On this week’s UFC TONIGHT, hosts Kenny Florian and Daniel Cormier preview UFC 186: JOHNSON VS. HORIGUCHI and interview No. 11-ranked middleweight CB Dollaway about his fight against Michael Bisping. Plus, they talk to American Top Team owner Dan Lambert and Blackzilians owner Glenn Robinson about the new season of THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER. Karyn Bryant and Ariel Helwani add reports.
UFC TONIGHT Host Kenny Florian on the title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Kyoji Horiguchi: “Kyoji won’t be intimidated by Demetrious. He has great footwork and striking. But Demetrious Johnson has so many weapons. Horiguchi has to find a way to take away some of those weapons that Demetrious has to have a chance in this fight.”
UFC TONIGHT Host Daniel Cormier on Demetrious Johnson’s skills: “DJ does everything unbelievably well. He wrestles, he strikes and he’s one of the most well rounded fighters in the UFC. Horiguchi has done a great job in his fights using great combinations against his opponents and he gets his hands on them. But he has his hands full with Demetrious.”Florian on Johnson’s keys to victory: “He needs to vary the attack. He needs to use his footwork – I think it’s the best in the UFC. He needs to land the takedowns and really mix it up as he always does.”
Cormier on Horiguchi’s keys to victory: “For Kyoji Horiguchi, he has great striking. He’s a very good wrestler and he understands positions. He needs to strike first. He needs to make it a brawl, just get his hand on DJ, and he needs to defend the takedowns.”
Florian on who should get the next middleweight fight, Luke Rockhold or Jacare Souza: “Rockhold’s the guy. He had a more impressive victory, and don’t forget, he has a win over Jacare.”
CB Dollaway on his secret plan against Bisping: “I’m going to just go out and use some of that Colby College wrestling to put him on his back and feed him some shots.”
Dollaway on if he will target Bisping’s eye injury: “I don’t target it, but I’m definitely not going to not punch him in the eye. I’m not a bad sport. I’m not going to try to poke him in the eye. I’m not going to target it. But if that’s the eye he gets punched in, than that’s the eye he gets punched in. He got cleared to go in the Octagon just like me and it is what it is.”
Dollaway on what he learned from his loss to Lyoto Machida: “I learned to get in there and fight and not wait. I had too much nerves and emotion get ahold of me. When I get in there, he’s just another man. I’m not going to let that happen again. I’m going to fight my fight and do what I do. I know how that ends.”
Dollaway on how he needs to fight Bisping: “I need to mix it up and keep him guessing, not follow patterns and not just look for takedown or striking. I need to never let him get comfortable.”
Dollaway on what a win does over Bisping: “A win solidifies me as a real contender in the minds of the fans and that I do belong in the top ten. I’ll be on my way to the title shot. I have to beat him convincingly; I want to become a real contender. I need an impressive victory.”
American Top Team owner Dan Lambert on why he doesn’t like the Blackzilians owner Glenn Robinson: “It comes down to there’s a right way and a wrong way of getting into this business. If you want to come in do it the right way, you should start a team from the ground up and go through the years to develop them, build it up and then be proud of what you did. Don’t just poach guys to build a team.”
Blackzilians owner Glenn Robinson on the rift between the two gyms: “The bottom line is four guys left his team because they were unhappy with him and he just wanted to rewrite the history to better suit his story.”
Lambert on what filming the show meant for his gym: “It was a great experience for our guys. It will let people see how the team works inside and out and see how coaches work with the fighters. It’s great to see each team’s gym intensity during the fights and it’ll be off the hook.”
Robinson on what it was like filming the show: “The energy in the gym is tremendous. The intensity walking out into the crowd and see everyone chanting on both sides, and being with the guys was amazing. We all grew from it. It’ll get the fighters exposed to the world. It was a great experienced.”
Lambert on if being on the show bridged the gap between the two owners: “There were lots of ups and downs during the season. But there was one constant: Glenn was a douche bag before season started, he was a douche bag during the season, and he’s going to be a douchebag after.”
UFC TONIGHT Insider Ariel Helwani on Paige VanZant not wanting a title shot next: “I spoke to her manager, and he said slow and steady wins the race. She wants to fight again in the fall and work her way up the division.”
Helwani on Yoel Romero: “I spoke to his manager and he elected to not have surgery. He has a torn meniscus. He hopes to return in July and would like to still fight Jacare.”
Helwani on Tim Kennedy’s next fight: “Tim Kennedy wants to fight Lyoto Machida. It’s a fight he’s wanted for a long time. And he wants it to be a loser leaves the UFC fight.”