Welcome to the Fightful Live Viewing Party for the UFC 205 Live Media Conference Call, you can watch/listen to the conference call yourself by clicking on the above Youtube video.
The fighters participating in the conference call are UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley, welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson, UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and women’s strawweight title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewiecz.
Here are some of the highlights from the conference call:
* Woodley talks about bringing Sage Northcutt to his training camp, saying that everybody had their opinions about Northcutt as a fighter, says that Northcutt a more well-rounded fighter than he thought and if he stays focused, he will go a long way in the sport.
* Woodley is asked about being jeered at the UFC 205 Press Conference, says that something like that does not affect him and that all the positive things he has done in his life, career and outside the cage outshine all that. Woodley also says that he believes that fans misunderstood why he did not want to initially fight Stephen Thompson at UFC 205.
* Thompson is asked about how he wants to finish the fight, Thompson says he is training for a five round fight and he does not plan any of his finishes because he does not look for the knockout.
* Joanna is asked about transitioning to American Top Team, she says that she is very happy in Florida and ATT, she left everything behind in Poland to improve her fight game. She says she plans on staying in Florida for another nine months and she would like to fight at least three times in 2017. She says that she needed to make the change and while some of the fan reaction was negative, her coaches from her old coaches has been positive, but she had to move to a new gym to make some changes in her career, she also says you will see a new Joanna at UFC 205.
*Karolina is asked about what the Polish people have said to her since her UFC 205 bout was announced, she says that the two biggest Polish fighters are fighting on the biggest stage and the people are happy.
* Woodley is asked about why people are underrating him as a fighter, Woodley says that you do not fight fights on a paper.
* Woodley is asked about fighting Georges St. Pierre, Woodley says that he is focused on fighting Thompson and he is blocking the rest out right now.
* Woodley is then asked about training at Roufus Sport, Woodley says the team has been getting the best out of him and the philosophy that Coach Roufus has is similar to what the philosophy is at American Top Team.
* Thompson is asked about being the favorite in his fight with Woodley at UFC 205, Thompson says that he does not pay attention to the odds and he is just focused on the fight right now.
* Thompson is then asked about opponents bringing people in to duplicate his style, Thompson admits that Sage Northcutt's style is somewhat similar to his, Thompson says that he is prepared and he feels that Woodley is prepared for what he will bring to the fight
* Joanna is asked about whether or not a win over Karolina will clear out the division, Joanna says that there are a lot of challenges left in the division for her, she is staying humble and staying focused because not only Karolina, but the division is still a tough one to compete in. Joanna says that she is impressed with herself more than Karolina, says that she is going through one of the best camps of her life and she is very calm heading into the fight. Joanna talks about Karolina and her fighting as amateurs, she says that both of them have improved a lot since there days as amateurs.
* Joanna is asked about becoming a two division champion in the UFC, she says that if she wins, she wants to fight in March and then fight a few more times in strawweight before possibly becoming a two division champion. She says that she is feeling great and she has never had a problem with weight cuts and she wants to remain undefeated and stay UFC champion for as long as possible.
* Tyron is asked about the break between fighting Kelvin Gastelum and Robbie Lawler, he says that he felt like a thief in the night when he became champion and he had a full training camp before suffering an injury, he says he did not decline any fights in the long break and he expected to fight Lawler a lot earlier than he did. Woodley says that fans have not seen everything he can bring to the cage and he will show more at UFC 205, Woodley also says that training at two camps has brought all the pieces together and he feels like a new fighter as he prepares for his first title defense.
* Joanna is asked about what it is like to be competing in the major UFC events, Joanna says that she is finally making some big money and she is happy to be fighting on such a great card with great fighters.
* Joanna is asked if other Polish fighters will follow in her footsteps and train stateside, Joanna says that Krzysztof Jotko is training in Florida for a fight a week after her, but she is not focused on other fighters right now and not others, because it is time for Joanna. Joanna is asked if other fighters from Europe can become champions, she says they can, before putting over ATT and her coaches as she prepares for her next fight. Joanna also says that there are aready three champions in the UFC from Europe and more are coming.
* Joanna is asked about whether or not training at ATT is giving her more confidence, she says that she was born confident and that training at ATT is making her a more dangerous fighter, but she will always stay humble and patient in the end.
* Joanna is asked about whether or not winning the fight against Karolina will make her a UFC legend, she says she wants to retire a UFC champion and she will make that dream a reality.
* Joanna says that just because she is competing at MSG does not mean she has to knock out Karolina, Joanna says she has a lot of game plans for her fights and she is ready to fight Karolina.
* Thompson says that this is the biggest fight of his life and his career, he also says that fighting Woodley for the champion is a big step up and he is treating this fight like every other fight in his career. Thompson says it is his confidence and the people he trains with will help him get the win in the end, also says that his takedown defense training with Chris Weidman and others has prepared him to keep the fight standing.
* Woodley is asked about a potential title shot for GSP upon his potential return to action, Woodley says that he is not focused on that right now, but he believes that Damien Maia should get the next shot at the title.
* Thompson is asked the same question about GSP, says he does not know where GSP is at with the UFC and he says that GSP is one of the reasons he became an MMA fighter in the first place, he would give him the title shot upon his return.
* Joanna is asked about how big her fight against Karolina is for the Polish people. she says that her and Karolina are taking over MSG and people all over their native country are talking about the fight.
* Joanna is asked about whether or not her relationship with the other women at ATT affected her for her fight training, Joanna says that women at ATT are happy for her and that they did not know she was coming to the camp on a permanent basis.
* Joanna is asked about the support from the Polish fans after moving to ATT in Florida, she says that she is focused on her career and she cannot allow outside influences to affect her choices.
* Joanna says that Karolina is a different fighter from the time they competed as amateurs, she is a challenge and has nothing to lose when they meet at UFC 205.
* Thompson is asked about how he will approach the fighter with Woodley, he says that Woodley has a lot of power and his wrestling is top notch, says he must be at his best to defeat Woodley for the championship. Thompson is asked about fighting in MSG, says it has been a dream of his and fighting on the same card as his brother in law (Chris Weidman) is a dream come true.
* Joanna is asked about being a part of this historical card, says she is proud to be a part of history and up until this point, fighting at UFC 193 was the biggest card of her career.
* Joanna is asked about her future goals, she says that she wants to fight Karolina first and fight on a potential future stadium show with Conor McGregor.
* Joanna is asked about making her prediction for her fight, she says that she will make no predictions and she looks forward to the fight against Karolina.
The call concludes and we thank you for checking out Fightful's live viewing party for the UFC 205 Conference Call.
