Following UFC Vegas 92 , tune in to the Post-Fight Press Conference to hear the athletes take questions from the media. ​ Order …
I love I love it like I actually like feeling like this sometimes after a fight I’ve earned it I’ve earned that win um I’m feeling great I’ve just took out uh legend of the sport Ed and Barosa a lot of people counting me out and I come in and got the win I show my level yeah I mean you kind of just said it right there but man a win over Edon baros is Big um he’s he’s a legend of the sport and just how does you know a win’s a win but you you beat him down for five rounds how does that feel it feels great obviously um going five rounds with Edson is a big experience for me obviously I’ve not fought nobody at that level doing the extra two rounds as well was different for me and I’m glad I got to bank him um I spoke to sh Sean Shelby in the back then as well and he said that’s the way to get to the top in it like do you need to fight fight in five round fights so it’s good to get that under my belt what was the game plan coming into the fight exactly what I did pressure um good for work avoid edson’s crazy spinning kicks and mixing the wrestling there was a couple times during the fight where it seemed like he was hurt and you could have finished him but you did not was that because you felt you know he’s always so dangerous and that’s what happens when you rush in and try and finish finish him yeah edson’s a Edson is um experienced fighter and you’ve seen many times a lot of people have rushed in he’s hit you with knees he’s hit you with spinning kicks um I had to watch my p’s and q’s on the way in but I did try to get him out there I always fight to Finish I just couldn’t get to finish but um he a great performance anyway your first time fighting in America fighting in Vegas did it all turn out the way that you you thought it would be yeah man dream come true dream come true and I love to fight here again and many more times maybe in a big arena next time um let’s see that first round lended a nasty upake how hurt were you or was it just just more um I guess cosmetic I’ve T big way bigger than that that’s that’s nothing to me well to be honest I didn’t even know I got hit I didn’t even know he hit what he hit me with should I say um until I looked to put the screen Jordan around and he caught me a good up kick man I think that was what busted my nose um along with a 100 million Jabs but yeah good fight um you look kind of busted up right now is a turnaround to fight in Manchester kind of um off the board or or are you going to try and do it I’m going to jump in the ice bath every day next week I’m going to I’m going to go and rest up uh I want to make make that card but there there’s no rush if not I’d love to fight on there but if not I’ll be there in attendance watch watch the guys win Watch Rocky U Win and all the all the rest of the guys it’ll be it’s a great card you basically called out anybody in the top 10 is there anybody specifically you want or is it just whoever wants it whoever wants it anybody in the top 10 I’m sure any if you look at the names we’ve got the feight divisions one of the best divisions and I feel like everybody’s going to be a tough fight and a good fight congratulations thank you congrats on that great performance so you show case you’re striking like you always do but you also even mixing your takedowns so was that the performance you were looking to make and just show the people hey I can do a little bit of everything as well yeah of course I’m a martial artist I’ve not come from no previous background so that’s where I started so I had to mix it up a lot of people were say you know um it’s just going to be a striking battle but you can’t just strike in this in this day and age it’s 2024 do you know what I mean like you have to you have to mix it up and that’s what changed the the fight at the end of the day um the grappling and so similar how he was just mentioning about you having Barbosa HT at times were you kind of frustrated where you would clip him pretty hard and he would just keep coming towards you bro I was hitting him with my best shots those are shot I sat down on I actually put put Power in and he just he he rob he wobbled him and he walked through it and I was quite surprised but that’s the veteran in him I probably I could have could have pressured a bit more maybe but that’s when you walk into Big Shots like I said and I know obviously you said you wanted top 10 but for a future fight sometime down the line I remember you and Nathaniel wood had your your little runin on social media is that one you still want one day I’m not even going to say anything about that come on you have to you have to put some respect on my name now just to some b bs are Nathaniel Woods way back there now no disrespect but I’m looking forward bro like I’m looking for that title and I’m trying to trying to beat guys to get to that title I’m not thinking about do you get what I’m saying that’s that’s nothing to me fair enough yeah probably get a big fight too soon so um like you said also first time in America are you going to be celebrating big in Vegas food that’s how I celebrate food I’ve been watching U my coach and Jordan eat food all all for the two weeks I swear it’s been hell watching them eat this American food and um I just want to go out now and get some food with these guys and and relax I also wanted to ask you obviously you take a lot of pride in representing Manchester from back home are you United or city Manchester United all day awesome congratulations Thank You Leon yeah back here I just got one for you um how important was it to have a game opponent to Showcase your skills because I feel like in the past you some of your opponents weren’t willing to engage like Barbosa was so you weren’t able to fully show everything do you know what it is a lot I thought good guys are all good in in in their own right but I feel like I’m one of them Fighters where I fight to the level of my opponent I do I do it a lot even in sparing I don’t know why but it’s like if I’m if I’m if I’m going against somebody good I’m going to be some I’m going to fight good I can be fighting a world champion I’m GNA I’m going to fight that level I’m going to fight at that level so fighting Edon bar Bros are T brought out the best in me I think congratulations on the win thank you tremendous effort I’ve never seen somebody smile so big but look so bad at the same time still I think I’m about still about eight out of 10 I’d say how was your reaction and I apologize if we didn’t see it because we’re back here with the announcement from Dana that you got that fight of the night oh I knew I had to get the fight and the night I feel like I missed out on a missed out on performance of the night few times but I knew this this time I just beat Ed and bar BS over five rounds it was a good back and forth I’m sure all the fans love the fight uh yeah I’m buzzing it’s life changing is it it’s life changing I can take my family on holiday now um it’s my son’s birthday next week it’s my mom’s birthday next week so may is usually a bit of a weird month for me because a lot of the bad stuff that’s happened to me it’s happened in May it’s my mom’s birthday it’s my son’s birthday so it’s a it’s a big month but um I’m happy I got the win and this month’s going to be a good one wow thank you for sharing that that’s wonderful with with the little guy how in in as he gets older and can process everything and just really take it in how surreal will it be to say like that’s daddy right there you bringing home the check and yeah well that’s yeah that’s that’s my dream I’ve always wanted that’s one of like my biggest goals in life for my son to be like proud of me and it and just be like that’s my dad like telling his friends that that’s my dad that’s that’s one of my goals that’s one of my big biggest goals and um it means a lot to me so bringing this win home getting to treat him is just like that’s what I live for and it that’s what I train hard for that’s what gets me up in in the morning the cold gyms in in England like it takes a lot of motivation yeah certain and last for me you hit so many things this week from the being on the poster fighting in Vegas Fight Capital being the main event but now you’re going to land in the top 15 wow how does that feel yes it’s just part of the Le it for me like I said my my goal is that title to the work doesn’t stop the work doesn’t stop this is just a start of big things and hopefully well they do I know the UFC recognize my talent now and they can start putting me promoting me a bit more and putting me in these big fights because I’m going to put on a show thank you sir cheers congratulations thank you hey uh considering how awesome you looked tonight and the significance of the wind does any part of you feel like it could have been sweeter had it been at the co-op Arena at 304 or do you feel like it would be sweet going into the that Arena like as a Hometown Heroes sort of welcome back I would have Lov to fight there but you can’t have everything in it and I’ve just got to giv me a main event against s baros over five rounds and I’ve took that so I feel like that’s better than anything I could have could have got getting the five rounds most importantly because now in the future if they give me a main event I’m not I’m not like oh sh I’m not I’ve not I’ve not fought five rounds before that’s that’s a um experience I’ve got now and yeah I would have loved to fight in Manchester but what I would have been probably low down the main card and it would have been a free rounder so this is this is better than it could have ever given me and I come out of a bonus or come out of a win what more can I ask for I think it’s like a reflection on how hot the UK MMA scene is when that those shows used to just be a fight night now it’s a pay-per-view we’ve got two Champions well one of them’s interim how do you feel about the what’s your take on the Tom aseno situation do you think Jon Jones is ducking him do you think you know he deserves to to get that shot either at the title or be promoted to to full Champion yeah I feel like I see both arguments but if you’re the champion you fight the next next in line in it I feel like that’s how it goes but Jon Jones has earned his stripes and he so it’s like everybody knows he’s going to have this one fight and retire in it that’s what he’s going to do and if I was him I wouldn’t fight Thomas Bernard at this point so let’s just be real about the situation Tom aspo a up and coming lion he young and he and he’s and he’s at the top of his game so let Jon Jones fight DP and then Crown Crown Tom ASP I like that and um after that statement win it will make the division sit up and take notice how far do you think you can go at at featherweight I can be Champion I can be Champion I’ve shown I’ve shown that level now and I’m only getting better that’s a scary thing like this whole Camp I was working on like just like a few little bits and I was kind of not scared going into the fight but I kind I didn’t have that perfect yet I know I’m still growing at a massive rate and I’m going to get look get better and better just like even my footwork looked better in that fight my striking look better and I’m get I’m improving and I’ve still got i’ still my ceiling still here I’m still here so I feel like I can improve much better than I am already and I can get that title and last one for me how can you sound like you do and say you’re a United fan United fans have accents like me down south not what no that was it was a good interview until he said that yeah congrats on the win thank you oh just one last one for me um I know you’ve told us a lot of times that this is a big opportunity going into this but during your walk you were very locked in and then I saw that moment where you were about to step in the cage you really embraced the moment of the challenge of fighting Barbosa so what was going on through your head as you were about to take on a legend in Edson Barbosa just another day in the office uh today I felt relaxed I felt I felt ready to perform and I always pray before going to cage just to relax just relax myself bring myself back down remind myself what I’m about to do and just get into that zone and I felt I felt amazing today I felt didn’t even feel like I was going to fight and I was kind of scared I said it in an interview before I was thinking like why am I not powered up I’m asking for coffee I’m asking for do you get what I’m saying I just wanted to feel feel that kind of energy but it just shows my experience is is leveling up and I’m I’m just getting getting in that zone to be fighting these big fights you’re in your Flow State during the course of the five rounds then yeah exactly that I felt like I felt good man I felt felt my timing was on um and I I know I can be way better than that as well that’s the scary thing I know I’m better than that as well um I felt like my feet could have been a bit quicker but we’re working man we working and we’re heading in the right direction thank you thank you oh don’t thank you e for