"This is the fight of my life. He is the best fighter I have ever fought at 155 and he's a part of my quest. But I believe that I'm Joe Stevenson's warm-up for his title fight. Joe Stevenson's next fight is for the title, but they gave a kid from Point Pleasant a shot to go against him. If I beat Joe Stevenson, I'm fighting for the title. Joe Stevenson's the number one ranked guy in the UFC, and I believe he deserves a title shot, but he has to come through me. I know Joe is a great kid, a family guy, and so am I, and I wish him the best of luck, but no matter who wins this fight, the winner should be going for the championship belt, in my eyes. Who else is there that can beat Joe Stevenson? Who else is there that can beat me? I don't believe there's anyone in the weight class, so I'm looking forward to fighting Joe and seeing what I'm made out of."
-- An emotional Kurt Pellegrino tells Thomas Gerbasi at UFC.com about his road to the Octagon and his lightweight showdown with Joe Stevenson at UFC 74: "Respect" on August 25. "Batman" earned a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt from Hermes Franca training at The Armory in Jupiter, Florida, and says will be fighting for him in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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