The UFC 109 pre-fight press conference ran HERE from 4:15 to 4:40 PM EST. Here's a recap of what was said:

UFC 109 pre-fight press conference notes:

Dana is very excited about the card this weekend, runs down the undercard, plugs Chael Sonnen vs. Nate Marquardt and says Sonnen looked better and more aggressive than ever before in his last fight, and the winner of that gets the winner of Silva v. Belfort in Abu Dhabi.

Sonnen takes the mic and says the stacked undercard proves what a great show this is and it's an honor to fight on the same card as Randy Couture. He says his opponent wins this fight on paper, but they're not fighting on paper, they're fighting on a blood soaked canvas that says UFC in the middle, and we'll see who the better man is on Saturday night.

Dana takes the mic again to say Marquardt is hungry and wants the shot at Silva bad, and introduces him without further adieux.

Marquardt says Sonnen is a great speaker and will make a great politician, drawing laughs from the crowd. He says it's a tough fight for him but he's going to put on a great show for all of the fans.

Dana takes the mic again and laughs at people talking smack about how old the main eventers are tonight. White thinks he never lost the first time he fought Belfort and dominated him the second, and says he just dominated Brandon Vera to show how ready he is, but don't count out a very game Mark Coleman either, bring Coleman up to the stage first.

Mark thanks everyone for coming and says this is a huge fight for him, and thanks Couture for accepting the fight even though he didn't have to. "I'm not going to be intimidated by anyone." Says he has no doubt he'll win the fight and plans on it.

White says he doesn't understand the rankings people in the world, since Couture has only lost twice at light heavyweight, and considers him one of the top five at that weight in the world.

Couture: "Thank y'all for coming. I'm happy it's here at Mandalay Bay. All the guys are teasing me and saying we should have it at Caesar's and call it the geezers at Caesar's." Crowd laughs. Couture says Coleman is one of the guys who inspired him to get into MMA. "It's going to be a good old fashioned scrap."

Couture says he's known Chael Sonnen for a long time and he's impressed at how much he's grown and how the eye of the tiger is now in his fights. Sonnen says he and Couture rolled yesterday, he's waited 12 years to see Saturday's fight, and he's really excited for the match.

Dana says people may have wanted to see this fight earlier, but credits Couture for putting it best that he feels just as good as he ever has and knows more now than he would have then, but that it's also a huge opportunity for Coleman to win and catapult himself into the top ten.

Couture says he feels blessed to still be able to go out and compete at this level. "Any time I face another wrestler from the same background it presents an interesting challenge, and it's going to be fun." Coleman: "A win against Couture, I think Chuck Liddell put it best, it means something and it looks good on anybody's resume. It means everything to me. He is one of the greatest of all time. He is a true champion. I want a piece of that. I want a piece of what he's got."

Dana on being live in China: "We like it! We're very happy. China is on our hitlist, that's where we're going next." The site they're on in China (allegedly) has two billion registered users.

Couture is asked about his movie career. "I've had a great time the last six years doing motion pictures. I've done 8 now. I've got a big one coming out with Sylvester Stallone this summer. As I get older I see myself making the transition to making more movies."

White is asked about the #1 contender's fight. "We always had it in mind. These guys are two of the top five in the world, these guys are it, they deserve it. Nate's been waiting for a while too." He's asked about Silva v. Belfort. "Silva likes staying at 85, holding that title. You have to clean out a division before you move up to the next one. Should Nate win on Saturday night, he deserves it."

White is asked about Liddell v. Ortiz. "I'm working on it. I'm trying to do it in Vancouver." White: "The media is shy today! Nothing? Anything else?" Dana asks for questions from the fans. White: "Don't ask me for tickets!" White: "Toronto's gonna happen. We're closer every day. It's gonna happen everywhere. We can't be denied." One more from the fans - title fight in Vegas any time soon? White: "Yeah grumpy, calm down! We had a bad string, guys got hurt, one guy was dying on us, we'll have a title fight back soon."

That ends the questions so White gives out the Cazadores Authentic Spirit Award. "Each month the winning fighter will receive a plaque and a thousand dollars for the charity of their choice." Brian Stann is the winner. Stann: "My charity is Higher Heroes USA. Our priority is to find careers for men and women who serve their country after their service, particularly those in combat and those who are wounded." He plugs a wounded veteran who will be cageside for this fight and thanks Dana White and Tequila Cazadores for their commitment to charity. Dana wraps the press conference and they move everything out of the way for a photo op.



AM