On this week’s UFC TONIGHT, Kenny Florian, Chael Sonnen and Karyn Bryant interview Michael Bisping, TJ Dillashaw, Jake Ellenberger and Robbie Lawler. Plus Joe Ellenberger and Matt Grice are also interviewed, while Insider Ariel Helwani adds reports.
UFC TONIGHT Host Chael Sonnen on Minotauro Nogueira vs. Roy Nelson: “Roy is coming off of two losses and he needs this win. Big Nog is like an old leather shoe. This is a tough fight for him going five rounds.”
UFC TONIGHT Host Kenny Florian on Nogueira vs. Nelson: “Nelson is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. It comes down to the wrestling of Nogueira. Can he take down Nelson? And you can’t ignore the boxing skills of Nogueira. He has to go in there and throw a lot of combinations at Nelson.”
Florian on Michael Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy: “The biggest question mark remains the Count’s right eye. He hasn’t competed since then.”
Sonnen on Bisping vs. Kennedy: “Michael Bisping is extremely consistent. It doesn’t matter the weight class or opponent. You know what you’re going to get with him. He will show up and move his feet. He will punch you and kick you until the ref says stop.”
Sonnen on Kennedy: “I keep saying this: Tim Kennedy is the most underrated guy in mixed martial arts and where he’s underrated is with his ground game. He went on the ground with Jacare Souza and Roger Gracie and came out fine. He has to get Bisping down and keep him there, and that’s hard to do.”
Michael Bisping on if his eye is recovered: “The eye is fine. I can see. It isn’t going to give him a better prospect of beating me.”
Bisping on Kennedy’s Twitter attacks? “I’ve never met the guy. He might be a great guy. But he’s made it pretty personal. It’s been pretty one-way. He’s been attacking me in every interview. I can’t wait to fight him and it’s going to be very satisfying to punch him in the face.”
Robbie Lawler on if he used the wrong strategy against Johny Hendricks: “I wasn’t out there to win rounds. I was trying to knock him out. I wanted to beat him up. I should have thought about it. I learned a lot from the fight. He pushed me and I came up a little short.”
Lawler on fighting Jake Ellenberger next: “He’s a tough opponent. He’s a righty, a powerful striker, and decent wrestler. I’ve got to be sharp and show what I’m made of.”
Jake Ellenberger on training with Edmond Tarverdyan: “I wanted to sharpen some skills and work on strategy. He’s a very smart guy.”
Joe Ellenberger on his brother fighting Lawler: “We’ve known Robbie a long time. We grew up in the same area. He’s a good dude. He has a deficiency in the wrestling and we’ve got that. He hits hard.”
TJ Dillashaw on what he learned from Urijah Faber’s lost to Barao: “He got caught. It’s MMA and anything can happen. You can’t stand in front of him. He’s a big guy and hits hard.”
Dillashaw on what he thinks are Barao’s weaknesses: “He’s not that good moving backwards and he’s not a good defensive fighter. I think my cardio is better and I think I can put everything together a little better than him.”
Dillashaw on if he’ll leave Team Alpha Male when Ludwig leaves: “I stay with Team Alpha Male. I’m with my partners to the end. They’re my family and I’ve grown up with them. But I’ll cross-train with Duane and go to Colorado and he says he’ll come out for my fight camps. I’ll get the best of both worlds out of this.”
Insider Ariel Helwani on Alistair Overeem moving camps: “Alistair Overeem has left the Blackzilians recently. He also had elbow surgery today for a pinched nerve. A few weeks ago he met with Team Jackson-Winkeljohn to see if he could do his next training camp there. I spoke to Greg Jackson about it and he was going to have him come in and try it. So it’s not set in stone, but Overeem could be headed to Albuquerque soon.”
Helwani on when Mark Hunt will fight next: “The UFC asked Mark Hunt and Brendan Schaub to headline the upcoming fight in New Zealand, but he was not cleared by the doctors after his broken hand. He’s hoping for an August return. Mark isn’t too excited about fighting Schaub, but he’ll face him if they give it to him.”
Helwani on if Chris Weidman will be recovered from his surgery and ready for UFC 175: “I just talked to Chris Weidman and he said he’s doing great, already lifting and on the bike and he’d definitely be ready for July 5th.”
Helwani on Daniel Cormier vs. Henderson: “The UFC wants to book Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson. Once Chael’s fight moved to July 5th, I was told by the UFC that it could move Cormier to May 24 and onto UFC 173. They’re waiting to see if Dan Henderson will be ready. Maybe Bader steps in, but it’s still fluid. They want it to be DC vs. Dan Henderson. They’re just not sure when it will happen.”