Pumphrey94
02-21-2010, 06:37 PM
One of the inevitable questions that comes out of every post-UFC press conference is, "What's next?" for each of the evening's fighters.
While the stock answer for nearly all UFC competitors is simply, "Whoever the UFC puts in front of me," a few of the fighters from this weekend's UFC 110 event in Sydney, Australia, had more specific goals in mind.
After an auspicious ending to their preliminary card matchup, both Stephan Bonnar (11-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) and Krzysztof Soszynski (19-9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) said they'd be open to a rematch, while main-card winner Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) appears destined for a future bout with Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC).
"I want to finish the fight, man," Bonnar said. "It was only a few minutes left, right?"
Bonnar and Soszynski had engaged in two tightly contested rounds when an early exchange in the final frame saw the fighters clash heads. A gaping wound opened up on Bonnar's forehead, and referee John Sharp halted the contest on the advice of the cageside physician.
"It was a headbutt, and you know what the worst part is?" Bonnar asked in the post-fight press conference. "Take a close-up on this head. This cut is actually shaped like a 'K' for Krzysztof, so I now I've got to walk around with a scar in the shape of a 'K' on it.
"So yeah, I'm pissed off."
The bout was ruled a TKO as Sharp incorrectly determined that the laceration was caused from a legal strike.
An appeal to the New South Wales Combat Sports Authority could result in a different ruling for Bonnar, as an inadvertent foul in the final round that leads directly to the end of the bout should be decided by the judges' scores through two rounds.
But Bonnar is more interested in an outcome decided in the cage.
"Would love a rematch," Bonnar said.
For his part, after being granted a dubious win, Soszynski said he's more than willing to revisit the matchup.
"I agree with Stephan," Soszynski said. "If the UFC wants it and the fans want it, I think we should finish what we started."
Meanwhile, as MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported, Akiyama has been linked with the winner of the UFC 110 matchup between Silva and Michael Bisping. And with "The Axe Murderer" coming out on top, UFC president Dana White said a matchup with Akiyama appears likely.
"Akiyama wants to fight Wanderlei very bad," White said. "It's a big fight that he wants. We offered him another fight, and he said he wants Wanderlei."
The matchup had been discussed as a possibility for the UFC's June trip to Vancouver, but White said a schedule for a potential Silva vs. Akiyama matchup couldn't be determined just yet.
"Wanderlei is sitting here with stitches in his chin and a black eye and everything else," White said. "He's going to go home, relax, heal, and then we'll talk to Wanderlei and see when he's ready again. But yeah, Akiyama wants that fight really bad."
Ever the competitor, hearing that Akiyama had the gall to ask for a fight with him left Silva with a simple request for his next matchup.
"Akiyama," Silva said flatly.
"There you go," White said with a smile. "It just pissed him off that I said Akiyama wants to fight him, so now he wants Akiyama."
While the stock answer for nearly all UFC competitors is simply, "Whoever the UFC puts in front of me," a few of the fighters from this weekend's UFC 110 event in Sydney, Australia, had more specific goals in mind.
After an auspicious ending to their preliminary card matchup, both Stephan Bonnar (11-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) and Krzysztof Soszynski (19-9-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) said they'd be open to a rematch, while main-card winner Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) appears destined for a future bout with Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC).
"I want to finish the fight, man," Bonnar said. "It was only a few minutes left, right?"
Bonnar and Soszynski had engaged in two tightly contested rounds when an early exchange in the final frame saw the fighters clash heads. A gaping wound opened up on Bonnar's forehead, and referee John Sharp halted the contest on the advice of the cageside physician.
"It was a headbutt, and you know what the worst part is?" Bonnar asked in the post-fight press conference. "Take a close-up on this head. This cut is actually shaped like a 'K' for Krzysztof, so I now I've got to walk around with a scar in the shape of a 'K' on it.
"So yeah, I'm pissed off."
The bout was ruled a TKO as Sharp incorrectly determined that the laceration was caused from a legal strike.
An appeal to the New South Wales Combat Sports Authority could result in a different ruling for Bonnar, as an inadvertent foul in the final round that leads directly to the end of the bout should be decided by the judges' scores through two rounds.
But Bonnar is more interested in an outcome decided in the cage.
"Would love a rematch," Bonnar said.
For his part, after being granted a dubious win, Soszynski said he's more than willing to revisit the matchup.
"I agree with Stephan," Soszynski said. "If the UFC wants it and the fans want it, I think we should finish what we started."
Meanwhile, as MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported, Akiyama has been linked with the winner of the UFC 110 matchup between Silva and Michael Bisping. And with "The Axe Murderer" coming out on top, UFC president Dana White said a matchup with Akiyama appears likely.
"Akiyama wants to fight Wanderlei very bad," White said. "It's a big fight that he wants. We offered him another fight, and he said he wants Wanderlei."
The matchup had been discussed as a possibility for the UFC's June trip to Vancouver, but White said a schedule for a potential Silva vs. Akiyama matchup couldn't be determined just yet.
"Wanderlei is sitting here with stitches in his chin and a black eye and everything else," White said. "He's going to go home, relax, heal, and then we'll talk to Wanderlei and see when he's ready again. But yeah, Akiyama wants that fight really bad."
Ever the competitor, hearing that Akiyama had the gall to ask for a fight with him left Silva with a simple request for his next matchup.
"Akiyama," Silva said flatly.
"There you go," White said with a smile. "It just pissed him off that I said Akiyama wants to fight him, so now he wants Akiyama."