here is the entire conference call
http://www.mmanews.com/ufc/Word-For-...ence-Call.html

Canadian press: Mirko, can you tell us why you chose the Pride theme song to come out to for your first UFC fight?

Mirko: I would like to keep that to myself, but for the next fight I am entering to “Wild Boys” again.

Canadian press: Is “Wild Boys” your song?

Mirko: Yea, It is.

Canadian press: (To Dana White) What is the status of Fedor?

Dana: That is a good question; we are still working on that right now.

Canadian Press: Is there a disagreement? Do you think that you have his rights, while he says you don’t or…

Dana: His contract wasn’t an exclusive contract with Pride. And we don’t do non-exclusive contracts.

Canadian Press: So does he have an existing contract with anybody?

Dana: Yea, he has a contract with Pride.

Canadian Press: But the stumbling block is that you don’t want to accept it if it allows him to go into Bodog and other stuff.

Dana: Exactly

Canadian Press: Thank you.

Tom Michael with buddy TV (I think it was buddy)

Tom : (To Mirko) What do you feel, is your key to victory versus Gabriel this weekend?

Mirko: What is the key? Well the key is that I do my best that is the key. Gabriel Gonzaga won’t have answers for everything that I have to offer to him.

Tom: (To Dana) Were you upset at all when Tito walked away from your boxing match last week?

Dana: [laughs] Yea, I was pretty upset about it.

Tom: Want to share any additional details that.


Dana: No, lets talk about Mirko

Tom: Ok. Thank you.

Power Flame: (To Dana) New Jersey is currently considering to allow knees to the head of a downed fighter. If New Jersey did allow knee strikes to a downed opponent, how likely is it that Nevada would also approve of knee strikes?

Dana: I don’t know, if they did it would be great, I think it is the one more rule that needs to be added.

Tom: What do you feel that the most important factor in insuring that the UFC becomes an established and respectable sport, as opposed to what may turn out the be ultimately, a short lived fad?

Dana: You know, I don’t think this is going to be anywhere near a fad, we are growing incredibly, not just here in the US but all over the world. Now, with the addition of Pride, the plans we have for Japan, Asia, China, believe me we are aggressive guys, we’ve got big plans for this thing. A lot of the things I say about boxing are a lot of the boxing cards, over the years, have reached in a stole all of the life out of the sport of boxing and stuck it in their pocket. Nobody has ever done anything to secure the future of the sport; we are doing the exact opposite. You know obviously the UFC is doing well and making money and we are dumping all that money back into the sport and helping to grow the industry. It’s only getting bigger it’s not getting smaller and it is far from a fad.

Tom: (To Mirko) You have become a very well know personality in your native of Croatia. What has that done for the popularity of MMA and the UFC in your country?


Mirko: Well, we can say actually, that I brought MMA to Croatia. People first saw MMA fights, when I was fighting in Pride and actually I brought it here. And now MMA is very popular and many people are watching it.

Fight Network: (To Mirko) I just wanted to ask, how would going back into the special police would affect your fighting schedule over the next year or two? I mean what does the special police entail for you at this point?

Mirko: Well, I just like the job, I like the people that I used to work with, it makes me happy and that is the most important thing and it won’t be reflected in a bad way on my fighting career.

Fight Network: Is it a very physical job at this point? Whatever position you took back with the special police?

Mirko: What do you mean by physical?

Fight Network: Something where you’re exserting your body a lot. Putting yourself in situations…

Mirko: Well, Kind of. But, mostly there as a martial arts instructor but of course there is physical things you need to do especially things with the weapons, and some other things, but I don’t have to do all that exercise concerning conditioning, since I’m training myself every night, so I can handle it.

Fight Network: Sounds like you’re going to be more of an instructor working within possibly a school somewhere, not out in the field.

Mirko: I am afraid you are speaking to fast for me.

Fight Network: I’m Sorry, (ask same question, only slower)

Mirko: In the class room, in the field, Where ever.

Fight Network: So you might go back out in the field as well?

Mirko: Yea

Fight Network: OK, Thank you.

Washington Post: (TO Dana) Is Mirko the best striker in the UFC?

Dana: He is one of them, I mean it is hard to say who the best striker in the UFC is but he is absolutely one of them.

Washing ton Post: (To Mirko) where did you learn to kick like that?

Mirko: I liked kicks since I was a kid and I was training since I was 11 or 12, I was kicking everyday on a sand bag I made my self. So I just like it and I train a lot, that is it. I have a good feeling, good timing for kicks and plus my legs are huge, I have very powerful kicks and that is one of the strongest weapons of mine.

MMANews.com: (To Dana) When will Big Nog be making his debut and if you have any idea who the opponent will be?

Dana: I don’t know either, yet. I’m not sure, we’re trying to figure that out, I mean realistically, we just signed him like last weekend. So, we don’t know yet.

MMANews.com: (To Mirko) Who else in the UFC would you like to fight?

Mirko: Nothing specific but, I will fight anyone that is decided by the UFC. But I have a feeling that I will fight “Big Nog” very soon, and I am ready for that.

Long Beach Press Telegram: (To Dana) We have heard for a while that you guys are negotiating with HBO. What is the status of that and when do you thing you guys maybe making your debut on HBO?

Dana White: This Summer,

LBPT: This summer?

Dana White: YES!

LBPT: (To Mirko) A lot of fans I’ve seen, their talking about, maybe a potential dream fight down the road with Chuck Liddell. Do you think you could get down to the 205 mark, or do you think that Chuck would have to come up to Heavyweight?

Mirko: I defiantly have no more space to go down. Only if I cut of my hand or something. But the fight can be arranged at any time. Chuck can accept the fight the way he is, or he can lift weights, up to 200Kilograms, 220. But I am defiantly not going down in my weight.

UFC: To Mirko: Your very calm in the ring, nothing seems to bother you when you’re in there. Have you always been like that and where does that attitude come from?

Mirko: Good Question, I don’t know, I don’t know. I just feel that way, I don’t know, I am calm and I am concentrated. Honestly I don’t know what I should answer on this.

UFC: So no nerves right before the bell rings?

Mirko: No, No. Nothing special, but of course every fighter has feelings before the fight, you know? But it is nothing special, it is just my job, it is a job I like to do and I’ve been training all my life for that, and finally I am professional. No special feelings.

UFC: Did you see the fight with Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia, and if so, what were you thoughts on that?

Mirko: I didn’t see the whole fight, I see just a few minutes of the fight, just on youtube. I didn’t get the DVD or tape. I just saw the first minute of the first round and O my manager is just giving it to me, so I will watch it tonight.

UFC: Everyone is talking about a title shot to the winner of this fight, how do you keep your focus on Saturday night with all the talk going on around you.

Mirko: Well, Honestly. Talking about my fight with Randy Couture, I think it is a Jinx for me; I don’t like to talk about it. I have an opponent in from of me to fight on Saturday night and right now I’m concentrating on Gabriel Gonzaga. After that we can talk, we can discuss all the deals about my fight with Randy Couture, but anything before that I think is a Jinx.

CBS Sportsline: (To Dana) You mention that the HBO deal could happen in the summer, is that a signed deal, and delivered deal?

Dana: Yea, the UFC will be on HBO this summer.

CBS: So we can report that as being official?

Dana: [laughs] Yea, we will be on this summer.

CBS: I know you mentioned that is no date for the LWGP, but if that does take place, there have been some rumors that some UFC fighters participating in that, is there any truth to that?

Dana: The UFC and Pride are completely separate companies, and you won’t see a UFC fighter versus a Pride fighter until we do the big event.