He Said What? UFC on FUEL TV 6: 'Franklin vs Le' edition

UFC on FUEL TV 6: "Franklin vs. Le," which took place from the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in Macau, China, is officially in the books after an entertaining morning (Nov. 10, 2012) of mixed martial arts (MMA) action.

The televised main card was not a collective instant classic, but a back-and-forth scrap between Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig, a shocking submission from Thiago Silva over the previously undefeated Stanislav Nedkov, and an even more shocking Cung Le one-punch knockout over Rich Franklin in the main event, have given fight fans more than enough to talk about this weekend.

To check out all the UFC on FUEL TV results, recaps and videos you can shake a stick at click here.

Before all the action unfolded inside the Octagon, there were press conferences and promotional appearances to generate awareness for -- and interest in -- the organization's China debut. Fighters said this and that, answering questions galore when all they really wanted to do is be left alone and not be bothered.

MMAmania.com does a pretty good job of passing along all the noteworthy pre- and post-fight comments for each event. But, never before have we leveraged post-fight hindsight to bring the results into full-circle perspective.

It's 20/20, right?

Check out the first edition of "He Said What?" for UFC on FUEL TV 6: "Franklin vs. Le" below:

"I didn't know how fast I was going to recover but I just did everything from ultrasound to blood letting where they draw blood out with cupping. I did that for like three weeks straight. I've kicked a couple of training partners in the head and that hurt but was ok. I'm hoping by fight time I'll be 100%. Definitely if this fight wasn't in Macau, China, even if I was in a main event somewhere else, I'd give myself the right amount of time so my foot could really heal. I feel like martial arts basically started from China and my roots are the Chinese martial arts. This is why I do it. I could just be doing movies, but I love to compete. I love to train martial arts. This is what I love to do. Here's my opportunity. To do it in China, it's awesome."

-- That's Cung Le, revealing that the bloodletting (watch it here) and other rehab to heal his injured foot wasn't quite doing the trick. The good news is he didn't have to kick Rich Franklin in the head in China to emerge victorious. All he needed was one self-described "lucky" punch to annihilate "Ace."

"Cung is a southpaw and I have statistically have had problems with southpaws. I'd like to think it's not just because they're southpaws, but I've just faced some good southpaws. Hopefully, this will be the fight that breaks that trend for me. Cung does a great job ... he's very tricky. He's traditional in his techniques, but it's very unorthodox for MMA.... You can get caught up in defense and dropping your hands and get caught with something else.... I have a lot of things I have to worry about in this fight."

-- That's Rich Franklin, predicting his own demise in an interview just after he made the Middleweight mark for the first time in more than four years. The good news is this southpaw won't require him to visit a plastic surgeon upon his stateside return. Hands up!

"He's a tough fighter. But I've fought fighters just as tough as him, so I'll be ready for this fight. I don't like traveling, but this is my job and I'll go wherever I need to. Winning and losing is part of the job. The only feeling I have when I win is that of relief, because I know I will get more money. I'm ready to fight. I want to put on a good fight and win. And as always, the fans can expect an aggressive and daring Thiago."

-- That's Thiago Silva, assuring fight fans that they could expect to see the intimidating, throat-slashing juggernaut return after a three-year hiatus. Believe it or not, Silva had not won an MMA fight since a first-round knockout of Keith Jardine at UFC 102 on Aug. 29, 2009. Few if any would have predicted a submission victory for the Brazilian bruiser, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. Blackzilians FTW!

"I finally felt like I could relax in the Octagon since I fought in Japan. I don't have to travel long when I fight in Asia. That's a huge difference from fighting in the States. Also, it is easier for me to find food that I like in Asian countries. I hope both of us will be in the Octagon in the best condition. I'm going to show an aggressive fight and make the audience loud. All I can do is to keep fighting the way I used to so that I don't let people down."

-- That's former Pride FC champion Takanori Gomi -- widely regarded as the top Lightweight fighter in the world not too long ago, indicating the his he's found a way to conquer his Octagon jitters after dropping three of his first four UFC fights -- don't leave in Asia! "The Fireball Kid" has now won back-to-back fights in Japan and China, respectively, after his close "Fight of the Night" victory over Mac Danzg in Macau. I vote to keep him there indefinitely ... even if he'll never be a champion again.

"I am very happy to participate in this event, which is a milestone in the history of the UFC, the first time in China. I'll be part of this historic event and is expected to win. I'm very confident.... I'm well prepared. In the last fight was too, but I received one blow that put everything down the drain. I could not really show how good he was, the blow came in full, in a few seconds ... It happen.... You can expect the best we have ever seen Paulo Thiago at UFC. I'm excited for this fight, I'm thirsty for victory. "

-- That's Paulo Thiago, who was out to prove himself against Dong Hyun Kim after a knockout loss to Siyar Bahadurzada earlier this year. He didn't, dropping another decision to another more talented Welterweight opponent. Thiago is a good fighter and probably an even better Brazilian super cop, but this is getting old. If he's that "thirsty" then the promotion should let him quench it on an obscure under card against lesser competition.

Fighters, they say the darndest things. What do you have to say for yourself?

For more on UFC on FUEL TV 6: "Franklin vs. Le" be sure to hit up our complete event archive right here.