03/06/2012
McCall Discusses Controversial Fight, Sonnen Apologizes To Silva, and Faber And Cruz Preview “TUF Live”
Show airs Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT
LOS ANGELES, CA – In this week’s “UFC Tonight,” hosts Todd Harris and Kenny Florian discuss UFC on FX’s controversial flyweight fight with the man at the center of it all Ian McCall. Plus, Chael Sonnen apologizes to Anderson Silva, Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz discuss the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter Live” and Ariel Helwani and Kenny Florian go head-to-head in the first edition of “Fighter vs. Writer.”
Quote of the Week: Chael Sonnen apologizes to Anderson Silva: “Anderson, over the last several months, I’ve disparaged your name in attempt to garner respect and attention for my own. That was wrong and I apologize. My actions were unsportsmanlike, they were uncalled for.”
“UFC Tonight” Analyst Kenny Florian on who’s to blame for the miscount of Johnson vs. McCall: “It wasn’t the judges’ fault. They have a guy who tallies the points and he is the one who miscalculated. Someone needs to get this guy a calculator! It’s pretty simple math!”
Ian McCall on what was going through his mind during the fight: “I thought I had the fight, and that the third round would seal the deal. But when the ref grabbed both our hands, I had this sick feeling I wasn’t going to get the call.”
McCall on his reaction to the result: “I was pissed off. Just like Dana and everyone says: ‘Don’t let it go to the judges.’ I shouldn’t have showed off, I should’ve just finished the fight. The people loved it, Dana loved it. Tactically, I should’ve gone for the kill.”
McCall on his health: “I’m 100-percent healthy, besides my black eye. I’m good, I was ready to go four rounds right away. Hopefully, they make it soon so we can go right to the title shot.”
Florian on the biggest loser of this controversy: “You got to feel for Joe Benavidez. Everyone is talking about Johnson and McCall rather than his victory. Benavidez knocked out a guy on his feet. And now his championship is going to get pushed further back down the calendar.”
“UFC Tonight” Insider Ariel Helwani on the real issue with MMA judging: “The real issue isn’t the math or calculations, it’s how knowledgeable judges are about the sport. They need to go study the sport. They need to train. That’s the real issue.”
Helwani on a silver lining to this controversy: “If you ask Dana White, there wasn’t a silver lining. If they had announced a fourth round, that would have been a great moment in UFC. We were cheated of that moment. But a rematch does really well and there’s always a lot of interest.”
Helwani on if McCall deserves blame for playing to the crowd: “Of course he deserves blame. He was a couple punches away from finishing Demetrious Johnson, but instead he was playing up to the fight.”
Helwani on if the UFC institutes a same-day weigh-in: “They absolutely should. I’m sick and tired of seeing fights that look like a heavyweight versus a featherweight. Guys are abusing the system. Guys like Thiago Alves, who add 26 pounds after the weigh-in.”
Urijah Faber on how his feud with Dominick Cruz started: “Just the way the guy carried himself when I first met him, we were fighting for the world championship, but I didn’t know him, never heard of him. We had to sign posters for a charity event and he signed his name over my face. it wasn’t cool.”
Faber on how to have the edge over Cruz: “I don’t know Dominick as a coach, but he’s not much of a people person.”
“UFC Tonight” is the official weekly news and information show of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, airing every Tuesday night at 10:00 PM ET on FUEL TV. The show is co-hosted by veteran UFC fighter and multiple title contender Kenny Florian and former UFC host and WEC Announcer Todd Harris. Two-time World MMA Awards Journalist of the Year Ariel Helwani adds insider news.
