The following quotes are from tonight’s UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TVfor UFC ON FX 8: BELFORT VS. ROCKHOLD. The show was hosted by Karyn Bryant, with UFC heavyweight Daniel Cormier and light heavyweight Chael Sonnen offering analysis. Heidi Androl conducted fighter interviews on-site.
Quote of the show: Vitor Belfort on his career and drive for the victory: “I was part of two jungles. I’m a T-Rex surviving in this new jungle. I’m revealing myself and God gave me the strength. I used to be strong then. I’m strong now. I think it’s just a burning inside of me that said: you didn’t accomplish what you did. I lacked so many things in my career. I did so many mistakes, and Dana [White] gave me the chance. And I promised him, I sat down in a meeting and said I’m going to promise him, I’m going to give him my best. I’m going to finish as strong as I can finish. If I don’t have the desire to go to the gym, if I don’t have the desire to train to improve new skills, I should retire. I still have a lot of gas in my tank. I thank God to give me that strength, that burning inside.”
UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Chael Sonnen on Belfort’s victory: “Vitor is just flat awesome. You have to watch him because he has finishes like this. Where are these feet coming from? This was one of the most dramatic finishes in this division that I can remember. That’s his 11thfirst-round finish in the UFC. The new confidence, and almost arrogance, is so important in this sport. I was surprised at his humbleness at the end when Jon Anik asked who he wanted to fight next. These are tough fights he’s winning.”
UFC POSTFIGHT SHOW ON FUEL TV Analyst Daniel Cormier on Belfort’s victory: “The old dog has new tricks. His finishes are getting more brutal. Now it’s gotten worse.”
Sonnen on if Belfort’s age and experience are making the difference with his fights: “I don’t think experience is an advantage. I think experience is a disadvantage. You get tired of this work, the interviews, the training and everything. I think Vitor’s pressure and the new things he’s doing are just making a difference.”
Cormier on what Rockhold should have done against Belfort: “I wanted him to pressure. I wanted him to try to get close to Vitor. The first round and a half is very important in a Vitor fight. Vitor fought a great fight. Luke fights with his hands down and has for his whole career. And he got caught. That’s probably not going to change.”
Sonnen on if Belfort will go for the title: “The bottom line is we need contenders. We don’t need pretenders. We need guys who want to go in there and win the gold. We asked Vitor flat out tonight and I think we all agree, that he just became the number-one contender. He didn’t say yes, he didn’t say no, so let’s get some others guys ready, guys that want to do it, guys that raise their hand and say Dana, I’m the guy.”
Sonnen on Camozzi vs. Souza: “Camozzi really tried to hold it together, but he went into enemy territory, did it on short notice and he was just a little bit outmatched. There’s not much of another way to say it.”
Cormier on Jacare Souza’s performance: “Chris Camozzi played a dangerous game. He went on the ground with Jacare and he stayed there. He should have been finding ways to escape. When you’re down there with a guy that’s that good in jiu jitsu, you can’t play his game. Eventually Jacare was going to latch on to something, and he was going to be able to finish the fight. It was what we expected him to do.”
Cormier on Souza’s future in the UFC: “Jacare needs to be fighting better guys. He needs to get way up at the top of the division. I don’t want to see him against number seven. I don’t want to see him against number six. Put him in there with Yushin Okami, who’s number three. A guy that’s fought for the belt and has beat everybody that we put in front of him. Get him in there with someone that can challenge him.”
Souza on what it meant to him to get the win: “It means a lot to me. It’s hard for me to say exactly what it means. I came in here to do my job, and that’s exactly what I did and I showed them that I can perform very well. I threw a couple of punches, so I gave him my business card. I wanted to show him that I’m a complete fighter.”
Sonnen on Rafael dos Anjos defeating Evan Dunham: “This was a very good fight. I really thought Dunham controlled this and pushed his opponent backwards. Dos Anjos did shoot back at him and fought back.”
Cormier on if he thought Dunham beat dos Anjos: “I thought Dunham did enough to win the fight. Octagon control is part of the scoring of the sport. He scored the takedowns and he was controlling the fight. It was a close fight. Listen when Dana White tweeted that he thought a guy got beat, he probably got beat.”
Sonnen on Rafael Natal vs. Joao Zeferino: “This was Joao’s first fight in the UFC. We didn’t know what we were going to see. They both fought a great fight, but Natal’s gas tank had a little more in it and he just lasted longer than Zeferino.”
Sonnen on his next fight: “At some point my skills will diminish and my athletic abilities will go down. And when they do, I’ll either join the NFL or fight Wanderlei Silva. But at this point I’m looking ahead and I don’t know what’s next.”
Cormier on his next fight: “I want to fight on the first card on FOX Sports 1 in Boston on August 17 and I hope my man Chael Sonnen is fighting Wanderlei Silva next to me. Put us on the card, boss!”