UFC 144 postfight show on FUEL TV notes and quotes

The following are quotes from the “UFC 144 Postfight Show on FUEL TV.” Jay Glazer and former UFC Middleweight Champ Rich Franklin hosted the show, while Ariel Helwani conducted exclusive postfight interviews backstage. Here’s some of what was said:

“UFC 144 Postfight Show on FUEL TV” Analyst Rich Franklin on Edgar vs. Henderson: “What a great fight for both fighters. Frankie had to fight through the adversity. Benson was just so much bigger. Frankie was able take him down, throw him around and he looked like the stronger fighter. But Benson was landing heavy strikes and Frankie’s face looked worse. Looking at the stats, you really see why Benson won the fight. He landed a lot more strikes. Even if Frankie had more takedowns, he wasn’t able to do much with them.”

“UFC 144 Postfight Show on FUEL TV” Insider Ariel Helwani asked Benson Henderson on when he thought the fight was going his way: “More towards the third round, I was hitting him with my jab and I saw he flinched. After that, I knew I had him, was in his head and had his number. That was the turning point in the fight.”

Helwani asked Henderson if he was hurt in the fight? “Do I look hurt? Did I get hurt, no.”

Helwani asked Henderson if he’ll fight Pettis again? “Hat’s off to Pettis. He’s a great fighter. I think there’s a long list of guys who want to get this belt off my waist. If UFC wants a rematch, let’s get it. There’re a lot of guys who want what I have and I’ll take them all on.”

Helwani asked Frankie Edgar if he thought he won the fight: “I felt I won that fight. I knew that it was going to be a tough fight.”

Helwani asked Dana White about Edgar vs Henderson: “I’m not a judge, but I had the fight even going into the last round and I gave the last round to Frankie. Joe Silva had this scored for Frankie by a landslide, as well. But a lot of judges score on damage and Henderson didn’t have the damage. There wasn’t any question where the damage was done. I’ve got nothing but respect for Henderson, look at what he did tonight. I’m not going to make a decision about the rematch right now.”

White’s postfight press conference answer if Pettis is ready to fight Henderson for the title: “Pettis is absolutely ready for a title fight.”

Franklin on Jackson vs. Bader: “Quinton Jackson was back in Japan where he made his name. Bader was looking good. His striking looked crisp. It was impressive that he followed the game plan. This is a momentum change in his career.”

Franklin on problems with Jackson: “Was he injured? What other factors was he dealing with? What was wrong? To miss weight by six pounds is a lot.”

Helwani asked Bader if he gained confidence when Jackson didn’t make weight: “Him not making weight–you wonder did he not take this seriously? We did. We came here to win. I’ve had two losses, but I wasn’t fighting the names he was. I think he overlooked that. We get a contract, we get a guy, we train, and we come in to win. You always expect to dominate.”

Helwani asked Bader about his game plan against Jackson: “I used the jab and blitzed him and stayed away from his jabs. I wasn’t going to look for a takedown right away. We had to have him respect my hands. I was pretty rocked by the drop, but I got my wits about me and I got back to it. Hitting my head on the ground was what rocked me.”

Helwani asked Jackson about his injury before the fight: “I injured my knee wrestling because I knew Bader is a great wrestler and I was training for him. I couldn’t run. A big part of me wanted to pull out of the fight. I wasn’t ready to fight.”

Helwani asked White on Jackson’s motivation: “He doesn’t seem to have the motivation. I’m disappointed. I question if he wants to do this anymore? I want to see the old Rampage.”

Helwani asked Jake Shields about his fight: “I was happy that I got the win. He’s tough to take down. I was tired in the second round, but I was able to push through and get the win. I was in a do-or-die situation with this fight. I knew if I lost I probably wouldn’t be staying in the UFC. I want to be in the UFC.”

Franklin on Hunt vs. Kongo: “I didn’t expect Cheick to come in and stand up against him.”

Helwani asked Hunt about his win: “It feels great to come back to Japan. I like fighting here. I wanted to see where it was going and see what was going to happen in the fight. I was ready for the long haul.”

Jay Glazer on Okami vs. Boetsch: “This was one of the greatest comebacks ever.”

Helwani interviewed Carlos Condit on his next fight: “We haven’t quite come to a decision who to fight next. I’ve had my eye on fighting GSP and I’d like to wait for him. I haven’t sat down with Dana White to talk to him about it yet.”

Helwani asked White about the UFC’s return to Japan: “This exceeded my expectations. We will be back here again.”