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By: Tony Becerra
UFC on FX 8 wrapped up last night at Arena Jaraguá in Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina, Brazil in front of a crowd 7,642. In the main event, Vitor Belfort knocked out Luke Rockhold in the first round. In case you missed the press conference that followed the event, MMATorch has you covered with the recap.
UFC on FX 8 Awards (Each fighter receiving 50k each for their efforts)
Fight of the Night: Lucas Martins and Jeremy Larsen
Knockout of the Night: Vitor Belfort
Submission of the Night: Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza
Six fighters accompanied Marshall Zelaznik at the UFC on FX 8 post-fight press conference: Vitor Belfort, Luck Rockhold, Gleison Tibau, Ronald Souza, Francisco Trinaldo and Lucas Martins.
Vitor Belfort responds to his recent stance on not challenging fighters: "The Jon Jones challenge is still standing, it's up to him... But a fight against Anderson, I hope Anderson beats him. I'm just thinking about the holidays and some time off with my wife."
Vitor continued to answer about his use of the kicks in the fight, saying that whatever we see in the cage "is not luck it's training." He further stated that everything is about training and nothing comes by chance. Subsequently Vitor was asked about his motivation to fight, to which Vitor responded "it's as if I was a soccer player playing the final in the championship... to be here fighting it's a pleasure and I want to do many things to get better and better, motivation is not lacking."
Vitor was asked about bringing the Strikeforce belt to challenge Anderson Silva and he talked around the question of challenging the 185 lb. kingpin by deflecting it and talking more about "honoring this opportunity." Furthermore, Vitor referred to himself as a French wine that gets better with age in response to a question about his age, continuing by saying he is "a man who is always trying to get his best."
When asked about TRT Vitor was visibly frustrated and yelled back "can somebody beat him up for me" continuing by saying "you're boring man get out of here." Rockhold interjected saying "TRT had nothing to do with that kick," referring to the spinning back kick that was the beginning of the end of the fight.
Commentary: Vitor was visibly upset when someone would ask him about TRT, almost castigating the reporter for asking him before going back to texting on his phone. The reality is that as great as this victory is for Vitor it is going to be difficult to not think about how much of a competitive edge he had with the help of TRT. It is true that he is a talented fighter, but now the argument is whether or not the 36 year old Vitor can train as hard as the 20 year Vitor could without the use of TRT. Vitor would like to think that TRT has little to do with his performance, and maybe that's why at an unconscious level he is downplaying the possible rematches with Jones and Silva by just enjoying the last few fights he has in his career.
Luke Rockhold: "I was feeling good and finding my timing"
Luke's body language was one of a champion who has just lost his belt. He answered about "what went wrong" and he responded about wanting to "redeem" himself and begin to get ready to come back again. Subsequent questions were about the emotions going into the fight and if they had an impact on his performance. Furthermore, he was questioned about his feelings on losing his debut and all Rockhold could really do was focus on wanting to "get back in there and beat someone up."
Commentary: Rockhold answered the questions as best he could, but it's obvious he is disappointed about the loss and is only focused on getting back in the cage and erasing last night's memory. He didn't dispute the victory or try to dismiss Vitor's victory by talking about TRT, however it's a hard to not think of the possible edge a 36-year-old man on TRT may have. It may become a common theme with Vitor's opponents, complain about him being on TRT before the fight and after the fight dismiss it and give the credit all to talent. As far as Luke is concerned, a possible rematch with Jacare may be in his future.
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza: "I knew he was going to tap out or pass out"
Jacare was congratulated for his jiu-jitsu class that he showed the fans tonight. Jacare answered more about his techniques and what he has done to make them look so fast. Subsequent questions were about a rematch with Rockhold to which he said he didn't have a good answer but "is a UFC employee and is up for any fight." Jacare responded that he is a true professional and when asked about his statement about "fighting the winner" of the Belfort-Rockhold fight in the post fight interview Jacare responded that he wants to fight the best and the "winner" but believes he is not ready for Vitor. Jacare went on to talk about his "calling card" and putting on a good show for the fans. Jacare continued to answer about his position and technique used in the fight and how he felt that his opponent was going to tap.
Commentary: Very quiet about challenging the champions, focusing a fight at a time. Ronaldo looked great in his debut with no sign of the "Octagon jitters" many talk about, and with more performances like this look for him fighting for the belt sooner than later.
Lucas Martins: "I got a lot of punches which I thought I was going to fall down which the crowd push me back up."
Martins responded to questions about cutting weight saying, "regardless of the weight class he is here to put on a good show." His subsequent answers were about fighting in Brazil and winning the fight bonus, saying he "is going to help those who need it."
Commentary: It was a great fight between Martins and Larsen and a great victory and finish for Lucas who now bounces back from his first professional defeat. Look for him to continue to improve and showcase his skills in one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC.
Francisco Trinaldo: "Whoever they to put against me I'll fight them, I don't have anything to choose people…were here to do what the crowd enjoys."
Tibau answered about wanting to go down in weight and challenge someone. Furthermore, he talked about the energy fighting in Brazil and how it improves his performance. More questions surrounded his affinity for fighting in Brazil, saying, "It's more fun here ... the crowd is very warm and doesn't stop."
Commentary: With two straight finished in the UFC things are beginning to look promising for Trinaldo.
Gleison Tibau: "I've had 19 fights in the UFC and the warmth in Brazil is nothing like it, I think the crowd has a lot of very good energy and only in Brazil."
Tibau answered more questions about his time in Brazil and missing the submission of the night bonus, answering that it was Jacare's turn. He continued by stating that Jacare did deserve the bonus showing his respect by referring to himself as a Jiu-Jitsu fighter and calling Jacare's fight a Jiu-Jitsu class.
Commentary: It's good to see Tibau in the win column and back on track after his most recent loss to Evan Dunham via split decision. Tibau is a veteran of the sport and at 29 years of age a few more performances like last night's will help erase a lackluster reputation and more to a fighter who is aggressive and goes for the finish.
There you have it! Check back regularly on MMATorch for all of your MMA news and updates by the best team of columnists in the game!
Next up: Post Fight Press Conference for UFC 160 Velasquez vs. Silva II
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