Hakeem Dawodu:
I’m not sure why I didn’t feel on point out there. Maybe he was just better than I thought, could be the big stage, it was my first time in such a big venue so that could have gotten to me. I don’t know, I’m going to have to go back and look at the tape and see. I just felt a bit sloppy. No excuses, it just makes me want to train harder and next time you see me I won’t be looking like that. To be honest, I knew it wasn’t my best showing, but I definitely didn’t think it was a split decision. He got maybe one takedown on me, but I didn’t think it was a split. That’s on me though, I let it go to the judges and that’s what happens. For my next fight, I don’t care if it’s back in Canada or here in the states. I’d like something like February, that seems good for me. Let me enjoy one Christmas at least and then I’ll come back and get back to work.
Lyman Good:
I believe, in this sport, you are only as good as your last win, so it’s great to have that as my last performance to solidify my ascent into the top 10 eventually. I do want to get a crack at a top 10 opponent eventually, but I know it all depends on my performance and I’m very pleased with mine tonight. I believe everything that led me to tonight allowed me to have that performance, wins and losses. I just had to replicate the training camp, everything that my coaches have been instilling in me with training and ultimately it’s just mindset, the training is still there but it comes down to the mindset going into the fight. My pressure, power and mindset of going in there and not caring if he threw punches or shot for a takedown. I sat in the pocket and looked to counter, cut distance and land shots.
Katlyn Chookagian:
Valentina is the fight that I’ve been wanting since she got the title. I’m not just in the UFC to be another fighter, I want the title. I never look past the opponents I have, but she’s always someone I have in mind. I’ve been sparring lefties all camp and ever since I’ve gotten into the UFC, so I’m definitely thinking about that. Some of the stuff I’ve been working on in this camp, not to look past Jennifer, but some of the stuff was also to improve my skills for the next fight, which is hopefully Valentina. I think my style matches up really well with her, we’re both counter strikers, so time to get back to the gym on Monday and get ready. Everyone said in camp that Jennifer was going to miss weight, but she had only missed it one time and she’s been fighting at 125 for years, but I knew she came in this week heavy, I was just hoping she was going to make it to weigh ins so we can have the fight. It was only one pound, so I was fine with it. I felt that I had round 1 and 2 and lost round 3 with the takedown, so I was confident going to the decision, but I guess you can never been too confident with the judges.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik:
It was my biggest fight and definitely the biggest win of my career. It means a lot to me, of course if you have a win over Arlovski, who is a legend, it’s huge. I showed that I am at that level and I hope to one day accomplish all of the things he has done in his career. Fighting here at Madison Square Garden is my dream, I’m finally here, it feels like I’m in a movie. I saw all of these things when I was a child and now I’m in here, I’m doing it and I did it. It was a moment for me, even when I was done and standing in there, I made it already. Now I got the win and I feel even better. Now on to the next one. For sure I want another one for this year, if it’s open for me, I’ll go in right away.
Edmen Shahbazyan:
Definitely on paper, Brad was the biggest test of my career, but you know I’m the new breed of MMA, I’m coming for that belt man, I want to be the youngest champion ever. It’s all about me staying in the gym and continuing to grow and evolve as a fighter. I never take time off from the gym, even after a fight, I’ll take a week off and then I’m back constantly growing and improving. I believe I showed a part of my game that people didn’t know, I have striking, so I wanted to showcase this in the fight. I believe this puts me in the top 10 of the division, or at least fighting those guys. I like fighting every three to four months and staying active, so something early next year sounds perfect, we’ll see what happens.
Shane Burgos:
The first time I competed in MSG, it was quick, like two minutes or something, so I didn’t have a chance to embrace it. This time, I soaked it in; walking out, being in there, walking back, I soaked it all in. It was awesome, it means a lot to me, you heard how loud the place was, I have so many friends and family here and my team, I knew the crowd would be electrifying. I tried not to think too much about him being a step down in competition after Cub, it was a little harder to stay focused and I was the biggest favorite on the card, it puts more pressure on me because I’m supposed to win, so I wanted to go out there and not just win, but finish him. It’s exactly what I needed and wanted to do. My pace and my power made the difference, he felt those body shots. I expected him to stand a little longer, he shot right off the bat and it caught me a little off guard, but it went well, I’m happy with it. A ranked opponent would only make sense for me now, but whatever the UFC wants. That was the last fight on my contract, so hopefully I made a statement. I want a big deal next.
Corey Anderson:
I didn’t just stop the hype train, that was a train wreck baby. I said it a million times, they put too much hype on him, there’s levels to this. There’s a reason I have 14 fights. I’ve lost to the best, but then I came back and beat the best. He hadn’t been there and I had to show everybody what’s up. The way I just finished him, I have to be at the top of the title discussion. I didn’t get touched once and I didn’t let him get off any of that spinning stuff. One punch landed and it was over. Now I can say, I deserve the title shot, I’m the only one in the top 10 that has beat two top 5 guys. Dominick Reyes got Chris Weidman, Chris is my man, but he wasn’t on the up and up. Glover Teixeira fought Jon Jones, Ilir Latifi is a powerhouse and I set records on Pat Cummings, I beat them all. Let’s do it at the end of January, I just some hunting to do, money has already been spent, so we’re going to do that and then take care of the big game.
Kevin Lee:
It feels great to get back into the win column. Coming off two losses, it eats at you some days, so it’s been a lot. It’s been a lot to get to this point, years and years just to get to that kick. It feels f***ing good. I think that’s the cleanest knockout of my career. I think it’s something that he wasn’t expecting and that a lot of guys down at 155 weren’t expecting. I’m coming with a whole different type of power that these guys ain’t seen me throw before. I haven’t even shown half of my game yet. I’ve got a lot of fights in the UFC, but I seriously feel like I’m just starting. I was saying even before this fight, regardless of how it went, I feel that going up to Tri Star made me a better fighter. It made me more focused, I’ve always had the talent and the skills, but it’s been hard for me to put everything together, and now I feel like I’ve found the perfect place and the perfect guide to do that. 155 is the place for me from here on out, I got a title to get. I started my career here, and this is where I’m going to shine.