“When he won the UFC title against Rampage, he showed the belt to a few people then threw it in the closet. You, me -- we hang that on the mantle and show it to family and friends. He threw the UFC light heavyweight belt in his closet. That next camp he was pissed at the world because he was the champ. It’s a bit unusual, but it’s Forrest. With the Anderson fight, there was this pressure because everybody was expecting us to make Anderson fight. He felt he had to make something happen.” -- Jimmy Gifford, Forrest Griffin’s trainer, to The Las Vegas Sun.
“I’m pissed, I’m really pissed, but the sport of MMA, she, MMA, is a b---h and if you let it go to the judges, you let it out of your hands, you know? So, I’m going to take the blame for this loss. I’m going to man up.” -- Brandon Vera following his loss to Randy Couture.
“The biggest difference between myself and GSP is GSP’s a great athlete, he’s technically very good and he applies his game plans very well. I’m a fighter. I want to get in there and I want to hit you. I want to get in there and beat him up. That’s my advantage. The intensity I can bring to the fight and the aggression and the violence I can put on him.” -- Dan Hardy to Sherdog.com
“Everybody is a threat. It’s always a mathematical problem. I look at what my opponent’s chances are against me in every part of the game and try and find where he has the lowest percentage of chance to win.” -- Georges St. Pierre in pre-UFC 105 Q&A.
“Nevertheless, when I become a legend, I want to distinguish myself from the aforementioned names and become the greatest among all the legends by becoming the No. 1 in both K-1 and MMA -- in other words, a ‘double legend.’ If I manage to accomplish the feat that no one else has, then I can rightfully be called the ‘greatest legend.’” -- Alistair Overeem to Dream’s official website, as translated by MMAMania.com.
“With the UFC dropping him, he’s a mess. He’s a complete mess. Just imagine what it’s like to have an addiction problem, and to lose everything like this all in one day.” -- Neil Melanson, former training partner of Karo Parisyan, to FiveOuncesofPain.com on Parisyan pulling out of UFC 106.
“When I took my first look at MMA, I saw it as a street fight minus the beer bottle. I stood in front of the sports and tourism committee in the state Legislature and used the most powerful evidence I could find, videos of brutal fights and graphic photos of injuries, to plead for it to be banned here. I still believe I was correct back then. But the sport we banned in the mid-'90s has virtually nothing in common with the MMA of 2009. Given its remarkable evolution, it's time we welcomed MMA to New York -- so we can enjoy and profit from this fast-growing entertainment.” -- Randy Gordon, former director of New York State Athletic Commission, in the New York Daily News.
“If you live for the fight, stick with Spike: the home of the only MMA that matters.” -- Spike TV promotional spot aired during UFC 105.
The Week Ahead
All the fallout from UFC 105 and Strikeforce Challengers, plus the UFC gears up and reveals details for the conclusion of “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” the most-watched season in the history of the reality series.