As usual the UFC held their conference call leading up to an event. Today was no different, with a media conference call for UFC on Fox 1. The call featured UFC President Dana White as well as the headlining fighters, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
Below are media call notes for UFC on Fox 1 thanks to SBNation.com
UFC On Fox 1 Media Call Notes
Dana White:
– UFC on Fox 1 weigh-ins to be show live on Fuel TV on Friday.
– It’s going to be a completely different format than what we’ve done before. Fighters will be interviewed before they come out.
– From a production standpoint, we’ll be rehearsing starting Thursday to get ready for a Saturday fight.
– We’re aggressively going after Mexico, but it’s hard to navigate another country. It’s tough to maneuver and get things done.
– We’re going to keep doing pay-per-view, but I grew up as a boxing fan. When ppv model came out, boxing stopped putting big fights on free TV. Our goal is to bring, big free fights back to television.
– It’s an investment in the future of the business to put this on free TV, not PPV.
– I’m confident in JDS and Cain. We made this the first fight on TV for a reason. This is going to be an awesome fight. There’s a lot of pressure to go in there and pull this off, make this right.
– Traditional sports, a lot of the things that we do on our show isn’t what is normal.
– UFC 134 was so successful is how we ended up getting this deal on Globo.
– I don’t know about weigh-ins, but fights will be in a number of countries. Will air on Rogers SportsNet in Canada.
– The amount of talent of TUF Brazil is going to create is going to be phenomenal. But my goal is to do a world cup of TUF where each country’s winner faces off.
– The whole format is going to change for the new TUF. We’ll be filming live for 13 weeks. We’ll go right into the finale.
– We wouldn’t do a deal with any network unless we had control of production. On the same note, we respect Fox. We’re not in business until January and they’ve already been the greatest partners we’ve ever had.
Cain Velasquez:
– It’s natural for me to be a little nervous. No more butterflies than usual.
– I’ve been treating it like the other fights I’ve already had. I just think about what’s going on in the gym.
– For me, it’s a great opportunity. I’m hoping to make it an exciting for the fans. JDS is a great opponent.
– With every fight it feels like it gets more and more in terms of media. It hasn’t been overwhelming. It’s been just the right amount. I’ve been happy with it.
– The rehab went fine. More on this later…
– I like to see as much video and footage on my opponents as possible. Every little bit helps.
-A big part of training camp, the kind of guys we brought in, we have multiple guys that we spar with, not just one guy. Paul Buentello, guys from other camps came in. Usually when I spar, I spar with two other guys and that’s tougher.
Junior dos Santos:
– I have waited a long time for this fight. It was a little tough to wait, physically I feel so good. I want to keep showing good things.
– I’m very happy to be a part of this event. Globo is the eye of the Brazil, it means to be part of the growth of the sport.
– Everything happened very fast in terms of getting pciked up by the UFC. If you work hard and you’re a good person, good things happen to you. I started training in jiu-jitsu less than 6 years ago.
– Nothing has changed. I am a very focused guy. At the end of the day, every man needs luck and I am lucky guy.
– I am very proud to be a part of history. I am proud of my work and dedication that have brought me to this point. I truly believe is the best heavyweight in the world. It’s an honor to be fighting him. I am thankful for the opportunity.
– I believe we reap what we sow. You get what you deserve. I know the value of everything I’ve achieved. My life has already changed a lot. I want to continue on that path and better my life.
– I’ve been for training about 3 months in Bahia. I’ve been counting on a big team including Big Nog and boxing coach Doria. It’s been a really great camp. I feel fantastic. I know Cain is a tough opponent, but I am confident in my abilities.
– I’ve been training a lot for 5 round fights. My S&C training has been very rigorous. I am ready for 5 rounds, but I don’t think it will go the distance. I know Cain’s been out of the Octagon, but he’s a phenomenal fighter.
