of house he wants to buy.”

“There are guys that makes lots of money, guys that make good money and guys that are working their way up.”

Thiago Silva

“I was just taking my time to figure him out. He got me with an upkick, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I’m never going to miss weight again, I was a pound over and maybe on some scales I was on weight. We took care of it. Maybe I was on Brazilian time - and it won’t happen again.”

“I’ve been through some tough spots but that’s just life, the way it happens. This fight was very special for me because I put in a lot of work and it opened my eyes to a lot of things. I’m very happy and very prepared for what comes next.”

John Maguire

“After I got rocked it sort of woke me up. I had a lot of nerves, I thought I was going to have a heart attack backstage.”

On eating the spinning back kick and right hand that dropped him: “I don’t know what it felt like, I can’t remember it. I got got lazy, the nerves got to me and I let him back me up… but I’m feeling it now”

Brad Pickett

“I always come out throwing bombs and looking to finish”

“I’m not even thinking about the title to be honest, I just need to get back and give someone a beating just to make me feel like a man again. This sport sucks coming second, you dont want to be second ever. I don’t even care about belts, I just want to beat people that are in front of me.”

Terry Etim

“I want to fight, obviously, the top guys. It’s been a very long 19 months and now I’m back. It was a lot of time to make up and I want to do that by fighting the top guys.”

On potentially being the best kickboxer in MMA: “I think my striking is one of the best in the division.”

Che Mills

“It was just excitement the whole week, I was just buzzing really. Usually I get quite nervous before fights but for some strange reason it’s the biggest fight for me ever, I was just relaxed, happy, even walking out I was just focussed. Everything fell into place lovely tonight for me.”

Renan Barao

“[I trained] very hard for this fight and Brad Pickett is a very top opponent, one of the best out there. The objective is this, to come here to the UFC and to fight for the title and I’m ready any time.”

Mark Munoz

“He’s got a fricking granite chin. I wanted to test it, and I did.”

“I’m a persistent dude, I’m going to keep hitting him until he falls. That’s what I train for, I train to do that. I told you that Donkey Kong was going to come out when I came on top and that’s what I did – Donkey Kong came out.”

“I hit hard on top. I’m confident in my game. I train harder than anyone I know.”

On potentially earning a title shot: “I think I’ve proved a point in that fight - if the boss thinks so.”

(Dana’s response: “I don’t know, we’ll see”)

“I wanted to be in and out. I didn’t want it to be a slug-fest, I stick to the gameplan. The game plan was to utilise angles. I was much faster. To get him on the ground and beat him on top, that was the gameplan.

“I have confidence in my hands and I hit him a couple of times hard on my feet but I prefer to be on the ground.”

“This is the best organisation in the world and I want to be a world champion in this organisation. I’m training for the top spot.”

Jason Young

“It was a hard fight to come back from a loss, Omigawa obviously being in the top 10 rankings. I’ve got to take some stuff from that fight. I lost and I’ve got stuff to work on. Hopefully I’m going to come back and I’ll fight harder and I’ll fight stronger. I’ll bring the fight every time I come.”

What else did we learn?

Dana commented on Scotland, Ireland and Italy events being in the workds – Japan, Sweden and Brazil first

Money and pay

The UFC first starting making money in 2006

From 2001 to 2006 the UFC was over $50 million in the hole – but no fighter ever got paid late

From 2006 – 2007 the UFC has made 40-something millionaires and 20-something multi-millionaires

The UFC is in half a billion homes worldwide in 22 different languages

Japan in 2012

Next year’s Japan card will be fought with Unified Rules – not Pride style rues

According to Dana and the UFC’s market research, the Japanese don’t want a ‘Pride type show’ with fighters that previously fought in Pride, but a UFC product – the best fights and fighters