Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Michael Bisping: I got the call from Dana that Mark Munoz had hurt his elbow and if I wanted to replace him. The winner was going to fight Anderson Silva in the soccer stadium. I couldn't turn that down. If I knew I was fighting Chael earlier, I would have brought in more wrestlers instead of jiu-jitsu guys. I've been working with Jake Shields.
Chael Sonnen: I came from a wrestling background. In MMA, you get three fights a year and that's the easiest thing. As far as an opponent change, who cares? I can guarantee you Anderson Silva and I will never cross paths again. Our business is done. We will not fight under any circumstances. He will not get in the ring with me ever. Anderson's not going to fight anybody. Bisping wants a title shot and people are saying he doesn't deserve one but he's beat up everybody in front of him. For someone to say that he shouldn't get the opportunity, even when he beat everybody at light heavyweight. I'm not going to act as if the guy's not a great fighter. He is. Behind the scenes they tried to put me and Anderson together four times and four times he said no. I called him out publicly and in Brazilian culture, if you get called out, you fight. He told Lorenzo "no".
Michael Bisping: I'm always looking for the biggest fights possible. A fight with Demian was a very very tough test and he's a hell of a fighter. I jumped at the opportunity for Sonnen. This is a bigger fight with bigger implications. If I win, fantastic. If I lose, I don't deserve a title shot anyway.
Demian Maia: He (Weidman) is tough and he makes up for the experience. He's never lost, he's a good wrestler. I was preparing to fight a striker and now I've got to fight a wrestler. I've been fighting against wrestlers before and I just have to go back to my roots. When I saw him fight Tom Lawlor, I was impressed with his submission.
Chris Weidman: I was so pumped up to fight Demian Maia, I didn't care when it was. I have a lot of respect for him and I'm excited to test myself. I don't think it would have mattered who it was. You only live once and some people never get an opportunity like this given to them. I wasn't going to let someone else take this opportunity.
Chael Sonnen: I leave the gym exhausted and I leave the Octagon exhausted. I will use every bit of energy I've got regardless of opponent. There's no easy fight and there's no hard fight. It's been four offers and why he won't do it? I can only thing to guess because I stomped him the first time and I'll stomp him the second time. If I become number one contender, I'm going to talk with Dana and talk about Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre.
Michael Bisping: The important thing is the fight. Forget the trash talk, forget all that, tune in for the fight. Who cares about the trash talk?
Chael Sonnen: I don't think Bisping behaves like a coward or carries himself in a bad way. I don't see a lot of stuff I don't like so I'm not going to make something up.
Chris Weidman: I haven't really got to showcase my striking yet. This might be an opportunity to do it. If the takedown is there, I'm going look for it, and submissions, no matter who I'm fighting.
Rashad Evans: Mike Van Arsdale is the head coach so we stick to fundamentals and things I'm good at. One thing I've learned is you can't forget where you're strongest at. I do a lot of jiu-jitsu but my focus is on my wrestling.
Chael Sonnen: There are phone book sized pages of perfectly legal substances that you can ingest right in front of a police officer that are illegal for the sport. That's where some of the confusion is. Fighters need to educate themselves on that. Just because something's legal, doesn't mean it's not banned. Banned and illegal are very different.
Rashad Evans: I think with the hard training and stuff like that and with the athletes that we've got, we'll make the mark on our sport. If we do it in the gym, it shows in the fight. It's a privilege to be number one contender but I'm yet to fight for the belt. If the UFC has another contender to put in there, by all means, that's what they have to do and I'll just do what I have to do which is get another title shot.
Phil Davis: After I beat Rashad on the 28th, they won't have anything to do for me other than the champion. If Henderson gets the shot, that works into my plans. I get a rest and whatever happens, happens. I'm up next.
Rashad Evans: You can't beat me man, you ain't ready. I'm going to smash you. I looked into your eyes and you ain't ready.
Phil Davis: You shouldn't be concerned about that title shot, it's not going to happen this time around.
Rashad Evans: When you get hit in the mouth things change. When you got hit in the mouth by Little Nog, you didn't know what to do. The fact that this kid thinks he can beat me really bothers me.
Phil Davis: You can say what you want to over the phone, but when we get in the cage, you'll see how you feel in there
