QUOTABLES: Amir Sadollah hungry for a higher level of competition after UFC Fight Night 24 win over DaMarques Johnson

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"I think my mindset will always be to get better. As far as fighting a higher level of competition, that's just something that you've got to want. You've got to be hungry for it, and I'm hungry... [An opponent tiring out] plays in, but I didn't go into this fight thinking [DaMarques Johnson] for sure was going to be out of shape. I have no idea what he's doing. He could have come in in the best shape of his life. We're all pros. That's what we do, is train. I couldn't assume that he was going to gas. It was a fight where I just though that if I put the pressure on, then things would open up... Ideally, my entire career is about just trying to get better. I never want to be the guy that thinks, 'OK, I'm good at this; I'm good at standup,' or 'I'm good at jiu-jitsu.' The sport's evolving, and you have to evolve as a fighter."

-Amir Sadollah talks about his goals as a fighter at the UFC Fight Night 24 post-fight press conference following his win over DaMarques Johnson (transcribed by MMAJunkie.com).

Penick's Analysis: Sadollah's performance on Saturday was extremely impressive, and I think it was an evolution for him as a fighter. His ground and pound took a turn for the vicious when compared to some of his more recent performances, and it was good to see him go for the kill when he had Johnson in trouble. That killer instinct isn't something that every fighter possesses, and hesitance can cost fighters at times. Sadollah turned it on as soon as he had Johnson hurt in the second round, and after wearing him out with body shots he trapped Johnson's arm and finished him off. Now comes a step up in competition, and though he's only seven fights into his career, it's time for him to test himself against another level of competition. He's enjoyable to watch, and if he continues to work as he has been doing he'll be picking up more wins like he did on Saturday night.

Yoji Anjo  Ao Hailin  Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona