07/05/2012
Silva: “The War Is Coming,” Florian and Bisping Predict Sonnen Victory, Plus Munoz vs Weidman Breakdown
UFC Tonight airs Tuesdays 10:00PM ET/7:00PM PT
LOS ANGELES, CA – On this week’s “UFC Tonight,” Guest Host Karyn Bryant and Analyst Kenny Florian are joined by Guest Analyst Michael Bisping to discuss the upcoming
UFC 148: SILVA VS. SONNEN II. Plus, we have an exclusive interview with Anderson Silva. In addition, Insider Ariel Helwani reveals news on the upcoming UFC on FUEL TV fight in China.
Quote of the Week: Anderson Silva on being fired up on last week’s press conference call: “This is the finish of the game. The war is coming. The game is over. This is it.”
Silva comments on GSP’s claim that his focus is in the wrong place by trash talking with Chael Sonnen: “I go for fights. I am going Saturday for a fight.”
Silva on whether he kissed Chael Sonnen at the UFC press event: “Kiss him? Haha, yeah that’s funny. Kiss him? All this playing around is going to end on Saturday.”
Silva on his camp preparation: “I am training hard for my friends and for my team. I am ready for the fight. That’s it.”
“UFC Tonight” Analyst Kenny Florian on whether Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II is the biggest fight of the last two years: “Without a doubt. How could it not be? These guys really want to go after each other. Chael Sonnen has been talking about this for a long time and Anderson Silva wants to go out there and do damage. It is an unbelievable style matchup and I can’t wait to see it.”
“UFC Tonight” Guest Analyst Michael Bisping on Silva vs. Sonnen II: “As we all know, styles make a fight and seeing Chael Sonnen’s style of fighting - it is a bad recipe for Anderson Silva. Chael did very well in the last fight and the fact that he did so is going to give him a lot of confidence and that is a big thing in this fight. I think it is a bad style matchup and I think Chael gets the job done.”
Florian breaks down the first fight between Silva vs. Sonnen: “There is no mystery to what Chael is going to do. He was successful in the first fight. Chael’s takedowns were money for him through that fight. Chael’s ground and pound was successful throughout the fight. He is very good at getting in on your legs. He puts a lot of pressure on you when he takes you down. He had 320 strikes landed on Silva in that fight - probably more than Silva has been hit with in his entire career. The one thing that Silva did right in this fight was the submission, which was pretty much the only mistake that Chael made in this fight. And, it compromised him and gave Silva the win.”
Florian’s prediction on Silva vs. Sonnen II: “People are going to think I’m crazy, but I am going with Chael Sonnen the trash talker. Chael is getting this.”
Bisping’s prediction on Silva vs. Sonnen II: “I agree, Chael is getting this.”
Florian on what he is most looking forward to at UFC 148: “I am looking forward to Demian Maia at 170. It will be interesting to see how he reinvents himself.”
Bisping on what he is most looking forward to at UFC 148: “Anderson and Chael is the big one for me. Obviously I fight in the middleweight division, so I am very interested to see how the fight pans out.”
“UFC Tonight” Insider Ariel Helwani reports on what happened at the end of Chael Sonnen’s training camp: “It turns out he had quite the send-off. Chael wrapped up his training camp last Thursday and word trickled out around his town as he was winding down his last training session. So at his last session, all of the sudden a bunch of family members and friends started showing up at the gym. By the end of the workout, there were between 50 and 60 friends there. Chael was choked up by the way his friends came out to send him off. It was very humbling for him.”
Bisping’s prediction on Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin: “Tito wins it.”
Florian’s prediction on Ortiz vs. Griffin: “Forrest Griffin takes it.”
Florian on Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman: “I am excited for this fight. I get to call this fight, so I have the best seat in the house. Both of these guys are great wrestlers, and usually when you get that it is going to come down to other skill sets. Munoz has the heavier hands, but Weidman has better submissions. Munoz has the striking advantage. Weidman is a technical striker, but I still give the advantage to Munoz. It is going to be a good fight.”
Bisping on Munoz vs. Weidman: “Weidman has the better striking. One thing to remember is that Munoz’s chin is a little suspect and I think that will determine a lot of things in this fight. He is really dangerous on his back. He has a vicious ground and pound. But, Weidman has the best stand-up and the best submissions. It is going to be a great fight and for me I lean towards Chris Weidman.”
Helwani on Joey Beltran’s return to the UFC: “Joey Beltran has undergone a complete transformation since he was cut from the UFC in January. He told me he was depressed after the loss to Lavar Johnson and his cut and he met with a sports psychologist. He told the sport psychologist he was either going to cut down to 205 or quit the sport altogether. After meeting with the sports psychologist, he considered doing a practice cut to 205. It went so well he did a fight outside the UFC and won it. Afterwards he got a call from the UFC to fight on next week’s card against James Te Huna. He can’t wait to show the UFC fans the new Joey Beltran.”
Helwani on Aaron Simpson’s upcoming fight with Kenny Robertson and the change from Jon Fitch: “This fight has changed drastically for Aaron Simpson. This guy is making his debut at a new weight class and he’s excited. He’s 100 percent Vegan now and he’s lost a lot of weight. In the past, he says he was fighting not to lose, and now he’s fighting to win. Now he says he’s feeling 27 and not 36. Yes, he was bummed about the switch of fighters, but he’s ready to show fans the new Aaron Simpson.”
Helwani on Jon Fitch’s injury and next fight: “As for Jon Fitch, he has a partially torn ACL that he injured in training and he didn’t want to put it at risk, especially after fighting injured in his last fight. He didn’t want to do that again and didn’t want to risk a losing streak. He says he’ll hopefully return in September or October.”
Bisping on his return after his injury: “Hopefully, pretty soon. The knee is healing nicely and it has been three weeks since the operation and I just started training. I just spoke to Joe Silva not too long ago and I am hoping to fight at UFC 152 in Toronto. I would like to fight Brian Stann, he is a good fighter. Or I would like to fight Alan Belcher because he has been calling me out since forever. If his [Belcher] balls are big enough he’ll call Joe Silva and ask him for the fight.”
Florian on The Korean Zombie tweeting that he wants to beat Jose Aldo: “I love the enthusiasm from the Korean Zombie. I wasn’t a fan of his skills, but I was a fan of his fighting style, until the last few fights. He has truly improved his skills. But can he beat Jose Aldo? I don’t think so.”
“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.
