UFC 121 press-conference notes: bonuses, retirement and more

With all that happened during UFC 121, the UFC and media had to get together to talk about it. The news from the UFC 121 postfight press conference:-- Fight of the Night bonuses were given to Diego Sanchez and Paulo Thiago, Submission of the Night was awarded to Daniel Roberts and the new heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez won Knockout of the Night. Each bonus was worth $70,000.-- Dana White said that when watching the monitors during the main event, he thought he saw Brock Lesnar verbally submit to the Cain Velasquez, but Velasquez said he didn't hear that.-- Velasquez said that he worked on the exact gameplan that he executed to win the fight, drilling the single leg takedown with Olympic wrestler and Strikeforce heavyweight Daniel Cormier. -- Jake Shields admitted that dropping down to welterweight from middleweight did take its toll. "I don't want to make excuses, but that was the first time that I've been at that weight in a long time." UFC president Dana White said that Shields did earn the welterweight title shot with the win over Kampmann. Shields will get his shot after the UFC-- Though he lost tonight, former UFC champ Tito Ortiz balked at the mention that he was near retirement. "Not even close to the end of my career. I need to get back to wrestling. I need to get back to my roots," Ortiz said. "The last few years, I've been through a lot, but I'm not a quitter. I'm healthy. I'm going to continue on. It sucks to lose, but I'm a person who will suck it up and continue on."Ortiz did not make any excuses for the loss and said that he was 100 percent healthy for the fight with Matt Hamill.-- Dana White said that he likes Diego Sanchez at welterweight, calling him big, strong and aggressive at that weight. Sanchez said that he is willing to do whatever the UFC wants, but White clarified that the weight class he fights at is Sanchez's decision. -- Brock Lesnar was not present at the press conference.

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