Thank you.

Talk to us about the game plan with Whitman going into this fight.

Um, the game plan with women is just, um, way had Thio user go back to the fundamentals, Um, and other fights.

I you know, I didn't necessarily have the footwork there, and I didn't pay, You know, I have footwork, but I just don't pay enough attention to it and let it set up the shots on I get a little overzealous, and then I get in certain positions, and then I have to rely on wrestling or grappling.

But the game plan today was Just use your footwork.

Stay on it.

I have a crazy job.

Excuse me?

I just needed to stay patient, use it, break him down slowly and get him out of there.

And that's what we did.

We saw the leg kicks early in the first, something we hadn't seen before.

And then second or third round, you start establishing your jab.

Did you know it was gonna come close once you started connecting on those?

Yeah.

See, Gilbert kicks legs, he kicks a lot, and and unfortunately, I hadn't been able to kick a lot in my previous fight because of some of my injuries.

This one.

I spent a lot of time working the fundamentals, working the basics and kicking on DSO.

I knew I could kick, too, so it was basically just trying to establish the rhythm.

You know, kick throw them off.

But the plan was to move my feet footwork and established that job, and I did.

In the first round.

He caught you with a couple.

How hurt were you?

I wasn't crazy hurt, but you know, that's a lot like how a Spartans went.

You know, he's very, very powerful.

He's a hooker, you know.

And if he touched anybody else in that division with those hooks, they're going to sleep.

And so I just had to stay patient, recompose myself and get back to the game plan, and that's what I do better than anybody.

It's just staying composed, calculated on breaking down the fight.

Talking about that.

What, you know, the competitive edge.

When when fights get tough, it's seemingly when you you start to rise.

What sets you apart from these other men in the division?

That's what sets me apart.

I'm self made.

These guys don't understand.

And I'm self made When I was young, just starting to wrestling, wrestling in high school, people no one had to tell me.

Hey, you needed to run.

You need to do a little extra in order to be able to compete and close the gap on everybody else.

I had to do that on my own.

I figured if I want to be the best, I gotta put the work in early.

I learned that early, and that's been the story of my career.

And so my mind is stronger than all these guys upset it.

Time and time again, my mind is stronger than each and every one of these guys.

Longest win streak in the welterweight division, you basically cemented yourself amongst one of the greats.

Well, what does this prove to everybody else out there?

You know, it is what it is.

It's just, you know, I put some respect on my name and I said it.

You know, I've been working for a long time, and, you know, as long as I continue to stay composed and do my job, you know the accolades they're gonna just pile up.

Call that mouse bottle.

But if that wish isn't granted, what do you need to see from these other men in the division?

I need to see.

I need to see activity.

I need to see activity.

I want to see excellence.

You know, these guys need Thio break out.

They need to show me that they're the number one contender.

Next.

You know, once they show me that I'll be more than happy toe oblige.

And when I go in there Yeah, it was a very emotional embrace after the fight.

You care to share with us what you guys said to each other?

Yes.

Um, you know Gilbert Burns?

He deserved to be in there with me tonight.

He absolutely did.

You know a guy that a lot of people thought was down and out because he got knocked out of lightweight.

He reinvented.

He rebuilt himself, moved up a weight on, ran through guys.

He ran through guys to the point where you couldn't deny him that title shot tonight.

He deserved to be in there.

And that's what I let him know.

Man, you deserve to be in here.

I know it was tough because we had to go in there and battled each other, but he deserved it.

You know, I'm proud of him, and I'm happy for him.

Thanks for your time.

Enjoy your victory.

Thank you.

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