What a night it was for Bryan Battle.
Not only did he finish Kevin Jousset with strikes at UFC Fight Night 243, he riled up the fans in attendance with a double middle finger celebration and expert-level microphone work during his post-fight interview.
“I was on the other end of this when the UFC came to Charlotte and I was the hometown guy,” Battle told reporters backstage after the event (via Buiten De Kooi). People were booing the mess out of the other guy just because he was the other guy. It was one of those things. I knew people were going to be booing me.
“But when you’re in an arena of people booing you and flipping you off, I’m the kind of guy that’s like, ‘Hey, I’ll fight every single one of y’all motherf*ckers. Line them up, baby. You want some of this? Come get some of this. Kevin was just the conduit for me kind of giving the middle finger to all the fans out there today.”
The boos that rained down on him from the Paris faithful inside Accor Arena was music to his ears. It was all in good fun in his mind, though, explained Battle. He’d rather be hated than have fans not care.
“I appreciate it,” Battle said. “I’d much rather fight in front of a crowd that hates my guts and is booing me and trying to tear into me than a crowd that’s indifferent. You know what I’m saying? I love the energy, man. That was amazing.”
Whether he gained more fans or more haters isn’t the crux of the impact Battle made Saturday. Another impressive performance brought him to 6-1 with one no contest since his promotional debut in August 2022.
Though he might disagree with those numbers, Battle wants a big test next.
“They keep asking me if I’m looking at anybody,” Battle said. “My problem is that I’m looking at everybody. Whoever wants it can get it, one through 15. They’re all on the list, whoever says yes. The matchmakers call me and give me fights. I’m here to fight people and get paid. I’m not getting any younger. You know, the answer is just yes. Are you looking at anybody in the top 15? Yes, I’m looking at everybody in the top 15. We’ll see what happens next. … Of course, of course. I’m 7-1 in the UFC. Don’t let them fool you. I’m not 6-1-1. I’m 7-1 in the UFC. So yeah, of course, I think I deserve someone in the top 15. I think I’m top 15 now.”
