UFC 121: The Best of the Brock Lesnar-Cain Velasquez Conference Call

UFC 121 will take place next Saturday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA and will feature the highly anticipated bout between Cain Velasquez and current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.

Today both Lesnar and Velasquez were fielding questions leading up to their bout for UFC 121.

They were also joined by co-main event fighters Martin Kampmann and Jake Shields, but there were very few questions for both fighters.

Jake Shields on Being in the UFC vs. Being in Strikeforce

"First off, I'm very excited to be in the UFC.  I've wanted to be here for eleven years and to finally make it and when I first started I thought I'd be there within a year.  It took a little longer than I thought."

"The difference is way more media attention, way more hype, way more professionalism.  They tell you what you're doing when you're doing it, they have a staff. I don't mean it as a knock on Strikeforce, they're just not as organized, and it's nice to be in an organization that is so together."

Martin Kampmann on Getting a Shot at the Title with a Win over Shields

"I have been working my way up too, if I beat him, I should get a title shot as well."

Brock Lesnar on His Training Partner Cole Konrad

"What Cole brings to the fight, he's obviously an up-and-coming heavyweight star in mixed martial arts.  Not only is he a NCAA heavyweight champion, I believe he's wrestled Cain Velasquez seven times."

"Having Cole Konrad in my training facility, there's not a lot of guys around that are his size that do what he does, and he brings a great thing to the table in the camp."

Cain Velasquez on What Brock Lesnar Brings to the Fight

"I haven't faced anyone of his size, of his athletic ability, and his power."  

"The whole reason I got into this sport, was to be in this position.  I want to have that belt and fight for the title."

"We have good wrestlers in the gym, but nobody his size and the way that he moves, definitely not.  Guys that are big and have great wrestling credentials also, but definitely not his size and that's a big factor.  But I'm confident in the guys that we have and the guys what we brought in."

Lesnar on Training Close to Home, Not Traveling to Other MMA Training Camps

"I traveled the world, I've been to all fifty states a hundred times, I've been to thirty different countries, I've lived life on the road.  I live here, I train here, and that's how I choose to train."

"So if I need somebody, come to my house.  I don't need to get on an airplane and get away from my family.  Been there, done that."

Velasquez on Memories of His Family's Work Ethic

"We'd move from town to town where my friends worked.  When I was three or four we stayed in Arizona and I'd see my dad travel back and forth from California to Arizona by himself and work for us. I didn't put it all together then but was I was getting older I definitely put it together it was for us."

"I definitely got that from him and my mom, the work ethic thing and I definitely put that into whatever else I was doing as far as the sport."

Lesnar on His Own Training Camp for Velasqeuz

"I'm as lean as I've ever been.  I mean guys say that they have good camps, and I can go back and say that every camp has been my best camp."

"With each camp I've gotten better and better.  I really don't think that I'm still the best that I can be, but come October 23rd, on that night I'll be the best, so it's been a great camp."

Lesnar on Watching His UFC Prime Time Special

"I'm in bed by that time at night, I'm not staying up that late to see my ugly mug on tv."

On a special note, when all of the fighters were asked about their take on the Sonnen steroid incident and whether they believed steroids were a problem in MMA, nobody commented.