Joe Fernandez at the UFC was kind enough to send along some of the fighter’s post-fight quotes from this past Saturday’s UFC 117 in Oakland. Here’s what the some of the winner’s had to say.
Dennis Hallman
“The difference for me today was my cardio. My cardio was so much better tonight than it has been. Yeah he hit me with some good shots but I was just waiting for him to get close so I can take him down.
I want to thank Team Quest because they definitely made a difference for me this fight. The significance of the win proves that I am back and a factor in the welterweight division.
Ben Saunders is a really tough kid and he has a bright future ahead of him.”
Stefan Struve
“I didn’t feel great before the fight and I had no energy that first round. I just couldn’t break his posture because I was just too tired. But when I sat on my stool at the end of the first round I just said there’s no quit in me.
When I got the win, I was very excited. I don’t want to call it the biggest win of my career because I’m 22 and I’m going to be around a long time – and one day I’m going to wear that strap.”
Tim Boetsch
“I learned to mentally relax since my last fight, how to behave better when the lights go on and not let the pressure get to me. He’s a tough guy. I thank him for stepping up on short notice. I’m disappointed because I came out here to finish the fight and I didn’t finish it. But he was very tough to finish.”
Johny Hendricks
“Coming into the fight I predicted a knockout. A lot of times I come out sluggish. I’ve tried to change things up in training camp to avoid that. I have to get ready because they’re going to start throwing a lot of good wrestlers at me. I’ve been practicing my head movement at Striking Unlimited. They have my head movement and hands looking great. I’m ready to take a step forward. I don’t call anybody out. I’m not that kind of guy. But I’m ready to fight on the main card – but that’s up to Joe Silva.”
Phil Davis
“I’ve been working on my striking since Abu Dhabi and I feel like it’s coming along nicely. My game plan coming into the fight was to establish the distance with my striking and then get inside and get the takedown. I have to give credit to Rodney Wallace for coming after me. If he looks strong on television, he is five times stronger in person.”
Rick Story
“I knew that because of his last fight, the knockout, that would be in his mind. I wanted to jump on him. I could see at one point in the fight, he was just covering up and maybe he didn’t want to fight much longer. He’s a really good fighter. This is definitely the biggest win in my career. From this point on I want to continue to fight big-name fighters to build my name.”
Junior Dos Santos
“He’s a very tough guy and this was a very tough fight.”
(On if he’d rather fight Cain or Brock)
“I have no preference between those guys. I feel very prepared and I train very hard. I want to be champion and I know I am going to be champion.”
Clay Guida
“I want to thank Rafael Dos Anjos and his camp for taking this fight. I’m in here to win. I’m not in here to hurt my opponents so I apologize for that Raffy, you’re a tough son of a gun. I want to thank my trainers and Greg Jackson for getting me ready for this fight.”
(On switching to Greg Jackson’s camp)
“[It made] a world of difference. It took me a while to realize I’m my biggest distraction. Coach is going to make me a champion. Champions aren’t born, they’re made.”
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UFC 117 Post-Fight Fighter Quotes