Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So after Saturday’s UFC 237 event in Rio de Janeiro, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
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First up, let’s take a look at the night’s prelim winners.
Wants to fight: Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz
The callout: “There’s someone that still owes me some money from some hospital bills, and he knows who he is. I meant to say it in the post-fight interview. I’m still getting bills from when Nate Diaz did his little thing from behind when I wasn’t paying attention. So, Nate, it’s been 10 years, man, since I whooped your ass. You’ve had a long time to lick those wounds, man. I know that money’s running out. Do you want to build some stacks? Let’s do it, buddy. Come on. It was a fun fight back then. Let’s do the 10-year reunion, man. No harm, no foul. Let’s go out there, let’s put one on for the sport, dude. We love watching you and your brother fight. You and your brother are two of the most entertaining fighters ever, man. So if you want to get one more in, I’m down.”
The reality: Clay Guida (35-18 MMA, 15-12 UFC) outpointed B.J. Penn over the course of three rounds in a bout that was subjected to much scrutiny in the days ahead of UFC 237, mostly due to the extended losing streak of “The Prodigy.” With the result, Guida now stands at 3-1 in his past four contests and has made it clear he still believes he can compete with the division’s best.
For his next bout, Guida was hoping to book a rematch with Diaz, who he beat via split decision at UFC 94 in January 2009. The two also scuffled backstage at UFC 199 in June 2016 after Guida suffered a knockout loss to Brian Ortega, so there’s certainly a history between the two.
Unfortunately for Guida, he called out Diaz nearly exactly as the UFC announced the perennial lightweight contender was calling an end to his extended layoff and returning to action against Anthony Pettis later this year. Once informed of the booking, the humor of the timing wasn’t lost on Guida.
“Don’t I sound stupid now?” Guida joked. “What are the odds of that?”
So the fight’s definitely not happening now, but Guida doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. And with Diaz finally back in action after nearly three years on the sidelines, “The Carpenter” is hoping that perhaps they will cross paths once again.
“He’s still got the fighting itch, so that’s awesome,” Guida said.
In the meantime, Guida said with his primary target off the table, he’ll just take whatever UFC matchmakers might have in mind.
“Line ’em all up,” Guida said. “We’ll get in there against anybody. We’ve never turned down a fight. We’re not going to start now.”
Wants to fight: EA Sports
EA Sports UFC 3
The callout: “Listen, to be honest, I don’t care who I fight. I’ve been doing this since I was 18 months old. I don’t care who steps in here with me. I don’t care when we step in. Rio has been great. Like, all of this has been cool, but I want to be in that video game.”
The reality: Ryan Spann (16-5 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is still a fresh face in the UFC with just two appearances, but he traveled to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira’s backyard and scored a vicious knockout over the MMA legend. The 27-year-old Texan now boasts a six-fight winning streak, a run that includes five wins via first-round stoppage – including the 26-second result at Dana White’s Contender Series 10 that got Spann into the UFC.
At 6-foot-5 and with a Superman logo tattooed on his chest, Spann already seems like the kind of create-a-character you might make for yourself anyway, so he’s got that going for him. Add in the fact that he’s quickly proving himself a dangerous fighter in a division that allows for fairly quick runs to the top, and Spann probably deserves a place in the game. If you happen to be a producer at EA Sports, I can assure you that you don’t want Spann making a personal visit with his request.
As for his next fight, Spann remained humble despite his impressive Zuffa run thus far, declining to call anyone out when pressed backstage.
“I am not in position to call anyone out right now, but I hope I caught some people’s attention after today,” Spann said.
I’d say that’s a safe bet.
Next up, let’s check out the main card.
