Straight Talk

"I don’t like him. I’m a professional, but for me, fighting with him is not business, it’s pleasure."

- Wanderlei Silva talks about UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton Jackson

Straight Talk

"I know I still have doubters and I’m that much more motivated to prove those guys wrong and to make some new fans every time I fight. Even in the Sherk fight, I wanted to win of course, but I think I still saw it as a competition. I still saw it as me going in there and doing my best, and hopefully both of us go in there and give a great performance. But now I want to destroy my opponent before he destroys me and that’s the main thing that switched over. There are no bad intentions personally, but in the ring, I want to destroy my opponent. It’s a fight, not a competition."

- UFC lightweight Kenny Florian

Straight Talk

"Obviously, a win's a win, and nice, but I want to go out there and put on a dominant performance. I want to finish him. I don't really care if it's a submission or knockout, but I'd love to go out there and finish him, hopefully in dominant fashion. I want to go out there and make it just look like we're in different leagues."

- Jake Shields discusses his September 15 fight with Renato Verissimo.

Straight Talk

"I’m going to hurt that dude (Patrick Cote) for real. He barked up the wrong tree. He better watch what he says. Look at his facts. He’s never been knocked out? Woo, there’s goes another one. Another one bites the dust. That bitch is getting knocked out."

- UFC middleweight Terry Martin

Straight Talk

"I don’t think he (Sean Sherk)’s a liar. You can look at him and the guy looks like a bodybuilder and whatever. This is a kid who won’t walk through the casino 'cause he doesn’t want to inhale smoke. He tells me he didn’t take steroids, I believe him, but it’s not up to me. It’s up to the California State Athletic Commission. We’ll see what happens. If they find him guilty of taking steroids, yeah, he’ll be suspended and he’ll lose his title."

- UFC president Dana White talks about UFC lightweight champ

Straight Talk

"Jenna's done nothing to him, ever. She's always been completely nice to him and Dana being the superstar he and sits there and says how dumb we are, how dumb Tito Ortiz is, how dumb Jenna Jameson is. You know, it just shows how stupid he is, and that's fine."

- Tito Ortiz talks Dana White

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm still not sure if this ongoing Tito-Dana feud is for real or what. Either way, I find it very entertaining.

Straight Talk

"This is the fight I wanted to get me half way back to the title and after the Alvin Robinson fight, I wasn’t joking, I want to fight the top guys and make sure there’s no one left but me. I want to beat them all and I want to be the only contender left to fight for that title. Din’s that next step."

- Kenny Florian on his upcoming fight with Din Thomas

Straight Talk

"To all my fans I would like to announce that I will be fighting Doug Evans at the UFC in Cincinnati on October the 20th. It’s a great honor to finally be able to perform in front of my home crowd, students and family. I would like to thank everyone in advance for all the support over the years. I will do my best."

- Lightweight Jorge Gurgel's MySpace post.

I'm sorry, but I just can't understand the UFC's love affair with Jorge Gurgel. Yes, he trains UFC golden boy Rich Franklin and seemed like a pretty cool guy on TUF 2, but Gurgel has never impressed me in the octagon, despite his jiu-jitsu expertise and pro kickboxing credentials.

I remember writing something in the days leading up to UFC 73 about how I've never been wowed by Gurgel, but how he'd be healthier than ever for his fight with Diego Saraiva. An MMAWeekly.com article on his UFC 73 fight dubbed him "The Bionic Brazilian." Ironically, of all the fighters who left the arena after UFC 73, Gurgel was by far the most battered of the night.

I don't know, maybe I'm just being cranky this morning, but I'm once again baffled why the UFC keeps putting Gurgel on its cards. In his three UFC matches, he's won lackluster decisions against Saraiva and Danny Abbadi and lost a unanimous decision to Mark Hominick. What am I missing?

Straight Talk

"Diego [Sanchez] has moved to California to reconnect with his son out there. He’s always a part of the team, but he’s going to train out there for a while. We love him to death, he still loves us; it’s just kind of a thing where he wants to get out there and get to know his boy and live a good life. He’s such a great kid and we all love him to death, the whole team, and we wish him the best of luck while he’s out there and can’t wait for him to get back."

- Famed MMA trainer Greg Jackson on Diego Sanchez leaving Team Jackson

Straight Talk

"I don't want this to take any longer than it has to, but I hired my lawyer just a couple of weeks ago. I want to get this done as soon as possible so I can fight B.J. [Penn] in November, but the next hearing wouldn't be until October."

- UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk comments on his decision to file for an extension with the CSAC to dispute steroid-laden urine samples.

Straight Talk

"I've always wanted to get back in that cage and I always knew I'd get back in there at least one more time. That's were I got started. I like the cage and I like the UFC rules better anyways. I can be more effective in the cage than I was in the ring."

- Mark Coleman

Straight Talk

"I originally had my hopes quite high about flying to Hawaii when I read the Diaz piece, but everything is straight now and I won’t be fighting Diaz on the 15th of September. I will be fighting on the November Elite XC show as a prelude to Diaz, after that it’s me and Diaz for the belt."

- Cage Rage welterweight champ Paul "Semtex" Daley

Straight Talk: U.S. Armed Forces Edition

"This trip was an experience that I will never forget. All of us are leaving with many new friends. Just as importantly, we also have a better understanding of what the soldiers are facing here in Afghanistan. It has enlightened and inspired me beyond words. I hope I will get a chance to come back here and support these troops once again. The Taliban/Terrorist threat is very real and our military is doing an amazing job of fighting it everyday. I encourage you to support the troops in whatever ways you can. They all need to know that we support them, love them and appreciate the sacrifices they are doing for this great and free country."

- UFC lightweight Kenny Florian on his trip to Afghanistan.

"I was on a navy warship 'wasp' and was privileged to have met many that fight for our country. So many had just come back from Iraq, and many were on there way. I was able to talk to solders that let me in to the grim reality they live when there over there. My Thoughts? We take all of them for granted, they fight and give their lives for our freedom, and the worlds security. I simply want to express my support for all of them that fight so hard and are the real heroes of this world. Thank You and may God's strength be with you."

- Sherdog.com post by IFL heavyweight star Ben Rothwell

Straight Talk

"This is going to be a good standup fight, and it will be a very exciting fight for the fans. But I will beat him. I’m going to knock him out. I’ll go in there and pound on him until he goes down. I want to knock him out as fast as I can, win the fight, and then go get my belt back."

- Chuck Liddell talks about his UFC 76 fight against Keith Jardine

Straight Talk

"Hamill is in for the beating of his life. I do respect the guy’s wrestling ability and physical strength but, to be honest, I don’t believe he belongs in or is entitled to fight at the pinnacle of mixed martial arts. He’s not a mixed martial artist, he’s a wrestler who is so pig-headed he doesn’t understand that’s just not enough to cut it in MMA. He thinks wrestling is the be-all and end-all of fighting, but he’s gonna learn that shin on chin is just not for him!"

- Michael "The Count" Bisping on his UFC 75 opponent, Matt Hamill

Straight Talk

"He is very smart. He always listens to us . About 50 percent of fighters do not listen to trainers, or pretend they do but it comes right out of the other ear. They don't necessarily think they know better than us, but their own status blinds them sometimes. A fighter will continue to grow and achieve ever-higher goals, as long as they listen to their trainer. Fighters who stop listening to their trainers will remain on the same level and eventually start dropping. That is why Fedor will keep improving indefinitely.

"Another illustration of this is the way Fedya fights. In the ring he hears everything we yell at him. Often less intelligent fighters can only think of their immediate fear of their opponent and are oblivious to their corner during each round. Fedya can hear everything we say and follows instructions. Mihailich [Vladimir Mihailovich Voronin] has a voice like a bullhorn, he hears him. I am quieter and he still hears everything I say. We take turns: I yell instructions if the fight is on the feet, Mihailich if it's on the ground. He [Fedor] will come back to the corner in the break between rounds and tell us that he heard everything and thank us for the help."

- Vasilievick Michkov, the striking coach for red Devil fight team, discusses Fedor Emelianenko

Straight Talk

"That’s the biggest pool at this moment but the best guy is not there and that would be Fedor. All those guys, the best they can do is [be] #2 in my opinion. I’m looking to fight with Fedor if possible. There’s enough guys floating around out there right now that could certainly make a good fight for me. I’ve fought many of the people there already and I certainly wouldn’t mind fighting Nogueira again or Randy. It would be a decent place for me to be. I have absolutely no problem with the cage. In fact, elbows are one of my best weapons.”

- Josh Barnett talks UFC heavyweights

Straight Talk

"Since that fight [with Fedor Emelianenko], since I have to fight not only my opponent, but I have to fight the referee in the same match, what we decided to do was go ahead and fight 185 pound guys. You know, since the referee is fighting against me in the ring anyways, we'll just times their weight and it will equal heavyweight, and I'll go ahead and fight [Trevor] Prangley for the [Bodog] title."

- Matt "The Law" Lindland on fighting at 185 lbs.

Straight Talk

"The sense of loyalty came for Pride and Pride itself. When the UFC bought Pride, Pride stopped being Pride. You know what I mean? I’ll tell you right now I loved Pride. Pride in my opinion was the best show in the world with the production. You ask anyone that’s fought for Pride and everyone remembers fondly about waiting backstage and hearing the Pride music for the introduction of a fighter, the lighting and the fireworks -- there’s no experience like it. I’ve been backstage at UFC, K-1, Bodog, you name it and there’s nothing else like Pride in the world. It’s too bad because Pride was the sh**, quite simply."

- Denis Kang

Straight Talk

"Give me your address, and I’ll come over and take care of the dog. It’ll be easy, just a .22 behind the ear. The bullet will rattle around in there, won’t make a mess or even much of a noise. Problem solved. After that, I’ll explain to your in-laws and your wife that the dog ran away to go live on a farm. Then everybody’s happy."

- Don Frye dispenses advice as part of his “Dear Don” column at IFL.tv.