Pablo Garza
“the triangle got him, not the armbar. He was rolling but I cranked it very hard. I thought my last fight was a trip but this was mind blowing
“The leg kicks didn’t bother me. I was a little jittery, the biggest crowd I ever fought in front of was a couple thousand. This was like ‘holy%#41’ and it took a while to concentrate on the fight.”
‘I saw the Makdessi KO and it was awesome. I hope all the fights the rest of the night are KOs because I was that Sub bonus1’
John Makdessi
(On the spinning back fist)
“I knew I hit him well, but I didn’t know I knocked him out. I guess when you train that much, it’s just a feeling to know when to use it. I like to feel out my opponent first. It’s a true testament to my great coaches and my kickboxing coach.”
(On Dana tweeting that he’s going to win Knockout of the Night)
“This is going to change my life.”
(On fighting in front of a big crowd)
“Every day I train in the gym and dream about fighting in front of a big crowd. I’ve been training since I was six years old. This is a dream come true.”
Jason MacDonald
“Words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now. I had the triangle locked in and I knew he was going to slam me. I knew as long I kept him tight it would be no problem. ”
(on the crowd)
“Once the door closes to the Octagon, you just hear the familiar voices – but the crowd was amazing, the atmosphere out there is amazing. To walk away with such a decisive win when I had all the cards stacked against me, I can’t even put it into words.”
Fans!
Ivan Menjivar
(on the finish)
“From the clinch we were kneeing each other and then by reflex I threw my left elbow and connected. That spun him and then I followed him to the ground and that was it.”
(On fighting in front of the Canadian crowd)
“I was born in El Salvador but then I came here and now I represent both countries. I’m very proud to be here. It’s probably because I’m Latino too. We try to represent our culture and we work hard.”
Jake Ellenberger
“There’s so many people, it’s hard to stay relaxed in there. I didn’t know I caught him until he went down. He was jabbing and then I just caught him with the hook. I was a little worried because it was a late-notice fight, but I came out with the win so I was happy about that.”
“Mentally, I was ready to go three rounds but nothing can get you ready for that crowd. I’ve been to a lot of UFC shows, but I’ve never heard anything like that. It’s hard to explain. It’s hard to stay relaxed in there.”
Claude Patrick
“It was a long time in the making. I never thought it would be possible. It was an honor to perform in front of my hometown crowd.”
(On his opponent)
“The guy did something different that I will never let get to me again. He went on the computer and made a whole bunch of ridiculous remarks which I didn’t even read because I turn the computer off when I’m training for a fight. He made this video about my head being so big so that’s why I came at him so hard in the first round and let my fists do the talking.”
Rory MacDonald
(on the first slam)
“He turned and exposed his back to me and that’s a pretty natural movement for me. I feel very strong in that position. He kept turning his back to me. I was really surprised by the third one. I felt like I was going to keep slamming him until the end of the round.
(on the crowd)
“It was awesome. I definitely heard them when I hit the slams and then on the ground-and-pound. It was like a big wave of noise.”
(on facing Nate Diaz / defending the possibility of a kimura when having Diaz’s back)
“I respected his skill level. He’s a very durable guy. I trained the defense to the kimura a lot. I didn’t feel threatened by the kimura. He wasn’t in position for it. I was on the offensive at that point.”
Ben Henderson
“I can do all things through Christ! Toronto, can I get an amen. It feels great to get the win. I hate losing and that I was coming off a loss. Yes, this was a big moment and it’s a big night but I’ve fought for the world title before so I was able to stay composed in there. I’m a pretty reserved guy until all these cameras get in my face.”
(on getting out of submissions)
“I always try and stay calm and relaxed. I have to credit that to [my Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach] John Crouch.”
(on the crowd)
“It was surreal. At first they were booing because I was fighting the local guy but it’s all good. At one point I took a look around and was like ‘Wow, that’s a lot of people’.”
Mashida vs Couture © Alternavox Media/ All Rights Reserved Credit: Heidy Morales
Lyoto Machida
“I had a dream when I was 18 years old that I would fight Randy Couture. But I thought I would never get the chance because I was too young. It was an honor to fight Randy. He’s the man and a legend.”
(on the fight-ending kick)
“My father said in martial arts to always be different. He taught me to look for different techniques and angles.”
Mark Hominick
“First off, I just want to say to my wife that I hope I didn’t put you into labor. I know you’re do any minute. I love you, babe and I hope that you’re okay. And second, I just want to thank John McCarthy for not stopping the fight. I was never going to give up.”
“I didn’t throw enough combinations. I was throwing all single shots. I wanted to get one up on him and I let him get one up on me. It’s one of those things, you go back to the drawing board and I’ll come back stronger.”
“I thought I could’ve attacked a bit more on the ground. I thought he was going to be attacking me more instead of holding me down. I fought hard for you guys and I hope you enjoy the fight.”
Randy Couture
“This is it. I think the last time we had this conversation I had all my teeth.”
“He’s a tremendous fighter. It felt like I was standing still out there, and he caught me with a great kick.”
“The fans have always treated me great, but to go out on that ovation was very special.”
Here is the post fight press conference: