Following the UFC’s first ever visit to Mexico last night at UFC 180, Dana White gave his thoughts on the night’s big fights in an interview with Megan Olivi.
See our keynotes below and scroll down to watch the video for yourselves.
– White says everything that coming to Mexico, a long term ambition for the UFC president, worked out just how he hoped it would. TUF: Latin America was a huge success and the event was a sell out and broke records for the arena (with over 21,000 fans believed to have watched the fights live), and he hopes that this will now spur a new generation of Mexican fighters to rise up as the sport’s popularity grows here.
– He thoughts the fights were great and felt there were some “real prospects” emerging from that Latin American fighters.
– White is full of admiration for Leslie Smith’s warrior spirit after almost having her ear torn off during her fight, but he also reserves praise for her opponent Jessica Eye who he was very impressed with, saying that she “looked like a world beater tonight.”
– Ricardo Lamas was quieter than Dennis Bermudez in the build-up to their fight, but White thinks he made a big statement when it mattered in the Octagon by finishing his opponent in the first round, making it clear that he’s one of the best in the world and shouldn’t be underestimated.
– White admits he thought this might be a night for Jake Ellenberger to shine, but he was again hesitant to let his hands go while Gastelum “looked phenomenal”.
– The UFC president wasn’t overly impressed with how Werdum started the main event, looking a little out-of-sorts and laxidaisical, but he praises him for one of the best knee strikes you’ll see and for stopping one of the toughest men in the sport.
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