On fighting Michael Bisping instead of getting a proposed rematch with Tito Ortiz:
I just moved on ... I'll fight Bisping. Not saying nothing against Bisping, but he's no Tito Ortiz.
On fighting in the main event at UFC 78:
I'm honored ... to be honest. I want to leave it all out there and have a good time with it.
On changes in his training since the Ortiz fight:
(I’m) just practicing opening up earlier, not being so conservative in the beginning of the fight.
On what it means to have two of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series winners fighting in the main event:
It says a lot on how far we've come in the UFC. We're just a couple of guys that won the reality show and now we're the big dogs on the card.
On the UFC matching him up with Bisping:
I was really surprised. I didn't really think they wanted to do that to him. I watched him fight and always said, man, I wish they would send me out to fight Bisping, man I'll whoop his ass. Then I got the call and I was really surprised that they gave me the fight.
On his thoughts about who won the Bisping vs. Matt Hamill fight:
I honestly thought that Matt Hamill won the fight.
On what he learned from watching Bisping vs. Hamill:
I learned a lot from watching it. I even think I can stand up with this guy. I don't feel like he puts me in trouble anywhere.
On what he thinks about Bisping making some comments recently about Evans’ fighting style, calling it lay and pray:
For somebody who has fought the way that he's fighting, I really don't think he has much room to criticize anybody on fight performance.
It's just talk, you know. I think he's a little afraid and trying to hype it up and maybe see if he can try and get in my head. But I'm a professional. It's never a personal thing. He's never going to get in my head, especially coming from him. It's not like he's anybody I really have to worry about. He's competent in all respects ... but I don't think stylistically he poses any problems.
On not getting the rematch with Ortiz:
I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to fight Tito Ortiz. And Dana was like the winner of this fight is going to be ranked in the top five and I was like, thought I was already ranked in the top five.
On his lack of enthusiasm to face Bisping:
I really wasn't excited to fight him because I thought he lost to Matt Hamill. I was never really impressed watching him. I never watched him once and said “Wow! This is a guy I have to watch out for in the future.”
I even had to stop watching the film on him because whenever I watch his film, I'm just like, “Damn, this dude sucks so bad.” That's what I say to myself. And then I realize I can't really think like that because it's not about who's the best fighter talent-wise, it's about who's the best fighter that night. I can't really think like that or it's (got) upset written all over it.
On the advantages that Bisping brings into this fight:
I don't believe that he has one advantage over me in the fight game. I don't see anywhere that he's better than me, but like I said, it's all about who fights better that night. I just plan on going out there and fighting a good fight and if I fight a good fight, I should come out on top.
On being included in top ten polls:
I really could care less if somebody says I'm a top five or not because if I'm a top five, I can go out there and get knocked out by anybody in the 205 (pound) weight class. That doesn't mean nothing. A ranking doesn't protect you from getting your ass whooped.
On trying to finish the fight:
(Going to a decision) is definitely the last thing that I want to do. I'm really trying to become a great MMA fighter and I think that there are really a couple of things that I need to do in order to achieve that and I think that being aggressive and really let myself go ... and just do what I can do. I think if I can do that, I'll achieve what I want in this fight game.
On his goals for 2008:
I want to fight the best and if 2008 can bring the best, if they want to bring the Wanderlei’s, the Shogun’s, those are the fights that I'm really interested in doing. Tito... if I get the fight then that's great, but I kind of would like to fight whoever. I want to fight some really, really tough guys... Shogun, Forrest...
On his prediction for the fight with Bisping:
I definitely am going to be the decisive winner. I'm not sure exactly if it's going to end in the first or second round, but I'm definitely going to put the heat on him right out of the gate.
