Following UFC Vegas 69, tune in to the Post-Fight Press Conference to hear the athletes take questions from the media.
here to do what I needed to do but it’s just the next step you know I got big plans and that was just the first step with this being the official debut did it feel any different like obviously you’ve been in there but I mean did it feel different tonight it did feel different it felt different for a lot of different reasons you know you don’t go 0-2 in the UFC so this was a must win for me and Jordan Wright was a dangerous opponent so there was a lot of emotions you know the last time I got touched in that octagon I went to sleep so there’s a lot of emotions going in there and it felt good to go in there and just squash them all obviously a lot of time dominating the clinch position was that the the game plan from the start absolutely that that fight was was exactly what we planned to do push him up against the wall that that’s what I’m going to do to everybody that’s my plan you don’t have to ask me anymore I’m gonna push every single light heavyweight up against the cage and elbow their face off I like it uh was it difficult to stay disciplined in that mean you’re saying you’re gonna do that all the time but it seemed like at the end you kind of wanted to open up a little bit is it tough to stay disciplined to the game plan you’ve been talking about coaches so uh yes I want finishes I’m I want to entertain you guys I need to win fights but I want finishes so yes that third round I felt you know I was obviously up on the scorecards I wanted to put an exclamation point on it but that kind of let him back into the fight slightly so you know the game plan is always pushing against the wall but there’s a give and take sometimes well I know you want to celebrate this but I guess you know what’s what’s the plan next I mean are you look to book something right away do you look to take some time off and you know improve or what’s what’s the plan moving forward I I want to get right back in here you know April 22nd May 6th I’ve Got Friends on on both those cards my coaches are already going to be here find me an opponent um the uh the first guy they offered me for tonight was Anton tercolge you know and he turned it down you got one fight in the UFC man you can’t turn down fights like let’s go he has I don’t know when the last time he fought was that’s let’s get both of us on that one of those soon cars late April early May lastly for me I guess how do you see your career going right because you’ve been a professional athlete some people are like well I want to I want to take the slow Road and build and that sort of thing other people want to shoot right to the top say get me you know let me contend right away what do you see your journey so I’m realistic I’m 34 years old I’m not going to be in this game for 15 more years and I I believe in my abilities so I’m not saying I want ranked opponents right now but I want fights I’ll fight as many times as the UFC calls I’ll pick up so I want fights and I’m gonna you know bloody guys up and just keep rolling until they have no choice but to move me up in the rankings yeah good enough sir foreign thank you okay well congratulations on uh the biggest win of your career so far I would say I guess what’s uh what’s the emotions right now uh you know I’m feeling really good right now um yeah just super pumped about it obviously you know a big opportunity Main Event talking about the feeling inside did it feel any different going in or ahead of the fight on fight day than it does for your other ones um you know not too different definitely a little bit more media uh waiting in the locker room a little bit longer walkouts a little bit longer um but nothing crazy and it’s you know I kind of knew what to expect I mean I’ve been a fan of the UFC forever and I’ve been involved with the UFC for a little bit so I knew what was coming right we know both of you right you’re a great grappling specialist well-rounded but a great Grappler she’s obviously heavy-handed that opening round uh you struck more than I think that we thought you would did you plan on on spending that much time in the standout Department oh you know I mean every fight starts standing so I had a strike in uh wait to find my takedowns I did shoot like one or two um and they didn’t work out so I had to stay standing um and I felt comfortable there I mean she hits hard but um but I know I was hitting her too and uh you guys had to work my game and wait for my opportunity did her take down defense because as you said she did it did it surprise you at all no I mean she’s a former champ and number three in the weight class so it’s like I know I was gonna have to work for those that first one or two might not work but the third one does um so that’s yeah I knew that going in nice so you hit the inside trip immediately to side control I mean do you know when you’re in that position like at that point I think I’m gonna get this were you baiting her to give you the back or just kind of what’s going through your mind at that point uh yeah when I was in that clinch with her I felt my overhook was super heavy so that inside trip was there um and then I got her down and she gave up the back right away trying to get up so that joke was right there and when she had locked in she was trying to posture out of it obviously but uh I mean were you in any danger slipping off or did you know once it was in like this is done oh no it was it she didn’t defend it at all she I sunk the choke right in and I knew even if she stood up she was gonna pass out if she did and uh call for the title shot afterwards right I mean there’s an argument to be made you just be the former Champion but um was that was that something you kind of intended coming in or was that spur of the moment you thought yeah hell with it let’s go for the title shot no you know I always try to think um of what I want to say after a win because uh you know it could be very emotional and you’d be a little cloudy but I I knew beating someone like her especially if I finished her that uh I could deserve that title next in is a situation where like you’ll hold out for that or I mean if the if the UFC says no we don’t think you’re ready quite yet let’s give you that you’re okay with that yeah I’m definitely okay with biting again um you know I think I I think the title because title fights in two weeks so I think it can line up perfectly um but if they want me to fight again um I’ll gain more experience and last thing for me uh I mean you got a taste of I guess what the future is going to hold for you you hope you know this week the added interviews the added media everything like that what did you think of this week’s experience and is it exciting is it a little overwhelming what do you think about the whole process oh no I love the experience I love what I do and um yeah I soaked it all in I love it and walking away with a bonus as well that you know that you got the performance tonight and did you ever think that when coming in this fight that you would not only get the win but also be so dominant that you get a performance bonus oh absolutely um I mean I go into every fight with the intention of finishing and I know finishes get bonuses how do you uh you only have plans of the is the money already spent or are you gonna You’re Gonna Save it what are you gonna do with it uh I’m putting in the bank for now uh save it and try to be smart that’s very exciting the answer by the way you know you you lock that in you got when you got under the chin could you immediately tell that that was it and did you think that you would have a better chance to sort of fight that off and are you surprised that she didn’t get a chance to fight that off no and I got my arm around her neck and I had my hands connected I knew she had no chance she she had to defend much earlier of the second she felt my hand coming in and she didn’t and there was no danger of me slipping off I once I had that in I was like oh this fight’s over and obviously there were so many points that you shined in the fight is there any particular Point besides the finish that you’re the most proud of of the performance out there um you know I’d have to watch it over but um I know I definitely gained some experience on the uh in the Striking and I think listening to my coaches too I was able to hear them and I feel like I was listening and um between rounds uh listening to them so yeah I think just getting experience overall and everyone always talks about her power her striking when it was actually starting to come to you how did that feel and are are you proud of how you were able to sort of interpret her striking and negate it yeah no I mean she definitely hits very hard um you know I feel like I was doing a pretty decent job I was definitely hitting her back I was trying to stay light on my feet uh try to stay stay long and when she comes in heavy clinch um yeah so I was just trying to work my game was she as powerful as you thought she as you thought she would be or is that you heard stories of um she hit pretty hard and I never felt rocked um I knew I wouldn’t want to eat too many of them and you never know the one that you don’t see it could definitely put you away so um yeah she definitely hits pretty hard congrats on the victory thank you hey Aaron um it seems like only a few months ago I was writing about you saying that you were the well one of the breakout performances performers of the last 12 months and now here you are kind of finishing one of the toughest female fighters in the UFC could that have gone any better for you uh no not really I feel like I had the fight that I wanted to have um was there a turning point in the fight or in the first round where you knew you you kind of had to fight one um no I mean the first round I knew was competitive and close um I didn’t feel like I had to fight one completely until I had my arm around her neck um this rapid trajectory that Iran’s kind of reminiscent of Conor McGregor and Israel adesanya the way you’re kind of just setting a whole division Ablaze and slaying names was this how you played it out in your head all along to come and just up in 15 18 months um you know I knew I always could um I feel like I I don’t really necessarily put those expectations on myself but I always put the expectation to win that next fight and I know that doing that is what leads to this so I think keeping that mindset is what helped me do exactly what I’m doing uh the years young but that was one of the biggest statements of 2023 so far congrats thank you um you called for the winner of Alexa Grasso and Valentina um is there one that you would prefer uh I I would definitely prefer chefchenko um you know I I think she beats Grosso I need gross was very tough fighter but um I want to be that one to take the title from her