Mark Muñoz. Photo by Bong Lozada/INQUIRER.net
UFC Fight Night 66 is the first ever UFC card in the Philippines but the fighters are ready to provide the extravagance and fireworks that the world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion has to offer.
Third-ranked UFC featherweight Urijah Faber looked calm during the Ultimate Media Day on Thursday, but the Octagon veteran said once the cage door shuts and it’s only him and Frankie Edgar face-to-face, a switch will be flipped and it’s time to fight.
“It’s an all out war,” Faber said. “Frankie brings it, I bring it. It’s a battle of two guys who don’t back down.”
READ: Faber, Edgar headline UFC Fight Night in Manila
Edgar, too, looks forward to his main event with Faber, saying they were “destined to meet” and there will be a lot of exciting moments that fight fans can look forward to come Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
“I will bring a hellacious pace, like I always do, I know Urijah will do as well, he brings a high pace as well,” the former UFC lightweight champion said. “It’s going to be an exciting fight. We’re gonna have a fight on our hands.”
Both Faber and Edgar said there are no animosity between them, just good old competitiveness from both fighters.
“Not at all, just competitiveness, he’s a competitive guy. We both go for a win,” Edgar said.
“Not right now, when that cage door shuts, there’s animosity. We’re cordial but when that cage door shuts,” Faber said with a wry smile.
READ: No ‘Thrilla in Manila’ but UFC guarantees one exciting Fight Night
With UFC holding its first card in the Philippines, it helps that there are Filipino fighters in there card, namely Mark Muñoz, Mark Eddiva, Nolan Ticman, Roldan Sancha-an, and Jon delos Reyes.
Muñoz will be fighting his final UFC fight when he squares up against Luke Barnatt in the middleweight bout, and it’s only fitting he goes out of the sport in his homeland.
READ: Fitting end: Mark Muñoz’s first fight in Manila will be his last
“Expect a lot of fireworks, expect a lot of aggression, expect some ground and pound, maybe some submission,” said Muñoz, who admitted that he will be emotional after he steps out of the octagon for good.
Eddiva, for his part, promised that UFC Fight Night 66: Edgar vs. Faber will be an entertaining MMA spectacle especially with Filipinos fighting in front of Filipino fans.
“It will be a great event,” Eddiva said who will fight Georgian Levan Makashvili in one of the undercard matches. “There are many Filipinos who will fight, that’s why UFC Fight Night Manila will surely be exciting.”
For Ken Berger, UFC Asia Executive Vice President, the UFC buzz is felt everywhere he goes.
From the airport to the hotel to the venue, everything feels mixed martial arts.
He said after Manny Pacquiao’s return home to the Philippines, the Filipinos can now look forward to UFC.
“You can feel it in the room, the city, as soon as you get out of the airport, you get a sense that this would be an exciting weekend,” Berger said. “The focus is on UFC Fight Night Manila.”
Berger said that with the success that UFC Fight Night gets in the Philippines, the UFC is sure to return to the Philippines.
“We’ll be back in the near future.” IDL