Following UFC Vegas 65, tune in to the Post-Fight Press Conference to hear the athletes take questions from the media.
a little bit of gospel now
well congratulations that was uh over
here that was a hard-fought fight it
seemed like how did you think of your
performance
um
around
say is
um I told everyone what was going to
happen on me today on Wednesday
obviously if I was a little more
extended than I thought but
um anyway it needed to happen happened
what did you think of Chase as a as an
opponent did he throw anything at you
that you weren’t prepared foreign
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for every fight and against every
fighter we always learn new things we
always get you know we always realize
things that can be that maybe can be
taken for for our next fight
um I from what I’ve seen I haven’t seen
them wrestle and the day he was just
taking me down so I have to kind of get
prepared for more of that if uh if if it
comes to be and also checking some kicks
it seemed like yesterday in your face
off you guys were kind of laughing or or
maybe you were giggling what was going
on in the face off
everybody knows that I love to fight and
I fight I have a lot of fun so in the
Face-Off there was something like his
eyes were twitching a little bit and I
started laughing at it and he looked at
me and goes don’t don’t do it don’t do
it and I ended up doing it we both
started laughing
that’s awesome
um how would you rank this when against
all the others
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um
going to Striker
he is
I would say this is a top two fight for
me
um except for a fight that I had about
uh when uh about to win for me I’ve had
I had a win last year that it was pretty
rough because I had something in my
lungs as well so it was a little bit
challenging but this one just uh my my
striking was great it was kept pressing
forward and continued to learn continue
to improve from one fight to another
and you’ve had now three fights at the
UFC Apex how eager are you to be able to
fight in front of a big crowd again
a
um
it’s a
motivations
I feel the the crowd and how it just the
Vibes of the crowd and how the emotion
of the crowd I want to feel that I want
to feel that in the big arena I want to
feel them like just you know pumping me
up and with that extra motivation of
being in the big arena I want to I want
to feel that is that why you called for
the December 10th card is it because you
want to be in from the crowd or is it
because it’s a pay-per-view is it you
know what’s what’s the reason for that
exactly what is
um
first of all I want to fight and the
second I really wanted to see the crowd
getting rowdy yelling my name until the
end of the fight
and my last question do you have a name
in mind for your next opponents
I said this before I told this to you
guys I want Muhammad uzman and I I don’t
know what’s going on but I really want
to fight him and I’ve said this by the
way all the coaches let’s say say it say
it
thank you thank you
hey Waldo this is your fifth fight this
year are you looking to be as active as
you are next year like are you just
trying to you know get as much advice as
you want or you know next year are you
going to kind of kind of sit back and
and look
um
I want 10 fights in 2023 better Platinum
plan them all I want to be I want 10. so
and then finally for me um were you a
fan of where’s Waldo books when when you
were little
um
at the end of the day I mean why not
like it’s kind of something that keeps
people keeps me on people’s minds my dad
had the books people remember it’s a
familiar name so I like the fact that
people kind of have that to recall on me
congrats
thank you
you said your dad had the books are you
named after him
he said my dad had it the same name is
that I thought it was the books
my dad’s name is Waldo as well thank you
cool you got a good deal
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I’m just crowding that’s right
hi guys
sorry
set an alarm or a message
Kennedy
yes sir how are you I’m doing great how
are you I’m good man I’m good um it’s
been a few minutes since you’re five man
how are you feeling I feel great how’s
the body feeling body feels good beside
my knuckle but I feel great I feel ready
to go awesome man um it was uh violent
finish how do you feel about your
performance I feel good but I would give
that a c plus I don’t think I wasn’t
satisfied with the performance because
of the first round but again you know
I’m gonna go back to my general because
safe Salud and I’m gonna fix those
little mistakes I tend to make sometimes
in the cage what would you fix
I can’t tell you
yeah
okay
um what was the game plan coming into
the fight pressure pressure keep him on
the back foot circle because we’re
Samara stances he doesn’t do good with
southpaws Flare off to the right and
land my left or land my knee or elbows
you know keep your pressure and um don’t
have my back against the cage so he
won’t initiate his takedowns
was he was he as tough as everybody
thinks he is
well he’s tough you know I won’t say
he’s weak but um he is tough and he got
me down so I can’t talk trash
I don’t usually talk trash but yeah he
got me down and um yeah acknowledged
that you know as my call says get in the
bad position work to get into a good
position so follow the little details go
back to my feet got me down again I got
two of rosellas he took me down to go to
hip throw something like that and um he
took me down and worked my way back up
and um just keeping enough pressure on
him to wear him out his muscles won’t
keep up
um in the finishing sequence it seemed
like he hit you with a low blow and then
you said like yeah let’s keep going was
it because you knew he was hurt yes yes
I have to pressure him because I know
those type of guys there are sprinters
I’m more of a marathon runner so when I
saw him when he um acknowledged your
groin strike and I I kind of like winced
a little bit he thought Keith Peterson
was gonna call it out but keep Peterson
did step in but I told him no no no no
no no don’t do that just let me pressure
because he looked the way he looked
relieved when I when I you know when I
acknowledge the Run strikes so I was
like no no got to keep the pressure and
um keep Peterson let the fight keep
going and I just gotta pressure keep my
foot on the gas pedal and just keep
wearing him out
he had some nasty knees um was that
something you saw before the fight or
was that something that you adjusted in
the fight oh yeah my coach say from my
big bro Charles Byrd who’ve been working
on it that was the Texas that’s the code
for now that’s the only secret I’m
giving out but we’re gonna change that
but um yeah we’re talking about don’t
don’t initiate it then he’s in the first
round because he might try to take me
down second round he’s gonna Target and
desperate I mean obviously it worked in
the first round they were wrestling so
he’s gonna want to try it again so when
he gets desperate for that takedown line
the knee step to the side land the knee
hands up he’s going to be there every
single time so I do the knee I landed it
I got too greedy wanted twice more but
those didn’t land flush but the first
one rattled him in them I just have to
keep the pressure and took him up crazy
crazy change of events uh you were went
from the co-main to the main event
um where were you when you got the news
that you were going to get the main
event we were
we had five fights in front of in front
of me and they told me they came in
there and said that Derek Lewis couldn’t
pull through it I think he was sick or
something like that and they said it was
bumping us the main event I was like
fine it doesn’t really matter because I
know today is more exposure for me so it
does give me more motivation to display
my skills in the cage so I was ready
super stoked calm which I had never been
this calm you know I grew up in the UFC
so I try to build that mental state but
that’s how fascinated I was ready I was
intrigued I was ready I just want to go
show my skills
um Main Events not Main Event I’m ready
yeah and you you took full advantage of
the exposure man um
you got your first USU
did you feel a little bit about your
start he granted he tried to press a
little bit yes well but how’d you feel
about your start tonight
um I’m not satisfied with it I still
need to work on it I want to start even
faster you know even though I know I’m a
marathon or I’m not a sprinter I need to
make sure I’m still starting fast enough
okay not giving them too much respect so
they won’t capitalize on that says so as
we go back to the drum board again I’m
going to continue to work on it I have
teammates to work on it with and um
let’s keep perfecting my craft and I
know the commentary even talked about
once you’re able to get off the ground
and you kind of got up at the end of
that round one was that sort of like the
first victory of the fight right there
and what did that sort of tell you and
did he feel like he started getting
tired a little bit after that oh yeah
because I could feel him even the mounts
I could feel him panting in my ear I
could feel him he was so desperate
trying to hold me hold on to me and I
know he’s going to fatigue eventually so
my mind is just stay calm like my coach
always says and worked the little
details don’t just rush things and give
up your back and get strangled or the
little details not keeping myself
vulnerable susceptible to submissions or
unnecessary strikes get back to my feet
he’s going to get tired because he
doesn’t want to strike so he’s going to
get tired eventually and I’m going to
capitalize on his diminishing cardio and
take him out and I know you you
obviously want to focus on the the areas
that you want to fix but it wasn’t
overall the wonderful performance I
guess what do you when you think about
the the fight what are you most proud of
that you maybe were able to accomplish
tonight in there a little bit more
pressure from the second round and I’m
glad I didn’t let him off the hook after
the growing strike I felt like I had to
pressure him there too so I feel good
about my pressure in the second round
but I want that person to first I want
more impression to first so by the
second those guys don’t want to be there
in third fourth fifth I could take them
out that’s awesome congrats on the
victory thank you wonderful performance
thank you back here
um what was the message in between the
first and the second round from your
team and what was your confidence level
like going into the second round first
and second in between that rounds just
keep level headed
coaches like distance distance establish
my jab Hook off the angle so I heard
that and he didn’t want me to initiate
the knees till is he starts desperately
trying to time to take down then I could
let him go with the knees so he didn’t
my question didn’t really change
anything he just told me a little bit of
adjustments I should make and the things
that I’m doing that’s unnecessary so we
went from there we got to finish and you
mentioned your mother’s illness after
the fight ALS is there any Charities
that you contribute to or can spread
some awareness for so not yet I haven’t
found a good one a Samsung search for
finding a good charity to they haven’t
found no cure for it yet so I’m still
trying to find one for but for now I’m
just really focused on my mom try to
make sure I get her all the health
medical assistance she needs thank you
thank you so much