“I think he’s a really aggressive guy. Whenever he comes, he comes to fight. He’s always pushing forward. I think he has a lot of experience. He almost triples the number of fights that I have, so for me that makes him better at the sport. He’s pretty tough and pretty strong, but I barely have eight fights in the UFC. I think the fight is going to be shorter than five rounds. I don’t think the fight is going to go five rounds. He’s really aggressive and we know anything can happen, so if I stay static he can connect [on] me. I’m going to be smart and keep him moving. That exactly is my advantage. I’ll take the opportunity and if I see a clean shot, I’m going to take him hard as f@$%, that’s it.” h/t MMA Junkie • Watch interview (9:59)

“It’s just an honor let alone to be fighting in Mexico. I have roots here. My daughter is Mexican. My wife is Mexican. I love Mexican food and I love the people, most of all. [Yair Rodriguez] is a kid. He’s a chamaco and I’m a man. I fight like a man. I don’t run. I’m here to whoop his ass. I’m here to embarrass him and outpoint him every single step of the way. Yair can’t f@$%ing wrestle for $#!@. He’s in trouble. I’m going to slam him on his head and cut him open. He thinks Frankie Edgar swole his eye? Wait until I cut him open. ... What is new generation? What are you going to show me that I haven’t seen me or Bruce Lee hasn’t shown on a movie. What the f@$% are you going to show me that’s new? ... It’s a new journey and experience and I embrace it. I’m enjoying every minute. I’m relaxed, cool as a cucumber, and I can’t wait to put his brains into the canvas Saturday night.” h/t MMA Junkie

UFC middleweight David Branch, 37, of Montville, N.J., has received a two-year sanction after testing positive for ipamorelin as the result of a urine sample he provided out-of-competition on May 24, 2019. Ipamorelin is a potent Growth Hormone Secretagogue that stimulates the brain to release human growth hormone and is used by athletes as a performance-enhancing drug. Branch’s two-year period of ineligibility, the standard sanction for a non-Specified Substance under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, began on July 26, 2019, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. h/t USADA

Jeremy Stevens fights Yair Rodriguez on Saturday in Mexico City, at 7,300 feet, an altitude that notably inhibits athletic performance, so Lil Heathen trained for 6 weeks at altitude at a cost of 30k, more than twice what it would have cost at home in San Diego, at sea level: "Cain Velasquez is a cardio machine ... When he got in there, he looked sloppy. He was definitely taken out [within two rounds. He was gassed out. I was like, 'OK, altitude is real.' Money doesn't really matter to me when it comes down to overall winning and beating someone's ass in their own country. What's that gonna do for me? It's gonna skyrocket my name, skyrocket my career. ... I feel like that's where you get your most learning, when you put yourself in the most uncomfortable places. This isn't my home, this isn't my bed. The hot water doesn't even work half the f@$%ing time. I'm in uncomfortable territory, I'm in unfamiliar territory. But honestly, I feel right at home here. I feel great being uncomfortable." h/t ESPN

Edson’s Barboza plans to appeal his SD loss vs. Paul Felder at UFC 242, and The Irish Dragon is not impressed: “I knew it was razor close, I’d never deny that. ... I know he’s upset and I know that he has not had the best winning record lately, so I feel for him, I feel for his family and I know how much the money means to him. ... we both thought we won that fight so I get it. ... did it leave a bad taste in my mouth that these guys who I thought I was really cool with are basically saying that it was robbery? That’s what’s upsetting me most. ... I kind of do [feel disrespected], I’ll be honest with you. I can’t sit here and say that I don’t feel slighted in some way. So much of my social media, I should be talking about this win and being seventh in the world, instead, I’ve got his fans trying to trash me. ... At the end of the day, [a trilogy fight] is a possibility. Does that mean I want to do it right away, no. I’m No. 7 in the world right now and there are some guys ahead of me that I’m itching to face that are scheduled to fight.” h/t MMA Fighting • Listen to EuroBash podcast (54:00 mark)

“They do the bully tactics. They do the slave labor negotiations. It’s sick, man. They don’t want to pay any of the fighters because they want everybody to be poor, so they keep back coming back and fighting all the time, and fighting six times a year. ... They’ve made me so many promises - ‘Oh, do this and we’ll give you a favor here. We’ll throw you a bone next time.’ They never end up throwing that bone back, man. They just use you even more next time. ... I’m not going to be played for a fool anymore, man. ... I showed up with no camp [vs. Lawler], to save the UFC, to save the main event, to bring the First Family, to get the President Tweeting about the UFC. To get all the troops all over the world watching in their bases because I’m America’s and the troops’ favorite fighter. The UFC still doesn’t do good for me. I make them millions and millions and they just continue to just pocket all that money, and they don’t want to pay me a fraction — not even 5% of any of that money. It’s ridiculous how they can pocket 95, 98% and not give the fighters anymore than the 2, 3%.” h/t BJPenn.com • Listen to BJ Penn Radio (1:27:07)

Combate Americas announced today that it has signed professional wrestling star Melissa “Thunder Rosa” Cervantes to an exclusive, multi-fight MMA promotional agreement. Fighting out of San Antonio, Texas, the 28-year-old former Lucha Underground television series star who was born in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico will make her professional MMA debut in San Antonio on Friday, Nov. 8 against an opponent to be determined, on the Combate Americas live Univision and TUDN national television series. Mike Afromowitz, Senior Vice President, Operations and Communications: “Melissa ‘Thunder Rosa’ Cervantes is an established star in the worlds of Lucha Libre and American professional wrestling, and represents another potentially exceptional, crossover star and expansion of the Combate Americas narrative of embracing and developing talent from the Hispanic sports universe outside of MMA."