Reza Madadi Explains Why He Hugged Yan Cabral

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Reza Madadi (14-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) spoke about why he ended up hugging his UFC Fight Night 87 opponent Yan Cabral before their fight began. Here are highlights:

On not wanting to touch gloves: “Most of the time, people think I’m an asshole. So I don’t want to shake hands – just (expletive) let us fight. Just come in and punch me in the face.”

On giving a high five and then a hug: “I realized everyone got happy, so I said (expletive) give me a hug. I saw (Cabral’s) eyes, and (they) said, ‘Do you really want to give me a hug? You don’t want to punch me?’ I said, ‘No, come on.’ We need to do that kind of stuff to show the world. A lot of people don’t understand – we (fight) with love.”

On his emotional win: “(My manager) told me not to be so emotional at the press conference, but you guys need to understand I had a hell behind me. Right now, retirement is, don’t even talk about it. I believe God has a plan for us, whatever we do.”