UFC 146 Press Conference: JDS prepared to add Alistair Overeem to his list of KO victims

UFC President Dana White, alongside many of the event’s main card competitors, was in attendance today for the UFC 146 Press Conference at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The all Heavyweight card will be headlined by a Championship bout between current title holder Junior dos Santos and challenger Alistair Overeem, while former champs Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir will go head to head in the co-main event. Also featured will be TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson taking on promotional newcomer Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, and Mark Hunt meets Stefan Struve.

UFC 146: dos Santos vs. Overeem Press Conference Highlights:

Junior dos Santos

• Heavyweight fights have a lot of power involved. I think (people enjoy Heavyweight bouts) because we finish fights. That’s why I’m here, and I’m going to be prepared on the day of the fight to finish another one.

• I used to train boxing everyday, and other areas, like jiu-jitsu, I used to train three times a week. Wrestling, Muay Thai – it’s not too much like boxing. I love boxing, and I’m a really confident guy with my hands. I really believe I can knock anyone out.

• I don’t know (if Overeem is the best striker I’ve faced) – I think so. He’s pretty good. He has very good stand-up skills. He’s a striker, I’m a striker, so somebody is going to get knocked out – or, or you guys will see a striker shooting for takedowns.

Alistair Overeem

• This definitely is the biggest fight on my career. The UFC is the biggest show on the planet. So, I definitely see this as my biggest challenge. I’m very excited about it, I’m training hard everyday, and it’s going to be a great fight.

• I definitely see JDS as the best boxer in MMA or the UFC these days. How does he stack up against me? I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see. I give myself a good chance.

• K-1 is slightly different because it’s kickboxing, there’s no ground involved, and the gloves are a little bit bigger. But, I definitely do think that experience is going to come in handy in this fight.

Cain Velasquez

• There’s a PR side and then there’s the training and fighting side. I know it has to be well-balanced. It’s just a balancing act, and it’s a part of the sport. Not at all (did promoting affect the fight with JDS). For every fight camp I’ve always gotten enough training.

• No, (bouncing back mentally) hasn’t been difficult at all. I love what I do. It’s like in wrestling, you have a loss, but it’s not the end of the world. You have to come back stronger, be healthy, and just watch film to see what you did wrong – learn from your mistakes. That’s the only thing you can do.

Frank Mir

• I think wresting is a huge factor in every fight. Typically, the guy that is the better wrestler can decide where the fight goes – whether it’s standing or on the ground. I just hope to make it to where neither of those are viable choices (for my opponent).

• I find that my performances, my conditioning, and my speed is best when I’m a little bit lighter. I thought that gaining size would help me make up for the size difference against Brock Lesnar, but I’m happy with where I’m at right now.

• (Cain’s wrestling-based style) concerns me greatly. I think that wrestling is the hardest thing, stylistically, that I have a hard time with. It’s always going to be an issue and it’s something for me to contantly improve on and work on in the gym.

Roy Nelson

• The thing with the “likes” (on Facebook), I got like 80,000 in a day. So, I like to think that I’m well liked. But, a lot of people stopped as soon as they found out that I was fighting at Heavyweight, and they didn’t want me to drop down. They wanted me to stay at Heavyweight. I think they just like to see me fight. I’ll do like Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture, I’ll fight at 205 for retirement.

• We (Heavyweights) actually finish fights if you look at the percentages. Everyone loves the home run in baseball or the slam dunk in basketball. That’s what the heavyweights bring.

Antonio Silva

• Heavyweights always put on fantastic fights. Everyone on this podium today is a top-notch fighter, and you’re going to see some fantastic fights on May 26th – it’s going to be a war.

• Every athlete dreams of being in the best organization and I am here now, in the best MMA organization. So, I’m going to give my all and give 100-percent to give you guys great fights while I’m here in the UFC.

• I was training at Blackzilians, and yes, I think it’s inevitable – Alistair Overeem and I are on a collision course. There’s a possibility of us fighting one day. So, when I heard that he was going over to the Blackzilians, I decided to take my camp elsewhere.