UFC Tonight – Kennedy, Sonnen, Evans and UFC Fight for the Troops 3 – Interviews and Videos
By PDG Staff
On this week’s UFC Tonight, host Kenny Florian and Chael Sonnen preview the upcoming UFC Fight for the Troops 3. Plus, Tim Kennedy and Rashad Evans join the show for exclusive interviews.
UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy on fighting Rafael Natal: “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a tough guy. He’s well-rounded with great jiu-jitsu, has great wresting, and is an unorthodox striker. He has a lot of power, great heart, and never quits. I expect to give the troops what they deserve, which is a great fight.”
Kennedy how he transforms from a nice guy to fighter: “I’ve just doing it for so long – fighting for 13 years and ten years in special forces. You can’t take that stuff home with you. I’m a nice guy, I love hanging out with my friends. But when it’s time to work, you either knock him out or choke him out.”
Kennedy on how much longer he’ll fight: “Stylistically, I can fight a long time. I’ve never taken a lot of damage. Diego Sanchez took more damage in one fight than I have in career. I can fight for another five, six or seven more years. I still want to get my long gun out and be sniper in Special Forces ODA, but I have some goals set in MMA and I’m still working on them.”
Tim Kennedy interview:
UFC Tonight Host Chael Sonnen on Rafael Natal’s keys to victory: “For Rafael Natal, his keys are to be unpredictable with your striking and to watch out for Kennedy trying to take him down. He has to defend the takedown, and if he does get taken down, Natal has to get back to his feet as quickly as possible if he’s to have a shot to win.”
UFC Tonight Host Kenny Florian on Kennedy’s keys to victory: “Kennedy has to mix in everything so well. He sets up his takedowns with his striking, and his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills are so good. He is excellent on the ground. He has to be more aggressive and move forward and lead the dance. He has to use his footwork to keep Natal in front of him. He has to use his wrestling and put Natal on his back.”
StrikeZone:
Sonnen and Florian’s Predictions:
UFC light heavyweight Rashad Evans on if it’s awkward fighting his friend Chael Sonnen at UFC 167: “It’s not awkward. I’ve fought a friend before when I faced Jon Jones, but this is totally different. I compartmentalize it. This is one step back to getting the belt. Chael is a great competitor. I want to show people that I deserve to be in the number-one contender spot.”
Sonnen to Evans about compartmentalizing his emotions: “Did you just say compartmentalize? That’s a big word for a Spartan from Michigan State. Can you spell it for us?”
Evans on his motivation to win the fight: “For me, my motivation is, I can’t lose this fight. I can’t listen to Chael get one line zingers in on me from here on out. I’ve got to win this fight.”
Evans on what advantages he has over Sonnen: “I think I have the speed advantage. I’m better wrestler than Chael. He’s more persistent in his attack and brings the pressure.”
Sonnen on fighting Evans: “The great Rashad Evans deserves to be more than an appetizer before I destroy Wanderlei Silva.”
Sonnen on his advantages over Evans: “I think that Rashad is in good shape. But in 15 minutes, I can keep up with him. This is a very close fight that comes down to who fights better on that evening.”
Rashad Evans interview:
UFC Tonight Insider Ariel Helwani on what Dominick Cruz and Ricardo Lamas think of their upcoming UFC 169 title fights: “Dominick Cruz said that he was cleared by the doctor three weeks ago, and he starts his training camp in two weeks. He says he gets more nervous for the training camps than for the fights. He says he feels like he’s not just fighting for the belt, he’s fighting for everything that he’s done up to this point. He’s fighting for his legacy. For Ricardo, he believes this was his destiny. He was destined to become the champion. And when he got the contract, he thought it was surreal.”
Helwani on Lyoto Machida’s contract and next fight: “His win was actually bigger than we thought. I spoke to his manager and this was actually the last fight on Machida’s UFC contract. So his stock is a whole lot higher after his big win. He wants to fight Vitor Belfort next. But his manager believes Vitor doesn’t want to fight Lyoto.”
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