SYDNEY – It’s a bit unclear whose wife was the target of a crass joke by “The Pleasure Man” at the UFC 293 pre-fight news conference, but Tyson Pedro was happy to make him pay for his words regardless.
After Pedro (10-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) bludgeoned Anton Turkalj (8-3 MMA, 0-3 UFC) with a first-round knockout combination, he explained how the fight on Saturday’s main card at Qudos Bank Arena was perhaps a bit more personal than usual.
Three days prior at the official UFC 293 pre-fight news conference, MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn asked Turkalj the origin of his unusual nickname, to which “The Pleasure Man” responded, “The best way to find out is to ask Tyson Pedro after a fight or you ask your wife.”
While it’s unclear exactly whose wife was the butt of a rude joke, Pedro perceived it as a personal insult and took it out on Turkalj.
“Well then I made that up in my head and he paid for it,” Pedro said to reporters including Bohn. “… We’re on the same page. I thought he mentioned my wife and I said ‘F*ck you, you dog. I’m going to hurt you.’ That’s why I was angry the ref pulled me off earlier than I would’ve wanted because I wanted to hurt him a bit more. I don’t know. Maybe he just made a mistake and was talking about your wife. But for the last two days, all I’ve been thinking about is hurting him for talking about my wife. So I feel bad for him if he was talking about your wife.”
Words aside, Pedro achieved his ultimate goal of getting back in the win column. He’s now won three of his most recent four outings. Proud of his performance, Pedro admitted he was surprised Turkalj was done so quickly.
“I finished him off real quick, quicker than I expected,” Pedro said. “He didn’t last as long as I expected. … The ref pulled me off quicker than I thought ‘The Pleasure Man’ would. I’ve been thinking about him all night and went in deep for this one. He just rubbed me the wrong way, you know? Left a bad taste in my mouth.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.
