Donald Cerrone – There was a lot of self-doubt. They probably wouldn’t have cut me but it sucks. Going from the main event to the prelims, all of this is weighing on you when you’re warming up. This is the hardest job to be excellent at. But, there is no other place I would rather be than in that octagon fighting. It’s hard to do 2 jobs at once. So, if I get movie offers, I will put it on hold. At the end of the day, the title is what everyone wants.I want to fight at 155 again. I want that belt. Khabib, I am coming, baby. I ain’t scared to fight you. These big boys hit a lot harder. I woke up at 168 and made weight easy. I wish there was a 165-weight class. That would be cool but, I’ll fight whoever. They’ll just call me and tell me that they have a fight booked for me. They all pay the same so it doesn’t matter what it is.
Derrick Lewis – I would like to get Francis, Blaydes, Fabricio, Overeem, Cain. I’ll fight anyone that signs the contract first. I’m still fighting for the money but I heard that they are giving people 500k just to fight for the world title so your boy had to step his game up. My back was good. My main focus was worrying about my conditioning and not gassing out. My back was 100. The magnesium and doctors out there kept up with me and made sure that I stayed healthy for the whole camp.
James Vick – My goal is to become a world champion. I work my ass* off. Some of these guys have been training 10 years longer than me and I have beaten them all. I have one of the best records in the entire organization. You can’t name 3 other guys that have the same record as me. Khabib is probably the only one and that’s because he has never lost. So, I am ready to fight for a world title. I have been training for 11 years to get to where I am at. My skillset is at an all-time high. I am ready for these guys.
Sage Northcutt – I felt like I did enough to win. They changed the rules recently. Before, the takedowns were huge but if you are not getting anything off the takedown like creating damage on the guy, that’s a big part of it too. Even though I had my back against the fence a few times, I was doing more damage on the ground. I was cracking down with elbows and punches and hammer fists and the whole nine yards. I don’t remember him even hitting me once on the ground. So, I feel confident about that.
Joe Rogan – There are people that have just evolved after generations of grapplers. There seems to be something happening with those Russian folks, those Dagestani folks, especially, Khabib being with his dad who is an amazing trainer. Something happens when he grabs hold of guys that you don’t see. Barboza got run over by a freight train, a guy with unstoppable pressure, constant punches to the face. You are never getting up and you know it and you feel it. If you do get up, it will cost you so much energy and you will be exhausted. Then, this guy will take you down again. After that, you will be ¾ helpless. Next round, you will be ½ helpless. The round after that, you are helpless. You are just surviving on your toughness. You know that he is going to take you down and beat your face again. It’s a savage, slow fight. But here’s the thing. He has never fought anyone like Tony. Tony is so different. He is dangerous on his feet, hard to takedown, scrambles like crazy, well aware of what it takes to protect himself on the ground, takes a tremendous shot, has got crazy d’arces. He did it to Barboza.
Henry Cejudo speaking to Ariel Helwani – I would pick Demetrious. He is fast and intelligent. I am not taking anything from TJ. I think it’s the weight issue. TJ losing those extra 10 pounds, we will see how he recovers the next day. I think that will be the biggest factor. I have Demetrious winning by a landslide. TJ at 135 however is a different game for Demetrious.
Rafael Dos Anjos – He was about to fight Nate Diaz with a shoulder injury. Because that fight did not happen, he got the surgery. He knows that its an easy matchup for him. HE is trying hard to get a money fight. I don’t blame him. Everybody wants money. But, you can’t just forget about other contenders. I am the next guy in line. Since I moved up, I am on a 3 win streak against top guys.
Tyron Woodley – RDA is not good at trashing people. I used to do it as a hobby when I was a kid. He is not good at it. Its good that he is one of the Brazilian fighters whose first language is Portuguese and is really coming along in his English but not to the point where he should be talking sh*t. It’s just a little bit off. It doesn’t make sense. There is a lot of corny sh*t talking in the welterweight division now. Can you guys just fight and win? When did that stop being the recipe? Do you ever remember Carlos, Robbie Lawler, Kampmann or Jon Fitch doing that? Think about what the sport has become? You beat Tarec Saffiedine who I beat in 2009. You beat Robbie, a fighter whose best years are behind him. Now, you think you deserve it? Nobody deserves a title shot. There is no rubric on who deserves what. You just get it because they give it to you.
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Conor McGregor will never compete in the UFC again