UFC Post-Fight Interviews
Below are some post-fight interviews that took place right fter the UFC 115 fight card, featuring UFC president Dana White, Matt Wiman, Carlos Condit and Mirko Filipovic.
UFC 115 Bonuses Revealed
After the eleven bouts for UFC 115 at GM Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada were completed, UFC president Dana White handed out the fight bonuses. Suffice it to say, the bonuses were larger than the norm.
Below are the bonuses given out, along with the recipients:
Submission of the Night:
Mirko Filipovic ($85,000)
Knockout of the Night:
Rich Franklin ($85,000)
Fight of the Night:
Carlos Condit and Rory McDonald ($85,000 each)
Rory MacDonald – The Future is Now
Thomas sent this in:
Rory MacDonald was like any other teenager when he walked into the mixed martial arts gym in Kelowna, British Columbia. When he walked out, he turned into probably the most focused and determined 14-year old you would ever meet.
“The very first class I ever tried in mixed martial arts, I went to the gym and I was excited about it, but nervous,” he recalled. “Right after class, I had had so much fun, more fun than I’ve ever had in my entire life doing something, and I just knew right away that I wasn’t gonna stop doing this. This was it for me, and it was kind of a cool feeling for a 14-year old kid to have.”
It’s a cool feeling for anyone to have, and one that some never find. MacDonald was one of the lucky ones, but once the lucky aspect of that feeling was over with, it was time to do something with it, and for the last six years he has, devoting his life to a sport that has taken him from that local British Columbia gym that he still calls home to the UFC Octagon, a trip that would be even more amazing if it didn’t seem like destiny.
And that sense that MacDonald was born for this is evident the moment you see him fight or even talk to him. He’s not your typical 20-year old – he probably isn’t even your typical 30-year old when it comes to maturity. Call it ‘old soul’ syndrome.
“I think I’m a little bit more mature at my age than most,” he said. “I’ve had experiences in my life that made me have to grow up a lot faster than a lot of my friends my age, and it’s been a progression. I’ve been training for six years and I know where I’ve wanted to be and what I wanted to achieve, even at an early age, so it’s kinda like I already knew this was coming so I’ve been preparing for this for my whole life almost.”
Unbeaten in ten pro fights, MacDonald has had a significant buzz around him for a while now, impressive when you consider that his pro debut came when he was just 16, the same year he struck out on his own while still juggling high school studies.
“I was living on my own since I was 16, still going to high school, training full-time,” he said. “It was like I was 20 at 16, with a full plate of responsibilities. Friends, family, everything going on. It kinda forced me to be mature and handle all these responsibilities at an early age. I knew where I wanted to go with fighting so I also to had to keep focused on that, so I had to give up a lot of things and sacrifice a lot of things as far as partying and friends and all that stuff.”
But MacDonald has no regrets about the past or the path he’s chosen, not surprising given the success he’s had so far.
“It’s not really my personality to party,” he said. “I was having a lot more fun doing what I was doing, training and getting better at something I loved doing, and I knew that I wanted to do right away. I didn’t want to party and then start focusing on it. I wanted to focus on it right now and get there as fast as I possibly could.”
That’s not to say MacDonald is the kid sitting in the corner listening to The Smiths on his iPod between training sessions. Admittedly, back in school, he “was the goofball, the kid who jokes around and who was the class clown.” And he hasn’t lost the ability to enjoy the ride he’s on right now. But when it’s time to work, it’s time to work, and MacDonald hasn’t stopped since beginning his training with David Lea at Toshido MMA. Not Toshido Jiu-Jitsu, Toshido Wrestling, or Toshido Boxing, but Toshido MMA, meaning that as soon as MacDonald stepped into the gym, he was learning all aspects of the sport, making him one of a new breed of fighter that will one day be the norm and not the exception.
“I started in MMA right off the hop,” he said. “I don’t excel in just one area; I excel in all areas, so in every aspect of fighting you’re gonna get a tough fight from me, no matter where the fight goes. So if I fight a strong wrestler, he can have a lot more things to be scared about fighting me than I have to be scared about fighting him. And the same with any other kind of fighter, so I think that’s an added benefit. Now, you’re starting to see the game growing, evolving, and changing, and there are gonna be more complete mixed martial artists.”
In theory, that’s perfect. But what about in practice? Could the kid deliver when the pressure was on against a fighter who turned pro when MacDonald was just nine years old? We found out in January, when “The Water Boy” made his UFC debut against veteran Mike Guymon and submitted him before the end of the first round. The kid could fight and he could do it on the sport’s biggest stage. He does admit dealing with nerves before the bout though.
“It was mostly that I put pressure on myself to perform so that everyone in the UFC knew that I belonged there, the fans knew that they belonged there and they liked me, and just basically first impression jitters,” he said. “I wanted to impress my first time out, and I did that with my very first fight as well. I was 16 and I did the same exact thing. So it was about the first impression that I wanted to leave, and now that that’s done, I can set my roots a little bit and fight to my standards.”
So it gets better from here?
“I didn’t fight at my best in my last fight, so I have a lot more to show,” he said.
He will certainly get another big stage on which to showcase himself on June 12th, when he steps into the Octagon to take on former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in one of the most intriguing bouts on the UFC 115 card in Vancouver.
“He’s a strong fighter,” said MacDonald of Condit. “Obviously he’s very skilled and dangerous and I respect that, but that’s just added excitement for me. Those are the kind of guys I want to fight, and as soon as I heard it, I was stoked. As far as fighting him, of course I see weaknesses and I have confidence that I’ll be able to beat him, so it should be cool.”
Fighting in British Columbia isn’t too bad either.
“It’s gonna be awesome,” he said. “I love fighting close to home. You don’t have to travel, you don’t lose too much sleep because of the time difference, because there is none, and the hometown fans are gonna be rooting for me, so that’s cool. I don’t get nervous for that, but I’m excited for it.”
Hearing the words ‘cool’, ‘stoked’, and ‘awesome’ sprinkled into the conversation are the only reminders that Rory MacDonald still hasn’t reached the legal drinking age in the United States. That’s how much he has things together in a world that can resemble a huge playground for professional athletes at times. In fact, the only thing that you may wonder about with MacDonald is not that he gets off track and loses focus on his career, but that he may want to accelerate things too fast. He doesn’t expect that to be a problem.
“My trainer Dave and I, we have a really good relationship as far as the way I’ve been prepared all the way up until this point,” he said. “I’ve been progressing all this time, slowly, slowly, and that’s been the routine of my career so far. So I’m not rushing it. I’ve got good advice coming from Dave and we’re just taking it fight by fight, training full-time, and getting better all the time. So when the time’s right the time’s right.”
The way things are going, that time may come sooner than we think. But what about that feeling he had walking into the gym for the first time at 14? Does he still have it?
He laughs.
“Oh yeah, I’ve still got that feeling.”
Photo: Sherdog
Condit vs. MacDonald Possible For UFC 115
Negotiations are taking place with Carlos Condit for a possible bout with Rory MacDonald at UFC 115, which is scheduled to take place on June 15 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, B.C., Canada; MMAMania learned of the proposed matchup earlier today.
Condit rebounded nicely after a loss to Martin Kampmann at UFC Fight Night 18 back in April 2009 as he earned a hard-fought split decision win over Jake Ellenberger. He was scheduled to take on Paul Daley at UFC 108, but an injury sidelined him for the January 2 event.
Meanwhile, the undefeated MacDonald had a successful UFC debut, easily disposing of Michael Guymon at UFC Fight Night 20 earlier this month.
Stay tuned to Octagon Buzz as more bouts are added to UFC 115 and will be announced accordingly.
Hazelett Likely Opponent For Daley At UFC 108
Just as quickly as Carlos Condit, due to injury, dropped out of UFC 108, another opponent has apparently been found to face Paul Daley.
Several sources have stated that Dustin Hazelett will step in for the injured Condit and take on Daley in the co-main event at UFC 108, which is scheduled for January 2, 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Hazelett has not fought since he suffered a torn ACL training for a bout with Ben Saunders at UFC 96; no word on Hazelett’s fight plans were forthcoming from his manager, Monte Cox nor Daley’s manager, Wad Alamaddine.
Injury Forces Cancellation Of UFC 108 Condit-Daley Bout
It was difficult enough for the UFC to put together a decent main event for UFC 108 on January 2. Now they have another obstacle to overcome as a source close to Carlos Condit has stated that he has suffered an injury during training and will not be able to compete in a main-card bout with Paul Daley; as of this post, there has been no replacement found for Condit.
Allegedly, the injury was to one of Condit’s hands, although the specific nature of the injury is unknown. The bout, if it had happened, would have been Condit’s first on a pay-per-view; he was seeking to build momentum based on a split-decision win over Jake Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 19 in September. Meanwhile, Daley was looking for some momentum of his own as his most recent fight was an upset win over Martin Kampmann at UFC 103.
When more developments in the Condit situation become available, Octagon Buzz will bring them to you.
UFC Ultimate Fight Night 18 Card Complete
The UFC announced that the card for UFN 18 is now filled up; the card will take place on April 1 at Sommet Center in Nashville, TN and will be televised live on Spike TV. Below is the final card:
- Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann
- Efrain Escadero vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Ryan Bader vs. Carmelo Marrero
- Junie Browning vs. Cole Miller
- Tyson Griffin vs. Rafael dos Anjos
- Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Horwich
- Brock Larson vs. Jesse Sanders
- Nissen Osterneck vs. Jorge Rivera
- Rob Kimmons vs. Joe Vedepo
- Tim McKenzie vs. Aaron Simpson
- Ryan Jensen vs. Steve Steinbeiss
WEC 38 Set To Take Place In San Diego
The WEC, looking to build upon what has been a successful 2008, looks to kick off 2009 with WEC 38 with San Diego the locale for the event, according to MMA Weekly; the thinking is to hold the event there on January 25. Some of the names expected to be on the event’s fight card include:
- Urijah Faber
- Jamie Varner
- Donald Cerrone
- Carlos Condit
What is not certain as of this writing is whether the event will be a pay-per-view event or televised free on Versus; only time will tell. When the card begins to fill up and the logistics for the broadcast of WEC 38 become more readily available, Octagon Buzz will have them for you, along with the most up-to-date MMA news.
WEC Fighters Come Back Clean
The Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed today, according to MMA News, that all of the 20 fighters who took part on WEC 35 were tested for narcotics (including marijuana, cocaine, etc.) and performance-enhancing drugs and were all tested negative. Specifically, the fighters who were tested negative were: Carlos Condit, Hiromitsu Miura, Steve Cantwell, Brian Stann, Jamie Varner, Marcus Hicks, Brian Bowles, Josh Grispi, Brock Larson and Scott Jorgensen.
The remaining fighters, which included: Damacio Page, Micah Miller, Carlo Prater, Blas Avena, Dave Terrel, Shane Roller, Todd Moore, Mike Budnik, Greg McIntyre and Kenji Osawa were not required to undergo screening.
MMA Live – Episode 13
In this segment, MMA Live talks about Randy Couture and his current legal issues with the UFC, Carlos Condit ’s fight as a possible fight of the year, a UFC 87 preview, plus much more.
