UFC Fight Night 99 (UFC Belfast): Gegard Mousasi vs. Uriah Hall 2Nov 20, 2016 by Jim Edwards
Winners and Losers React after UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast
Winners and Losers React after UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast
The winners and losers at UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast react to their performances.
UFC Fight Night 99 went down live from Belfast, Northern Ireland, bringing some great fights, crazy knockouts, and lethal submissions with it.
Here are the immediate reactions from the winners—and some from the losers—after the UFC’s latest visit to the Northern Irish capital.
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“The Irish fans, and the Russians, support me through thick and thin. Many of them supported me despite the losses and I owed them this one. I owed them a good fight. I wanted to put a cherry on the cake and get a knockout, but next time. I swear to God, next time I’m going to get that KO. I was surprised I didn’t knock him out. I caught him a few times and I felt his legs wobble, but he stayed in there.
“The Japanese are tough, they are samurais, so arigato. I’m confident going in there against anyone. You can put a tiger in there with me because Conor (McGregor) gives me that confidence from facing him for many, many years and I’m still here and I’m still pretty. Like I’ve said since day one, anyone, anytime, anyplace. I’ve been that way since day one and I’ll stay that way until the end.”
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“It was fantastic to fight in Ireland because the people here know what fighting is, know what MMA is, they know the UFC, the fighters and they know what’s happening. The crowd was great, they’re real fighting Irishman. I wasn’t nervous when I heard it was a split decision, I was sure of myself. It was a great fight with a great opponent and he did a lot in the fight.
“Basically, I feel a split decision was a good decision because he did a lot too, but I won. Being asked about my height is my favorite question, it’s the one I get asked the most and I get to tell people that it’s fun to be this tall. I want to fight someone in the top-10 next. I’d like Travis Browne, he’s the same height as me and we will put on a good fight for the fans.”
Tim Johnson:
“I’m a pretty honest guy and I thought I lost one round. It was either the second or the third, I’m not sure, they kind of went back and forth a little bit. I thought for sure I won two of the three rounds. When I heard 30-27 I thought for sure the next one was coming for me.
“I can understand why the judges scored it a split decision, it kind of went both ways. I’m a little disappointed, I have a lot of things to work on. Hopefully I did enough that they’ll let me come back.”
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“Do you think that was a $50,000 win? It’s an amazing feeling. I’m over the moon. It’s an amazing feeling and the crowd was nuts for the Welsh. I’m sure the UFC must be thinking ‘Look at the Welsh guys coming in and getting two wins; s**t we’ve got an untapped market’. I topped the prelim card in my first fight in the UFC, fought a guy who was on a four fight win streak in the UFC and knocked him out in the second round which was the round I said I was going to knock him out in. You can’t get much of a better feeling than I’ve got right now. I’m ecstatic.
“Honest to God, after I get a few more fights in I’ll start calling guys out. There’s a ton of people that are in front of me. Give me whoever, I feel like I’m one of the best of them. I just knocked a guy out. Give me London in March.”
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“How I can measure my training is by finishing by knockout. I really wanted the knockout. American Top Team not only has great training partners, but they have great coaches.
“Guys like Mike Brown and Brad Pickett make such a difference. I want to fight anybody. Whoever UFC puts in front of me, that’s who I want next.”
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“I have to flip that switch. I’m doing this for my livelihood, I’m doing this for my family, for all the kids in my hometown and everybody. I have to keep that intensity. I’m not here to play around or sugar foot it, this is serious, serious business.
“You can either lose or make your life in there and I’m fighting like my life depended on it. When it’s war time, it’s war time. I only bring my coaches with me; you never see my girl or my family. This is war time.
“I don’t care about the Irish. I called Conor McGregor out because I want that fight. He’s the champ now in this division and doesn’t have anything but some years on me. He’s 28, I’m 24, I have years to catch up to him and I wanted him to know that I’m on that ass. That’s all that was about. He’s got that target on his back and I’m one of the guys that’s chasing him.
“That was my game, I wanted to remind everyone that I’m the best wrestler in this division. Everyone thinks Khabib is the best wrestler. These Dagestani guys think they’re the best wrestlers. This is good old-fashioned American wrestling. We can have a straight-up wrestling match and not throw any punches. I’ll keep taking him down, and he won’t do anything about it.
“It would mean the world to me to be able to fight in my hometown of Detroit. Now that the Pistons are moving downtown, Detroit is going to be a huge sports city again. You’ll have everyone coming down from Canada, everyone coming up from the Midwest. It’s a huge sports city. The last time UFC went there they went to the Palace, they weren’t even in Detroit. I’m trying to bring it there, trying to get a hometown fight.
“The UFC can throw me, they can throw Tony Ferguson on the card, Myles Jury is from Michigan. Even Amanda Cooper who just fought is from Michigan. That’s the card they need to throw, that’s the next one. Everyone else has had their shot, now give Detroit their shot.”
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“Initially, I just want to cry and be really happy after getting my first UFC win. It was awesome fighting in a country that is so big into MMA. I could feel the passion and excitement from all of the fans. My season of The Ultimate Fighter is having some success right now. I feel like we have a camaraderie.
“I remember being back in the house and now that we’re not fighting each other I want to see them succeed. Ashley Yoder and JJ Aldrich got wins last night in Invicta. I’m excited, Claudia is doing big things. It’s really awesome knowing we’re fighting tough people, it shows the level we were at in the house.
“There aren’t many people that I look at that I’d love to fight. When the UFC told me about Anna I had no idea who she was, so that made it fun. All of the other girls in the UFC, I’ve seen before. I’ve studied their fights. People like Felice Herrig that’s been fighting for so long, she’s on her way out, I’m on my way up, I’d love to fight someone like that.
“Someone that I’ve looked up to, that I’ve watched, that I enjoy watching. It’d be great to fight someone with a name like her. I think it’d be great for both of our careers.”
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“I feel good, man. That went way better than I had it in my head. That was way quicker than I thought and I’m really kind of blown away by the result. I’m in shock right now, this will probably sink in in a couple days.
“Let me represent in my hometown, Houston! Let’s sell out the Toyota Center. I’m healthy, I’m ready to fight, that’s my job. Let me go out there and prove it.”
Mark Godbeer:
“I was nervous. I think I let him get on top of me a little bit, but I know what to expect now. It was just stupid mistakes, it’s just learning how to deal with the situation. It was a big show.”
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“Preparation to come here and fight internationally is just to make sure I get here a little early just to get prepared for the time difference, any elevation – whatever it is. I’ve been in this game for a long time so I train to fight, I don’t really train that hard anymore so I can make it easier on my body. I work really hard on my conditioning and then when it comes time for the lights to come on, I know I’m ready. When it’s go time, it’s time to go.
“I went in with my game plan and knowing that if I stuck to what I’m good at, no one can beat me. So, I just have to show up. I knew that he didn’t deal with pressure very well so I wanted to pressure him and really keep him on his heels.
“When I got him to the ground, that’s just a sneaky little move that I do and I got him. I was really close to the top-15 before my last loss so I just want someone that’s going to get me back there. Whoever is above me in the rankings.”
Alexander Yakovlev:
“Zak is a lot bigger and more physical than I thought he was going to be.”
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“It was kind of frustrating (delayed flights) because I lost a day to get acclimated and I found myself catching up on sleep, trying to stay up late, taking naps – and I don’t take naps – it was frustrating and it played with me just a little bit. But, I was like let this mean something and the win made it better and it meant something.
“I was surprised she survived the second round. In fact, I was trying really hard to finish it and I should have pulled the trigger a little bit sooner. I want Bethe Correia because I believe she’s ranked number nine in the division, it makes sense and it will get me closer to where I feel I belong.”
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“It was a bit of a barnburner as you can see. It was a tough fight, don’t get me wrong, but all of my fights get tough but I just dug deep and got another win. What a fight to come into it (UFC). I’m happy fighting Kwak, it was a tough fight, undefeated guy. I’ve got the best team in the world, why shouldn’t I beat guys like that? I’ve got a good team, good family behind me who support me all the way and I’m very thankful. The Welsh fans are amazing, they’re the reason why I’m here. I’m very thankful.”
Kwan Ho Kwak:
“Brett Johns was a very good opponent. I was well prepared to fight him and I don’t blame the short notice at all. I feel Johns was losing it a bit at the end when he allowed me to hit him at will. Unfortunately, I had nothing left in the tank to finish him. I felt him buckling at the end and Brett told me after the fight that if there were 30 more seconds left in the fight he would have been done.”
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“I was surprised, I really thought he was going to be down after the first punch, but then he woke up and I was like ‘What is going on?’ He threw some big punches too. He didn’t hit me with his fist, but rather the back of his palm right in the back of the head and I was like ‘I can’t believe he still has this much power after me hitting him so hard.’ So I decided to take my time so I could measure so I could really hit him really hard. The key to my power and striking is my African genes, I guess.”
“Judo has always been my background, it was the first martial art I ever did. My dream was to be able to go to the Olympics, but I didn’t achieve that because I didn’t have the income for it. That’s when my coach picked me up and had me start kickboxing. It wasn’t by choice, but by God’s grace I’m here. I don’t like to call people out, so I’m ready for whoever they give me.”
Here are the immediate reactions from the winners—and some from the losers—after the UFC’s latest visit to the Northern Irish capital.
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Lobov defeats Ishihara via unanimous decision
Artem Lobov:“The Irish fans, and the Russians, support me through thick and thin. Many of them supported me despite the losses and I owed them this one. I owed them a good fight. I wanted to put a cherry on the cake and get a knockout, but next time. I swear to God, next time I’m going to get that KO. I was surprised I didn’t knock him out. I caught him a few times and I felt his legs wobble, but he stayed in there.
“The Japanese are tough, they are samurais, so arigato. I’m confident going in there against anyone. You can put a tiger in there with me because Conor (McGregor) gives me that confidence from facing him for many, many years and I’m still here and I’m still pretty. Like I’ve said since day one, anyone, anytime, anyplace. I’ve been that way since day one and I’ll stay that way until the end.”
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Volkov defeats Johnson via split decision
Alexander Volkov:“It was fantastic to fight in Ireland because the people here know what fighting is, know what MMA is, they know the UFC, the fighters and they know what’s happening. The crowd was great, they’re real fighting Irishman. I wasn’t nervous when I heard it was a split decision, I was sure of myself. It was a great fight with a great opponent and he did a lot in the fight.
“Basically, I feel a split decision was a good decision because he did a lot too, but I won. Being asked about my height is my favorite question, it’s the one I get asked the most and I get to tell people that it’s fun to be this tall. I want to fight someone in the top-10 next. I’d like Travis Browne, he’s the same height as me and we will put on a good fight for the fans.”
Tim Johnson:
“I’m a pretty honest guy and I thought I lost one round. It was either the second or the third, I’m not sure, they kind of went back and forth a little bit. I thought for sure I won two of the three rounds. When I heard 30-27 I thought for sure the next one was coming for me.
“I can understand why the judges scored it a split decision, it kind of went both ways. I’m a little disappointed, I have a lot of things to work on. Hopefully I did enough that they’ll let me come back.”
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Marshman defeats Cedenblad via TKO at 3:38 of Round 2
Jack Marshman:“Do you think that was a $50,000 win? It’s an amazing feeling. I’m over the moon. It’s an amazing feeling and the crowd was nuts for the Welsh. I’m sure the UFC must be thinking ‘Look at the Welsh guys coming in and getting two wins; s**t we’ve got an untapped market’. I topped the prelim card in my first fight in the UFC, fought a guy who was on a four fight win streak in the UFC and knocked him out in the second round which was the round I said I was going to knock him out in. You can’t get much of a better feeling than I’ve got right now. I’m ecstatic.
“Honest to God, after I get a few more fights in I’ll start calling guys out. There’s a ton of people that are in front of me. Give me whoever, I feel like I’m one of the best of them. I just knocked a guy out. Give me London in March.”
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Horiguchi defeats Bagautinov via unanimous decision
Kyoji Horiguchi:“How I can measure my training is by finishing by knockout. I really wanted the knockout. American Top Team not only has great training partners, but they have great coaches.
“Guys like Mike Brown and Brad Pickett make such a difference. I want to fight anybody. Whoever UFC puts in front of me, that’s who I want next.”
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Lee defeats Mustafaev via rear-naked choke at 4:31 of Round 2
Kevin Lee:“I have to flip that switch. I’m doing this for my livelihood, I’m doing this for my family, for all the kids in my hometown and everybody. I have to keep that intensity. I’m not here to play around or sugar foot it, this is serious, serious business.
“You can either lose or make your life in there and I’m fighting like my life depended on it. When it’s war time, it’s war time. I only bring my coaches with me; you never see my girl or my family. This is war time.
“I don’t care about the Irish. I called Conor McGregor out because I want that fight. He’s the champ now in this division and doesn’t have anything but some years on me. He’s 28, I’m 24, I have years to catch up to him and I wanted him to know that I’m on that ass. That’s all that was about. He’s got that target on his back and I’m one of the guys that’s chasing him.
“That was my game, I wanted to remind everyone that I’m the best wrestler in this division. Everyone thinks Khabib is the best wrestler. These Dagestani guys think they’re the best wrestlers. This is good old-fashioned American wrestling. We can have a straight-up wrestling match and not throw any punches. I’ll keep taking him down, and he won’t do anything about it.
“It would mean the world to me to be able to fight in my hometown of Detroit. Now that the Pistons are moving downtown, Detroit is going to be a huge sports city again. You’ll have everyone coming down from Canada, everyone coming up from the Midwest. It’s a huge sports city. The last time UFC went there they went to the Palace, they weren’t even in Detroit. I’m trying to bring it there, trying to get a hometown fight.
“The UFC can throw me, they can throw Tony Ferguson on the card, Myles Jury is from Michigan. Even Amanda Cooper who just fought is from Michigan. That’s the card they need to throw, that’s the next one. Everyone else has had their shot, now give Detroit their shot.”
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Cooper defeats Elmose via unanimous decision
Amanda Cooper:“Initially, I just want to cry and be really happy after getting my first UFC win. It was awesome fighting in a country that is so big into MMA. I could feel the passion and excitement from all of the fans. My season of The Ultimate Fighter is having some success right now. I feel like we have a camaraderie.
“I remember being back in the house and now that we’re not fighting each other I want to see them succeed. Ashley Yoder and JJ Aldrich got wins last night in Invicta. I’m excited, Claudia is doing big things. It’s really awesome knowing we’re fighting tough people, it shows the level we were at in the house.
“There aren’t many people that I look at that I’d love to fight. When the UFC told me about Anna I had no idea who she was, so that made it fun. All of the other girls in the UFC, I’ve seen before. I’ve studied their fights. People like Felice Herrig that’s been fighting for so long, she’s on her way out, I’m on my way up, I’d love to fight someone like that.
“Someone that I’ve looked up to, that I’ve watched, that I enjoy watching. It’d be great to fight someone with a name like her. I think it’d be great for both of our careers.”
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Ledet defeats Godbeer via rear-naked choke at 2:16 of Round 1
Justin Ledet:“I feel good, man. That went way better than I had it in my head. That was way quicker than I thought and I’m really kind of blown away by the result. I’m in shock right now, this will probably sink in in a couple days.
“Let me represent in my hometown, Houston! Let’s sell out the Toyota Center. I’m healthy, I’m ready to fight, that’s my job. Let me go out there and prove it.”
Mark Godbeer:
“I was nervous. I think I let him get on top of me a little bit, but I know what to expect now. It was just stupid mistakes, it’s just learning how to deal with the situation. It was a big show.”
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Cummings defeats Yakovlev via armbar at 4:02 of Round 2
Zak Cummings:“Preparation to come here and fight internationally is just to make sure I get here a little early just to get prepared for the time difference, any elevation – whatever it is. I’ve been in this game for a long time so I train to fight, I don’t really train that hard anymore so I can make it easier on my body. I work really hard on my conditioning and then when it comes time for the lights to come on, I know I’m ready. When it’s go time, it’s time to go.
“I went in with my game plan and knowing that if I stuck to what I’m good at, no one can beat me. So, I just have to show up. I knew that he didn’t deal with pressure very well so I wanted to pressure him and really keep him on his heels.
“When I got him to the ground, that’s just a sneaky little move that I do and I got him. I was really close to the top-15 before my last loss so I just want someone that’s going to get me back there. Whoever is above me in the rankings.”
Alexander Yakovlev:
“Zak is a lot bigger and more physical than I thought he was going to be.”
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Reneau defeats Dudieva via TKO at 3:03 of Round 3
Marion Reneau:“It was kind of frustrating (delayed flights) because I lost a day to get acclimated and I found myself catching up on sleep, trying to stay up late, taking naps – and I don’t take naps – it was frustrating and it played with me just a little bit. But, I was like let this mean something and the win made it better and it meant something.
“I was surprised she survived the second round. In fact, I was trying really hard to finish it and I should have pulled the trigger a little bit sooner. I want Bethe Correia because I believe she’s ranked number nine in the division, it makes sense and it will get me closer to where I feel I belong.”
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Johns defeats Kwak via unanimous decision
Brett Johns:“It was a bit of a barnburner as you can see. It was a tough fight, don’t get me wrong, but all of my fights get tough but I just dug deep and got another win. What a fight to come into it (UFC). I’m happy fighting Kwak, it was a tough fight, undefeated guy. I’ve got the best team in the world, why shouldn’t I beat guys like that? I’ve got a good team, good family behind me who support me all the way and I’m very thankful. The Welsh fans are amazing, they’re the reason why I’m here. I’m very thankful.”
Kwan Ho Kwak:
“Brett Johns was a very good opponent. I was well prepared to fight him and I don’t blame the short notice at all. I feel Johns was losing it a bit at the end when he allowed me to hit him at will. Unfortunately, I had nothing left in the tank to finish him. I felt him buckling at the end and Brett told me after the fight that if there were 30 more seconds left in the fight he would have been done.”
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Alhassan defeats Ward via KO at :53 of Round 1
Abdul Razak Alhassan:“I was surprised, I really thought he was going to be down after the first punch, but then he woke up and I was like ‘What is going on?’ He threw some big punches too. He didn’t hit me with his fist, but rather the back of his palm right in the back of the head and I was like ‘I can’t believe he still has this much power after me hitting him so hard.’ So I decided to take my time so I could measure so I could really hit him really hard. The key to my power and striking is my African genes, I guess.”
“Judo has always been my background, it was the first martial art I ever did. My dream was to be able to go to the Olympics, but I didn’t achieve that because I didn’t have the income for it. That’s when my coach picked me up and had me start kickboxing. It wasn’t by choice, but by God’s grace I’m here. I don’t like to call people out, so I’m ready for whoever they give me.”