UFC 126: Pre-Fight Press Conference Highlights
Posted on February 2, 2011, 05:05 PM by Joey SantosusUFC President Dana White, as well as the majority of Saturday's main-card fighters, were in attendance today at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada for the UFC 126 pre-fight press conference. The stacked card will be headlined by a Middleweight title clash between division Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva and challenger Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort, while the co-main event will feature a Light Heavyweight showdown between rising stars Jon "Bones" Jones and Ryan Bader. Veterans Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin will also go head to head, as well as former WEC stand-out Miguel Torres and Antonio Banuelos.
Dana White took the stage first, expressing his excitement for the card and Superbowl weekend. White also revealed the "special announcement" he had previously alluded to would be the live showing of the Bantamweight match-up between Japanese star "Kid" Yamamoto and Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. That stream will be available by visiting the Official UFC Facebook page and clicking "Like."
Below are highlights from today's Press Conference:
Anderson Silva
• Whats important is to be remembered as the better person I am today, not the best Brazilian fighter.
• There are a lot of great fights, but the fight of the decade would be me fighting my clone.
• I believe it doesn't make a difference what we've trained, we've trained hard and Saturday there's no where to run.
• The belt is a symbol of hard work. It is important. I'm out there to put on the best performance I can.
• Vitor is a great fighter, like a lot of fighters I have faced and its going to be fun.
• (UFC Rio) is going to break down barriers and create opportunities that they may not have had.
• In Brazil, a lot of people talking about this fight. Two of the greatest fighters from Brazil in the cage on Saturday.
Vitor Belfort
• Ray Sefo and Randy Couture will be in my corner.
• Something happened in my life a couple years ago, people who knew me back then but who don’t know me now, its a disadvantage for them.
• When I met Jesus I learned a lot of principles.
• I am relaxed now, I don’t have pressure, like the pressure when I became champion at 19. Now I am having fun.
• If I get a cut I don’t care, I get fixed after the fight, If I break, I get fixed after. I am there to have fun.
• I am there to fight and do my best. That is the only thing Dana and the UFC require from the fighters.
• The belt is something to conquer; if you want to get to the tip of the mountain you have to sacrifice something of yourself.
• To get the gold you must buy the field. The only way to get the gold is to buy the land and dig in for the one little piece.
• My camp was about training to fight the best pound for pound fighter in the world.
For the complete UFC 126 Press Conference Photo Gallery, visit UFC.com
Comments
Anderson better be the Anderson who KO'd Leben, Franklin, and Marquardt because Vitor's isnt the guy to joke around with. Your not fighting grapplers anymore Anderson. I hope Anderson will return.
no matter what happens: Good looking guy vs the sexy alien
anderson via first round (t)ko, he is the number one p4p
What a juvenile tool this guy is. To say the most exciting fight would be him fighting his clone? Wow.
He's gonna lose I suspect. He's gone over the edge with this crap.
dnt mistake confidence for arogance.,,
No KIDDING....
"There are a lot of great fights, but the fight of the decade would be me fighting my clone".
Silva a little full of himself or what? He's had that strap too long, I hope Belfort knocks his C*cky A** out.
Haters are Continuously trying to find more reasons to hate on Anderson Silva....You never know how great you are at what you do until haters start to hate on you.
If that ever happens it will be like watching "so you think you can dance"
don't mistake arrogance for confidence...
' )
That was arrogance, pure and simple.
Interesting comment: confidence vs arrogance. I think Silva has them mixed up himself.
Belfort: I trained to fight the best P4P in the world = confidence.
Silva: Fight of the decade would be me fighting my clone= Arrogance
Finally, the real Anderson arrogance I've been waiting for... With the Chael fight Anderson what prefore the fight too silent.. I like the hyping, hope Anderson will back up his words and show us why so many think he is p4p #1..
Guess he will pull it off in the later rounds, my money is on the Spider.
that's one epic staredown.
++++ I want Vitor's beautiful wife... Win or lose Vitor, you are lucky S.O.B lol...
Silva via TKO or Sub in round 3.
@ underdog
Have you seen Mir's wife? Wow!
@ WingChun
Frank Mir's wife is F++++++ beautiful too, but I'm a sucker for a brazilian woman so I would take Vitor's wife instead. To be honest with you, I don't think you can go wrong with either one of them.
Belfort for the win!!!!weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
He met Jesus....he's got superpowers now.
"There are a lot of great fights, but the fight of the decade would be me fighting my clone."
muhammad ali syndrome is sinking in already it seems...
Overhand - Silvas a smug prick!! I hope Belfort checks his jaw. arrogance wouldnt have a look in.....
Sucks to look up at a man. I'm 6'3 and I absolutely hate it when a guy bigger than me walks by, let alone staring one down to fight.
No stare down in history beats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im7uo-c_Ih0
George Roop stared down his nose at Hominick, and look what happened to him.
just watched. That Portuguese translator for the UFC was soo bad that Dana &co; asks Ed Soares to take over translating duties.
lol. you know its bad when they're actually asking SOARES to translate !
That was a massive fail by the UFC translator. Dana was not amused, and the guy was sweating, obviously contemplating the unemployment line.
Every time they start speaking another language, Dana's eyebrows close together.
Those Brazilian reporter babes are hot!
i know everyone is hating on Silva for the clone comment, i feel its a subtle blend of arrogance and conf., but in all honesty, that would be an AMAZING fight if u just think about it. Not saying hes not a litlle bit more of a prick for saying it, im just saying it would actually be outstanding
Andersons vs his Clone that fight will turn into Chicken fight fans will start trowing row eggs and tomatoes inside the octagon and i guess this fight will be boring just like his last 10 fights geting boooed for 5 rounds
This fight is going to get real exciting real fast. Look for Vitor to not even let Anderson breath. Having Randy in his corner and on his side is HUGE.
the belt looks silver in that pic..
maybe they upgraded to whitegold lol
hah or when you break the defense record it goes platinum
From Vitor's choice of camp, it seems obvious he feels his best (and most likely only) chance of winning this fight is to take Anderson down and GnP his way to a decision or perhaps use his (perceived) strength advantage to hold AS against the fence.
Blackhouse is probably aware of this and I'm very much intrigued to find out what they have planned for Belfort.
AS by TKO rnd 4.
From Vitor's choice of camp, it seems obvious he feels his best (and most likely only) chance of winning this fight is to take Anderson down and GnP his way to a decision or perhaps use his (perceived) strength advantage to hold AS against the fence.
Blackhouse is probably aware of this and I'm very much intrigued to find out what they have planned for Belfort.
AS by TKO rnd 4.
Anderson isn't stupid, he wants this fight to go a while. I think he will be glad to let things play out on the ground and in the clinch for the first couple of rounds. I really think if Vitor wants to win he needs to go for broke.