The UFC has no shortage of star power at its events -- in and out of the Octagon -- so, who's gotten the loudest pop from the crowd?!
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00You've put on a lot of big heavyweight fights in the past.
00:03I mean, John Stipe, we know all the big heavyweight fights.
00:07You think this is the biggest one though?
00:09Maybe the gold against the best heavyweight?
00:11Yeah, I think because Stipe hasn't fought in a minute, people are sort of disrespecting
00:17him and overlooking him.
00:19But that's been his whole career.
00:20He's always been the underdog and he always comes out on top.
00:25So that being said, he's taking on Jon Jones, the greatest to ever do it on Saturday, who
00:30absolutely buzzsawed through Cyril Ghosn in his first heavyweight fight.
00:37So it's going to be interesting.
00:42If Jon wins this fight, does that also make him not just the greatest ever, regardless
00:46of division, but also then the greatest heavyweight ever?
00:49Because he would have, at that point, obviously he would have beaten Stipe.
00:52Yeah, Stipe and Cyril Ghosn, who was number one when he came in.
00:56Yeah, I mean, it's already undeniable that this guy is the greatest of all time.
01:04And if he wins on Saturday night, then turns around and fights Tom Aspinall, the Tom Aspinall
01:09Jon Jones fight will be probably the biggest heavyweight fight we've ever done by a long shot.
01:16Massive.
01:18I see people online, Dana, suggesting like Jon is ducking or scared of Tom.
01:23I could never imagine Jon Jones being scared of anybody in an octagon.
01:27Why do you think that he has resisted that potential next fight?
01:30And you've made it clear, hey, Jon, this is going to be the next fight.
01:33He's the interim champ.
01:34Why do you think Jon's been resistant?
01:36Jon Jones isn't afraid of anybody in the octagon or out of the octagon.
01:40This guy, this guy has a very dark side to him.
01:44Yeah, there's during during covid, when all the riots were happening and stuff, he walked
01:50down the streets of Albuquerque and was like slapping people and taking spray cans out
01:55of their hands that were doing graffiti.
01:57And like, yeah, I remember those guns and the dogs and he's good.
02:03Jon Jones isn't afraid of anybody.
02:04And I think that, you know, he gets in this weird place where he's fighting.
02:12It's almost like he's got steeped on Saturday when it's over, Jon Jones will disappear.
02:17You won't hear anything from him.
02:18You won't see him again.
02:19You know, and then that, you know, the competitive spirit will start bubbling and
02:25they'll say, I'm ready to fight Tom Aspinall.
02:27That's how the it's how it all works with him.
02:30So you would be shocked if this was the last time we saw Jon in an octagon tomorrow night.
02:34I wouldn't be shocked if he said I retire tomorrow night.
02:38That wouldn't shock me at all.
02:40I mean, he's earned it.
02:40I mean, the guy's thirty seven, thirty eight years old.
02:43Now he's beat everybody.
02:44He's never lost 16 years.
02:47The youngest heavyweight champion of all time.
02:51Right. And.
02:54When you when you think about the gauntlet of people that he went through and the light
02:58heavyweight division and how he finished them.
03:02Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me and it would suck, but it wouldn't surprise me.
03:06Yeah, I hope I echo that.
03:08I hope that's not the case.
03:10You know, we always ask you, hey, who's the next guy, Dana, on the roster?
03:14Obviously, I think a lot of people think Bo Nickel is a guy who's got an incredibly bright
03:18future in in your promotion.
03:20This seems seemingly is his toughest test, obviously a big step up in competition here.
03:26What about Bo Nickel and his fight, Dana?
03:29Yeah, I agree with you.
03:31I mean, look at a guy that like has six fights taking on a guy who has like twenty five
03:35fights. So this is a huge step up for him.
03:38He asked for this fight.
03:40He wanted to be tested.
03:42He's going to be on Saturday night.
03:43If he rips through Paul the way he's ripped through everybody else, then he's ready.
03:50He's ready for a top 15 guy.
03:54Right, so so huge, huge moment for him.
03:56You know, it's funny, obviously, this is going down at Madison Square Garden.
04:00I remember a time when New York state, they wanted nothing to do with MMA.
04:04It seems like they like having MMA now and especially they like having the UFC come
04:09through their state, you know, with the gate and the excitement and all that.
04:13Is that a bit satisfying to see the way New York has come around with the UFC?
04:18Very satisfying.
04:20This is the number two biggest gate of all time at Madison Square Garden.
04:24Now the UFC holds the number one, number two, number three, number four, number six, number
04:30eight and number nine all time.
04:32Seven of the top 10 biggest gates ever at MSG.
04:37Obviously, tomorrow is going to be a packed house.
04:40This is a hot ticket.
04:43There was a guy who on November 5th, he he had a pretty big night, a pretty big win in
04:48your close friend Donald J. Trump.
04:52Will Donald Trump, will the president elect be in the building tomorrow?
04:55There's been a lot of people talking about whether he was going to attend the fight,
04:58Dana.
04:59Well, I think that anything is possible.
05:01He's a big fan.
05:02Who knows?
05:03He could pop in.
05:06If he does, what do you think that moment will be like?
05:08We've seen him during the campaign.
05:10We've seen when he walks out of that tunnel with you and it's just an electric feeling,
05:15even watching on TV.
05:17What do you think that would feel like potentially tomorrow if it does happen?
05:20Huge.
05:21But, you know, you know, it's crazy when you think about it.
05:24When you think about fighter walkouts, whenever a fighter walks out to the I mean, the two
05:29biggest that that actually shake the arena are President Trump and Conor McGregor, two
05:35of the biggest fight walkouts ever.
05:38So yeah, if he comes tomorrow night, it will definitely be fun.
05:43That'll be awesome.
05:44Before I let you go, how about Charles Olivera and Michael Chandler?
05:48Obviously, a lot of implications there, title picture and whatnot.
05:52How do you see that fight?
05:54I think that today at the weigh ins, we should cut the checks for fifty thousand dollars
05:59for fight of the night and just hand it to him after weigh ins.
06:03It's impossible for that not to be the fight of the night.