[Videos] Winning Fighters React To Their Fights At UFC 219

Event Notes

Attendance: 13,561

Gate: $1,760,628.74

Fight of the Night: Cyborg vs. Holm

Performance of the Night: Elliott, Nurmagomedov

MMANytt Post Fight Show:

Cyborg defeats Holm via unanimous decision.

Cris Cyborg:

“Thank you to Holly Holm. She is an amazing fighter and I had a great time fighting her tonight. I would like to fight Megan Anderson next and I would like to do it in Australia.”

Nurmagomedov defeats Barboza via unanimous decision.

Khabib Nurmagomedov:

“That was my most dominant performance to date. I have to thank my father and my team. I’ve worked very hard for this. I feel that I am the most dominant fighter in the UFC today. I am 25-0 and that is the real belt. Conor and Tony are nothing. It does not matter to me which one I get next. If the UFC will allow me, I will fight them both in the same night. I want the title fight in April.”

Hooker defeats Diakiese via third round submission (guillotine choke).

Dan Hooker:

“After the fight, I went over to Joe Rogan and said ‘now you know who I am’ but that really wasn’t directed at Joe, that was about everyone. I feel like I’ve had a lot of gatekeeper fights and I’m proving that I am not the gatekeeper, I’m the real deal. I won the first two rounds and he had to play catchup.

“When you’re in that position, you have to take risks so he got more aggressive. He went for a shoddy takedown and I snatched his neck. Don’t leave your neck open around me or I will snatch it. I want to fight in Perth and I don’t care who the opponent is. A six-week notice is short turnaround for anyone so I suggest someone messages Sean Shelby and asks for it if they want to go. I’ll fight anyone. I want a Max Holloway rise. I want to fight everyone, no shortcuts to easy fights. I’ll fight anyone, anywhere.”

Esparza defeats Calvillo via unanimous decision.

Carla Esparza:

“Everyone thinks of me more as a wrestler but it was the gameplan to beat her on the feet tonight. I’ve been working with my team on striking for a while now and I think the low kick was really effective in this fight. There was a lot of hype around Cynthia coming into the fight but that just served more as a motivator for me.

“I may not be a trash talker but I prove myself each time I fight. Since I defeated Rose [Namajunas] for the inaugural strawweight title, that could be a fight that makes sense next but I’m here to fight anyone so I’ll talk to the UFC and see what they want to do.”

Magny defeats Condit via unanimous decision.

Neil Magny:

“This was a big fight and I knew I had to be ready for it. Carlos Condit is one of the best ever and a former champion so I knew how tough he would be. I worked hard in camp and made the most of my opportunities in the cage tonight. I’ve had a tumultuous year so, to end it this way, I feel great.

“I don’t know who is next for me just yet. I had a ton of people calling me out earlier this year while I was injured so I’m going to enjoy this win and start strategizing for whatever is next.”

Oleksiejczuk defeats Rountree Jr. via unanimous decision.

Michal Oleksiejczuk:

“From what I saw in my opponent’s previous fights, all of his opponents entered the Octagon scared. They had already given up. I was never scared and I think that showed. I controlled the fight and imposed my will. Since this is my first fight in UFC, I wanted to show the world what I can do. This was only the first step for me.

“I am young and I will be a champion. Next, I would like to fight Gokhan Saki since he was supposed to be in this fight or Ion Cutelaba. I am here to be the best so I want a high level opponent.”

Jury defeats Glenn via unanimous decision.

Myles Jury:

“I had a great time out there tonight. I felt great and everything came together well. I knew that Rick was tough but I was surprised that he didn’t tire out more later in the fight.

“My goal is just to keep getting better. Of course, I want the same things everyone else says: big fights, big money and the belt; but I think that comes through hard work so I’m focusing on improving my skills and fighting more. I don’t know what 2018 holds for me yet other than more fights. That’s all I care about.”

Nicolau defeats Smolka via unanimous decision.

Matheus Nicolau:

“Shout out to [Louis] Smolka for being such a tough competitor tonight. I was happy with my performance and I knew I had the ability to outwork him but I really wanted the finish and he was incredibly tough. Even when he was out of the fight, he never stopped throwing or trying for submissions.

“I think this win puts me up with the best guys in the division. I am going to go home and celebrate with my friends and family but I will be thinking about the next move for me. I want someone in the top 10 next. I will continue to climb to the top.”

Elliott defeats De La Rosa via second round submission (anaconda choke).

Tim Elliott:

“I came out and I was nervous right away but I was lucky to have my coach, James Krause, with me. He got me prepped, got my music going and got me fired up by doing a pre-walkout. By the time the real one came around, I was prepared for it. I’m a very passionate guy and have a hard time controlling my emotions. The only time I can control everything is when I’m going into a fight so I was scared when I walked out but I have these great guys around me. They’ve saved me a million times before and tonight was no different.

“We train for the unorthodox. Everyone has good basic skills like striking or jiu-jitsu but my coach, Robert Follis, once told me ‘it’s the space between the notes that makes the music’ so my coaches have trained me to fight through those awkward moments. After the fight, I told James Krause that I want to get back in practice and back to the drawing board. We’re going to go back and figure out what’s next.”