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In just a few hours, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will go live from Phones 4U Arena in Manchester, England, returning to United Kingdom for UFC Fight Night 30: "Machida vs. Munoz."
Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will make his Middleweight debut against former training partner and friend, "Filipino Wrecking Machine" Mark Munoz, in the five-round, main event slot.
The winner of this bout will no doubt be a top five-ranked middleweight, getting that much closer to earning his first 185-pound title shot.
As both men finished off a week of mixed martial arts (MMA) media appearances and successfully made weight yesterday (see staredown pic here), it's time for their final "Fighting Words" before the time for talking is done and the fists start to fly.
Open Workouts
Both Machida and Munoz shadowboxed, sparred and hit the pads for the many members of the media at UFC Fight Night 30 open workouts (watch highlights here).
With each of the fighters entering the gauntlet as microphones surrounded their every move, it was Machida who spoke about how this fight differs from the rest.
On fighting a friend in Mark Munoz:
"This fight is a different fight. I've been training with Mark Munoz. To fight with your friend, it's a part of the job. As a professional I don't think about that. I just have to keep my focus on my fight and try to (put on) a great performance."
Munoz more or less agreed with his counterpart, and posed himself as a threat, too.
On what his style, and what needs to do in this fight to win:
"I've been trying to finish fights and that's who I am. I don't pitty-patter ... and he knows that. I'm coming with power and I'm coming with authority. He knows that, and that's what's going to happen. We're professionals, and we're going to be professionals about it."
UFC on FOX Interviews
Right after the weigh-in (watch full video replay here), Gareth Davies of The Guardian and UFC on FOX correspondent, spoke with both middleweights for one last time hours before their anticipated showdown.
Up first was Machida, with Davies asking him about his successful weight cut and the familiar topic of fighting friends.
On the weight cut:
"Yeah, very hard but I did this for four weeks, I did a great plan and I got this."
On what he saw when he looked into his friend's eyes at the staredown:
"I'm here as a professional. We are friends, after the fight we can keep the friendship going -- doesn't matter what will happen, if I win, if he wins. Doesn't matter for me ... I can keep my friendship with him."
On Munoz saying the loser chooses dinner and the winner pays for dinner:
"Winner buys the dinner, and ill pay. I'll try to pay, I'll do everything to pay for this dinner."
Davies caught up with Munoz as well, and Davies asked him similar questions about his headlining fight.
On what he saw when he looked into his friend's eyes at the staredown:
"It's going to be a good fight. Regardless if he's my friend or not, he's a very good competitor, and I'm going to go out there and give a good performance. He's a very good fighter."
On Machida saying he will be paying for dinner:
"I don't know about that...I'm already saving funds to pay for dinner already."
On saying he had the easiest weight cut of his life:
"I attribute it to the diet that I have, so Carla Sunfare and Xyience, they put in a massive amount of time into me and also Lunarpages, they came out and helped me as well. So, if I didn't have their support and all those guys it would be impossible."
Those are the final "Fighting Words" from the main event fighters. What are yours?
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