Daniel Cormier and Ryan Clark preview Saturday’s lightweight co-main event between Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev. Stream …
obviously only a few days removed from another fight here in Europe I guess what are the emotions coming after that last performance in Paris to now fighting here in the UK yeah um I’m always happy to fight in Europe um uh despite its personal for me in a sense that like I never had two losses in a row and this is not going to be the case also so yeah man and by now I can’t wait to go out and put on a great performance when you say it’s personal has nothing to do with Rome and does it is it just an internal thing that you don’t want to drop to in a row yeah yeah exactly um even though it is a bit personal with Roman 2 in a sense because uh uh you know we we actually trained together before and stuff and uh we have some good friend in common and uh he didn’t think twice of accepting the fight and uh you know of course like then if you accept the fight and they come back to me and they tell me like oh you accepted a fight and I’m not gonna shy away from from a fight definitely not I wouldn’t say that we were like friends but you know at the same time you know like we’ve been around each other a couple times and yeah but yeah at the same time yeah at the end of the day like we’re not here to move to make friends and uh and I totally get it and uh yeah I totally get it so absolutely let’s do it and I can’t wait to do it to be honest so you said you trained with him a few times yeah yeah because he came with Kings back in the back back a while ago and then uh Giga Chicago was uh you know he’s Georgian that their uh their Georgia they became friends and me and Giga go back a very long time were like I mean he’s been my teammate forever like I can call my brother so yeah yeah yeah uh so yeah just things like this you know and then uh he just accepted a fight but yeah now at the end of the day he’s right we’re not here to make friends and uh yeah he’s in my division and uh I’ll go out and smash him how did those how did those training sessions go when you guys were at Kings uh they they went well for me I believe you know but uh I I’m the first to say that like you know training in a in a fight so you know uh but still you know yeah for sure that went well and you’re at extreme right now correct um or you did something no no no no uh yeah yeah yeah so I moved out to Vegas uh now extreme I went there I was going there maybe maybe like two two three times a week to um to train and Spar but mainly I did my things with like uh uh Jason melee uh Dewey Cooper and Emmanuel at the at the at the pi they have a lot of middleweights at extreme did you get a lot of commits in with like Sean and Chris yeah yeah but me and Sean we always trained you know even uh even when I was like uh because well he was in California too before so we always trained together yeah but uh yeah Sean Curtis was there um uh I just who also uh Saudi uh Sadi buzi um yeah yeah guys I might be forgetting somebody but um yeah definitely a lot of middleweight it’s a lot of good bodies a lot of like oh yeah I I actually trained a lot with uh especially lately with the utaba um yeah man definitely a lot of bodies So speaking specifically of Roman how impressed have you been uh with his with his run of wins especially his his last fight he kind of stepped in against Jack’s short notice and pulled off that submission yeah yeah he’s uh he’s a sniper like uh if he gets an opportunity like he’ll go after it hard so that’s why you got to be really careful about that for sure you gotta address that because like uh he gets a position he’s gonna fight for his life to get it and uh it’s good I mean I yeah hats off to to to him and the way that uh he finished her Mansion because uh I fought her master I know it’s not easy with that being said though like overall as a fighter I think um it’s a like you know I’m in a different League but yeah no yeah impressive good you know like uh good I mean he’s doing good things but now I think he messed up I’m accepting that fight against me the last one for me uh can I ask your prediction for the main event between Leon and Kamara yeah um I think Amara will do it again I think he’ll he’ll uh he’ll get the the belt back you have you mentioned about training with Sean he wants to fight Paulo Costa and something’s happening there if that fight does happen how do you see it going to be a good faith to be honest that’d be a good fight uh we’ll see uh yeah you know it’s hard to call but uh I think you see like I don’t know man I think it’s hard it’s hard to call I I hope Sean do I mean you know me and Sean at least I mean at the end of the day we go back a long time uh but I don’t know because Sean just doesn’t really prepare for people like he’s just like the way like he’ll train that he’ll train always all year round the same way and he’ll fight the same way like you wouldn’t he won’t really like prepare for guys like and sometimes at the highest level you need to prepare for for God for the opponent that you’re fighting you know specifically so but I mean you know like if I had to put my money on somebody definitely put it on Sean but culture can do it too you know uh outside of this Darren too has just left the UFC I know that was a fight that was around with you for a while and it never came to happen you’re sad to see him go what do you think about him leaving the UFC ah I mean you know that’s that’s uh uh that’s his uh his choice I don’t agree like for myself I wouldn’t have agree on on that decision because like you either rise up to the occasion or you really don’t you don’t really I mean yeah you can lose and win but then you eventually you gotta like level up to the to the occasion eventually and then but maybe you know maybe sometimes you got to take a step back to come back so yeah I mean that that’s on him you know and I wish him nothing but the best at the end of the day you know after we were there in Thailand we go through and got a little bit and then train and yeah I mean yeah he’s uh yeah I mean I just hope he gets it together was it awkward seeing him for the first time yeah yeah yeah to be honest like when I saw him I never really thought too much of like what we said to each other because actually a lot of things that he said I didn’t even saw like actually I started after but then I’m like oh we were cool now so I don’t even I don’t even bother but um yeah yeah I yeah I don’t it was never like a real like thing for me at least I don’t know Marvin just over here yeah yeah um look at this fight is a person the last lost to Robert Whittaker what were your takeaways from that fight uh yeah yeah there was a one main take that was uh I needed to add kicks into my into my game for sure because of course I like to box and all that but um then uh you know they they especially coming off on that second round you change the distance a bit and I struggled on finding them with my jab and stuff and I’m like hey I gotta I gotta add some weapons so uh went back went to Thailand straight away and worked on my kicks and um yeah man I mean yeah that was the main take and uh in general as a fighter he’s a great fighter I could I could you know I could take some some of the some of the things that he did and uh you know like to take his style a little bit I would say and that’s it yeah but no I mean it was a good extra I mean yeah it was uh was good I mean I he’s a great fighter man and I wish uh I would like I want to fight him again in the future so and then and compete against him again uh eventually so um good yeah that that was it though and you’re currently ranked number four in the division so what are you hoping for with with a win over Roman um the year that the middleweight division is so open you know I’m just gonna establish myself as one of the best and I’ll be around I’ll make sure if uh an occasion for the title rise again I’m right there if not they’ll give me somebody else or yeah it’s uh just gonna show that I’m not going anywhere and uh I’ll be there and uh yeah still right there within the best and uh we’ll see we’ll see what they give me the only guy in the top five that I didn’t fight is is canonie will see maybe I’ll maybe I’ll fight him but I don’t know I don’t know I’m I’m laser focused on on Roman right now and of course Alex Pereira holds the title now what did you think of his win over Israel yeah yeah uh what was good it was good I called it I called it I I think you know he got out Sonia’s number I think he’ll do it again and uh with that being said Pereira will be a great fight for me and uh and I hope I can get that that shot eventually so yeah how did you see that rematch going down in Miami oh yeah yeah he’ll uh he’ll do it again like yeah come like yeah he did it without the belt the belt will boost confidence and I think he’ll do it even easier to be honest thank you and Marvin you made some huge adjustments in your professional life how is it for you to have an Italian cornering you again after all this time oh yeah uh me and and Manuela go back a really really really long way like we grew up together it’s obviously like uh it’s like having a brother in your corner you know and uh that has been there through everything basically so um no awesome man awesome and uh Jason it’s also been the first guy that I trained with when I went to America when I go to us so yeah it’s like uh all family reunion in a sense but you know with with highlight with high level coaching behind so yeah not enough feels good feels amazing did you feel the necessity to go back to to return to your roots after your fight with which occur in Paris I that just felt like uh I needed to to improve on some areas and uh that’s what I did you know I got out of my comfort zone again I mean that’s something I always seeked and and wanted to and you know when whenever you feel too comfortable in some areas like that that shows that like you’re not improving as uh as much as you need to and um yeah so that’s what I did you know but um yeah so I just took another step in my career that I think was the right move and that’s it yeah in your latest fight the Italian crowd was amazing the atmosphere was on fire during the night can we expect the same atmosphere on Saturday yeah I believe so like half of London it’s Italians now so like uh yeah I hope uh I would be like there will be an amazing crowd a lot of like uh um green white and red flags and um yeah man I really hope so you just mentioned the crowd somewhat the Italians did you watch either of the two London events last year and what did you make of the British fans I don’t know have like I might have watched the fights but I didn’t see the crowd to be honest didn’t pay attention but uh yeah but I mean English English fans are always amazing you know like they’re they’re hardcore and I believe there’d be a great atmosphere Marvin over here right in front of you kind of yes all right we still live in London a long time ago right was this before fighting no no no no it was for fighting was uh like like was like I came here because of fighting like I wanted to to train and uh yeah yeah it was 2012 2014 so yeah I was already training and fighting yeah so kind of must be exciting to to be here then yeah yeah no no absolutely yeah yeah this is like yeah yeah that was my first place where I actually turned Pro here and uh yeah man I mean uh for sure it’s like I know London very well yeah and uh even like for training this week like some of my old teammates came by Mike Shipman and um yeah I used to train along the street fighter like every day of my life basically like twice a day so yeah for sure like it feels good to be back in London and also like I had to make it right because I was here three years ago but then uh when I when I was supposed to fight uh Darren Stewart but then uh the day I got here covered here and then the same day they had to book me a flight to go back and then he actually ended up fighting in cage Warriors for the UFC so I’m like like I came back all the way here then I had to go back and actually fight I’m like Jesus like and it was the same Motel I’m like you know like I gotta make it right I gotta add some good memory to this hotel to London again and and all that so