UFC 209 Winner Tyson Pedro Says He’s Not a Big Fan of MMA

Tyson Pedro spoke following his win over Paul Craig at UFC 209 (courtesy of MMAjunkie). You can see the highlights below:

On beating Craig: “I think that’s why I was having so much fun with it, because he was underestimating me. I knew that he’d been asking for a top-15 opponent, and he said I didn’t deserve to be in there. I’m still in my infancy as it shows in my record, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. Everyone else is still surprised at my skill level, but I know where I’m at. So I just keep doing it slowly and getting it done, and hopefully people will start recognizing.”

On not being into MMA so much: “I’m not a fan (of MMA). I just love martial arts. I’ve been getting punched in the face since I was a little kid, so that’s just what I love to do. When kids were kicking a football in the backyard, me, my brothers and sisters were choking each other out.”

On a possible fight with Misha Cirkunov: “I want to say I know who that is, but…Yeah. I’m pretty bad. Honestly, I don’t even watch many fights. My coaching staff takes care of all of that. I didn’t even know who Paul Craig was when I fought him. I watched 30 seconds of him, and my coaching staff told me what they think might work and I just go in there and do that. Hopefully I’ll start watching a bit more tape on my fighters just so I know a little bit more what to expect. But Craig is supposed to be a ground fighter and just jiu-jitsu, and he ended up standing with me, so that’s what I expect. You never know what you’re going to get when you get in a fight, and it is that: just a fight.”

On his arm tattoo: “My cousin was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. He was in the American military. His mom, who’s here tonight, sent me this hat, and I’ve worn it to every fight. I’ve got him tatted on me as well. That’s what the deal with the hat is.”