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It's a 30 minute interview so only the first 13 of those will be transcripted. Here you go:
I reached out to you to talk about UFC 297 main event Strickland vs du Plessis. Your thoughts on the five round fight between those two?
- I expected the fight to be like that, so nothing special, you know. I think like 50/50, it could go to whichever side they cherish.
Maybe it was right, maybe not, I don't know. For me Strickland won the fight but that was a close fight for both. But nothing special.
Nothing making me think like "oh, that guy is something else" so... they both have a lot of things I can see. Like how I can finish them, you know.
When's the last time you did see something special? I feel like whenever you watch fights with guys you may fight you're like "eh, nothing special"
so does anyone have anything special?
- Yeah, of course. A lot of guys have a lot of special things. You know like with Max Holloway, one of the guys when I specialize so.
Never gives up, always keeps going. Nobody throws as many punches as him, you know? That's the special, so like some guys only throw 50 times and
he has 500 times, you know? That big of a difference is special. And Jon Jones as well, like he has special things where a lot of guys lack that.
I feel like they both (Sean and DDP) got credit for saying they were going to war, as people were saying they promised a war and gave a war.
You didn't think it was a war?
- I don't know man... That was a good fight for both now. But at the same time, say nothing that special. So just like hard sparring one could say.
Some takdowns, he came up and then nobody tried to finish anyone. That's why it's not anything special with that. If I go into a fight, like, I
will try to finish it. And if it doesn't work, I always keep trying to finish it later on. But those two guys just weren't trying to, just wanted
to win the fight you know. I didn't see them like "Ah, now that guy will go crazy and try to finish" you know? So they both were going for the full
five rounds.
When you're watching that fight, are you thinking "I'm fighting the winner"? What is your status and, like, are you very confident in that you're
fighting the winner? Do you feel tied to that event?
- I don't know, I mean who else is gonna fight them? So Israel is out, and I don't know when he's coming back. 2027? And the rest of the guys has already
fought each other, so it's only me who is undefeated and undisputed, you know, 13 and 0 so I don't know. They promise me after the Usman fight that
"you are for sure going to fight for the title next fight". I don't know what's going on, I hear some about Dana White saying that "I don't know if Khamzat
can fight next" so that's the bullshit, man. If you promise me something you have to answer for those words, so I am a guy who always answer for my words.
I grew up like that so. If you're about to die, try to answer for that word you said. So we'll see, maybe in the USA it's a different mentality. Now guys,
I would be surprised if that happens. Somebody else fighting for the title next and not me, so yeah, we'll see. I didn't talk to Dana about it, and don't
know what they are thinking. He knows better than me and has a long time with this game, he has opened this game as well.
- Before this fight I have asked Hunter Campbell to let me fight at UFC 300.
Where did that happen, did you just text him directly or did you call him? What's the situation?
- No, I was in the gym. Just training. And I feel, well I was sick now before. They were asking me about fighting on that date, so I said that my manager
will let me get healthy first, and then we talk. So when I felt my health was good again, I was at that gym training. I said it's just the right time,
so I will be ready, man. So they give me that fight now inshallah. I don't know. I said let's go, give me a fight for 300.
When were you sick? I saw the photos but what happened?
- It's a month ago now that I became good. Actually, I was sick for 4-5 weeks. I had to stay in hospital for more than a week, and there was some infection
and some shit. Stuff happening, I don't know. I never had something crazy like that. That was even worse than the Corona for me. I had a fever of 40 that just
didn't go down. There were always some vitamins they gave me and like, get down my favorite tablets. All this shit, you know. So yeah, I always fight with
some shit. So born for that. They gave me some name of it, some different lung infection, and I don't remember the name of that shit. They said it usually
affects kids, young age of like 5-6. They said this is the worst, when you get it when you're old. So that was big bullshit.
If they were to make something else with Dricus, why do you think they would do that? If you're telling them you're ready now, like what could the issue be?
I think that this confuses people, that they're like "If UFC asks Khamzat to fight, and Khamzat wants to fight, why aren't we seeing this now?" What is going on?
- I mean, brother, I don't know how many fights I have in the UFC. Seven fights, I never chose an opponent. There are some people saying things like "Oh, you fight
Usman who was fighting in 170", I was fighting the biggest guy in this division and the guy jump out. He had some surgery or some shit, I don't know. And yeah,
I didn't choose it in a couple of days notice to fight Usman. They chose it for me, because I always accept. My manager calls me and says I'm fighting Usman,
"Okay". That's it. Nobody in the UFC called me and asked like, is it okay to fight or don't you wanna fight? Because they know I always say yes when healthy.
People think I'm just joking fighting like Brock Lesnar or dreaming of Jon Jones, but I don't mind if I lose, man. I am the human and can lose, everything can
happen but a fight is a funny thing for me I can do in this life. I'm happy in the cage if somebody punches me, if I punch them, if I have a bleeding nose.
That's a war for me, and I like to be in the war you know, always.
- I never said no to them, I never said to them like "give me this guy!" Anything out there, just ask them. It's just the champs because I wanna get that champ purse.
When you have a belt then you get the big money, it's not that big without it. Well, for sure I am making more money than these two (MW) champs. Everyone knows that,
so they're champs but don't make half the money I make. But it's that I want to make more money. So that's why they should give it to me, there's money fights to make.
I reached out to you to talk about UFC 297 main event Strickland vs du Plessis. Your thoughts on the five round fight between those two?
- I expected the fight to be like that, so nothing special, you know. I think like 50/50, it could go to whichever side they cherish.
Maybe it was right, maybe not, I don't know. For me Strickland won the fight but that was a close fight for both. But nothing special.
Nothing making me think like "oh, that guy is something else" so... they both have a lot of things I can see. Like how I can finish them, you know.
When's the last time you did see something special? I feel like whenever you watch fights with guys you may fight you're like "eh, nothing special"
so does anyone have anything special?
- Yeah, of course. A lot of guys have a lot of special things. You know like with Max Holloway, one of the guys when I specialize so.
Never gives up, always keeps going. Nobody throws as many punches as him, you know? That's the special, so like some guys only throw 50 times and
he has 500 times, you know? That big of a difference is special. And Jon Jones as well, like he has special things where a lot of guys lack that.
I feel like they both (Sean and DDP) got credit for saying they were going to war, as people were saying they promised a war and gave a war.
You didn't think it was a war?
- I don't know man... That was a good fight for both now. But at the same time, say nothing that special. So just like hard sparring one could say.
Some takdowns, he came up and then nobody tried to finish anyone. That's why it's not anything special with that. If I go into a fight, like, I
will try to finish it. And if it doesn't work, I always keep trying to finish it later on. But those two guys just weren't trying to, just wanted
to win the fight you know. I didn't see them like "Ah, now that guy will go crazy and try to finish" you know? So they both were going for the full
five rounds.
When you're watching that fight, are you thinking "I'm fighting the winner"? What is your status and, like, are you very confident in that you're
fighting the winner? Do you feel tied to that event?
- I don't know, I mean who else is gonna fight them? So Israel is out, and I don't know when he's coming back. 2027? And the rest of the guys has already
fought each other, so it's only me who is undefeated and undisputed, you know, 13 and 0 so I don't know. They promise me after the Usman fight that
"you are for sure going to fight for the title next fight". I don't know what's going on, I hear some about Dana White saying that "I don't know if Khamzat
can fight next" so that's the bullshit, man. If you promise me something you have to answer for those words, so I am a guy who always answer for my words.
I grew up like that so. If you're about to die, try to answer for that word you said. So we'll see, maybe in the USA it's a different mentality. Now guys,
I would be surprised if that happens. Somebody else fighting for the title next and not me, so yeah, we'll see. I didn't talk to Dana about it, and don't
know what they are thinking. He knows better than me and has a long time with this game, he has opened this game as well.
- Before this fight I have asked Hunter Campbell to let me fight at UFC 300.
Where did that happen, did you just text him directly or did you call him? What's the situation?
- No, I was in the gym. Just training. And I feel, well I was sick now before. They were asking me about fighting on that date, so I said that my manager
will let me get healthy first, and then we talk. So when I felt my health was good again, I was at that gym training. I said it's just the right time,
so I will be ready, man. So they give me that fight now inshallah. I don't know. I said let's go, give me a fight for 300.
When were you sick? I saw the photos but what happened?
- It's a month ago now that I became good. Actually, I was sick for 4-5 weeks. I had to stay in hospital for more than a week, and there was some infection
and some shit. Stuff happening, I don't know. I never had something crazy like that. That was even worse than the Corona for me. I had a fever of 40 that just
didn't go down. There were always some vitamins they gave me and like, get down my favorite tablets. All this shit, you know. So yeah, I always fight with
some shit. So born for that. They gave me some name of it, some different lung infection, and I don't remember the name of that shit. They said it usually
affects kids, young age of like 5-6. They said this is the worst, when you get it when you're old. So that was big bullshit.
If they were to make something else with Dricus, why do you think they would do that? If you're telling them you're ready now, like what could the issue be?
I think that this confuses people, that they're like "If UFC asks Khamzat to fight, and Khamzat wants to fight, why aren't we seeing this now?" What is going on?
- I mean, brother, I don't know how many fights I have in the UFC. Seven fights, I never chose an opponent. There are some people saying things like "Oh, you fight
Usman who was fighting in 170", I was fighting the biggest guy in this division and the guy jump out. He had some surgery or some shit, I don't know. And yeah,
I didn't choose it in a couple of days notice to fight Usman. They chose it for me, because I always accept. My manager calls me and says I'm fighting Usman,
"Okay". That's it. Nobody in the UFC called me and asked like, is it okay to fight or don't you wanna fight? Because they know I always say yes when healthy.
People think I'm just joking fighting like Brock Lesnar or dreaming of Jon Jones, but I don't mind if I lose, man. I am the human and can lose, everything can
happen but a fight is a funny thing for me I can do in this life. I'm happy in the cage if somebody punches me, if I punch them, if I have a bleeding nose.
That's a war for me, and I like to be in the war you know, always.
- I never said no to them, I never said to them like "give me this guy!" Anything out there, just ask them. It's just the champs because I wanna get that champ purse.
When you have a belt then you get the big money, it's not that big without it. Well, for sure I am making more money than these two (MW) champs. Everyone knows that,
so they're champs but don't make half the money I make. But it's that I want to make more money. So that's why they should give it to me, there's money fights to make.
