Issue 101
November -0001
We asked four different fighters from UFC on Fuel TV 7 their opinions on the pressing matters of the moment. This month, Cub Swanson, Dustin Poirier, Vaughan Lee and Matt Riddle weigh in with their opinions.
The Pro's
Benson Henderson defends his position as the world’s number- one lightweight against Gilbert Melendez in April. Who wins?
Swanson: “I’m a big fan of Gil, but I feel Ben is just going to be a lot stronger. It’s a tough fight for Melendez.”
Poirier: “That’s a tough one to pick, but I’d have to go with Ben. I believe he’ll grind it out. I think he’ll wrestle him and be more physical.”
Lee: “I like watching Gilbert fight, he’s got power in both hands, but I’ll have to go with Ben. There is nobody built like Henderson in that division. I was with him in Japan and he’s huge.”
Riddle: “Long before he hit the WEC, I saw Ben Henderson beating the s**t out of black belts with a toothpick in his mouth. He’s doing the same in MMA. He dominated Frankie Edgar and he’ll do the same to Melendez.”
Anthony Pettis is dropping down to featherweight to take on José Aldo, but can he defeat the Brazilian champion?
Swanson: “As a fan I’m excited to see it; it’s going to be a hell of a fight. And the bigger the names dropping down to 145 the better. It all brings more credibility to the division.”
Poirier: “Pettis was in line for a title shot at lightweight, so he deserves this shot. And I just wish him good luck. That’s a fight I want to see.”
Lee: “I believe Pettis has the skills to defeat Aldo, but I don’t think that he will. Aldo is just on another level at that weight, and he wins that fight decisively.”
Riddle: “As long as the weight
cut isn’t a problem for Pettis I think he’s going to absolutely smash Aldo and Aldo is going to be like, ‘What happened? I got comfortable with the belt.’”
We turn the spotlight on some of the planet’s hottest prospects this issue, but is there anyone you train with who’s destined for big things?
Swanson: “My brother, Steve, is 10-0. At Jackson’s, Landon Vennata trains with everybody and is a beast; he’s a 155lb’er with a big future. And then there’s Hunter Tucker too.”
Poirier: “There’s a featherweight at American Top Team, Mirsad Bektic, who is 5-0. He’s tough, man, really focused, and he’s definitely a name to remember.”
Lee: “There are a few guys at UTC actually. Yanik Bhati fights at middleweight, Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards, a welterweight who’s dropping down soon, and a flyweight called Carl Harrison who should be in the UFC right now.”
Riddle: “I have a couple of buddies but they’ve already touched the UFC. Most of the guys I train with are already there, so to be honest no.”
We know certain fighters, like cover star Benson Henderson, are secret momma’s boys. Do you have a strong female figure influencing your career?
Swanson: “I was raised by strong women my entire life.”
Poirier: “Of course my mother, but my wife, man, she believes in me so much. She gives me so much confidence and believes I can defeat anybody. It’s awesome.”
Lee: “My fiancé for sure. She’s always there, and does everything for me – especially in fight camp. She’s my best friend and we make a good team.”
Riddle: “My mom used to drive me to wrestling practice but she didn’t originally support my decision to move onto MMA. When she watches my fights she actually likes to see me get hit, she thinks it’s funny when I get punched.”
Where do you stand in the debate regarding three or five-minute rounds, or even Pride-style 10-minute rounds, or timeless fights in MMA?
Swanson: “Three-minute rounds are too short, five minutes is fine. What I would bring in is the yellow card system for people who are stalling. And I wanna see more 10-8 rounds scored too.”
Poirier: “Five minutes is perfect. Three minutes wouldn’t allow you enough time to get things going on the ground. A 15-minute fight over three rounds, that’s perfect.”
Lee: “I’d be keen to try fighting with no rounds, just a 15 or 20-minute time limit or something. That would be perfect. I think with no breaks you’d see more action.”
Riddle: “I think we should have three 10-minute rounds, so you have enough time to execute the moves you want to do. If rounds were even shorter I’d be undefeated, I guarantee it.”
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