The following events in this thread occur on March 25th, 2021 so no references or statements should be made on social media regarding this event until March 25th, 2021.
On Gaia Galanos becoming the number one contender
''We're already talking dates and already got a few venues in mind. Honestly at this point it's just trying to work things out with Misty DeMeans and her team. Gaia wants this fight. We want this fight. Deep down and Gaia has been saying it all along, Misty wants this fight. Man... she doesn't make it easy on us, that's for sure. Fact is, we have been here before and we will get a deal done. We also have Alexia Amauri as a potential replacement - she is something special right now but I think the fans really want us to make this fight between Gaia and Misty happen right now, I have to put aside the pettiness of the back and forth and get this deal done. Alexia? Alexia is going to still be there, I feel like she's always in the mix.''
On Japanese talent heading to GCC
''Yeah, I literally just got the phone call this afternoon shortly before this zoom call. Some new talent out of a Japanese gym Dojo of The Damned have signed with the GCC. This is a gym that our international scouts have been looking at for a few months now. I am confident that this talent coming out of Japan is going to be worth seeing to the GCC global audience. We've seen some of these gyms pop up and fade out quick like Splatterhouse and Wolfpack MMA but time will tell if these fighters have a long term future in the GCC over the next few months.''
On cross promotional fights
''Yeah, Rob Jones call out during the last press conference made the following week a bit awkward but now that most of that silly hype has died down, I can confirm that the GCC has no intention on having any cross promotional fights at this time. While I am not turned off by the idea itself, I feel that out some point with the right promotion, with the right talent and with the right timing a huge cross promotional bout can become a reality in the GCC but right now I don't feel the right sort of criteria has been met and not something most fight fans want to see. I think it's important to remind media that the American fan base currently makes up a very small if not insignificant portion of our total global audience.''
On Hicks vs. Dream
''I have been asked this question all week... what's next for Daniel Dream? For us, it really comes down to this match up and how this fight turns out. If Daniel Dream can beat Clive Hicks he is the unquestioned number one contender in the Middleweight division and will go on to fight the winner of Tim McCarthy and Paul Rossi next. Clive on the other hand, I am sure he will enjoy playing the spoiler. After being dominated by Tim McCarthy and losing the Middleweight Championship recently a win here won't solidify a title shot just yet but would certainly be enough to put his name back onto the shortlist. This fight is a big deal in the Middleweight division.''
On the Main Event
''With the recent hot streak of Daniel Dream, I've had to field a lot of questions recently about our decision to book Paul Rossi in a title fight after moving up from lightweight but that win over the unbeaten Ken Felder was enough for us to pull the trigger here. The fans want to see this guy fight and putting him in there with Tim McCarthy was best for business at the time. Plus, I don't want to fail to mention that Tim is an absolute beast and didn't want to wait a few more months before a top contender would shake out and wanted this fight as much as Paul Rossi and his camp did. Due to these circumstances, I really think Paul Rossi is being overlooked here. He's had his up and downs in the octagon but his style matches up with Tim McCarthy really well and win lose or draw, I think Tim McCarthy is going to be in for the toughest fight of his career. Smart money is on Tim McCarthy tomorrow night but we've seen way bigger upsets in the GCC recently. Nothing really surprises me anymore.''
Kathy Santos <MMA analyst> Hi, Tim! First off, I would like to take the time to congratulate you on your huge GCC Middleweight Championship title win at GCC 15. How does it feel to be a champion?
<Tim McCarthy> Ah, thank you! I must admit Kathy, I am still just a kid from Canada at heart - not a whole lot has changed. Maybe it's a little easier to find a date these days (haha) but outside of that, I am still in the gym everday putting in the work that got me here in the first place. I know there is a roster full of 185'ers chomping at the bit to get in the cage with me to prove to themselves and the rest of the world that they have what it takes so I try not to lose sight of that and make sure that I keep the right perspective.
Kathy Santos <MMA analyst> You're welcome. Tim, your opponent Paul Rossi has recently moved up into the division from lightweight and boasts a high profile win over top middleweight contender Ken Felder - do you feel that he's earned this title shot against you and how do you perceive his move up to this weight class will effect the overall direction of the fight?
<Tim McCarthy> I think Paul Rossi has absolutely earned his title shot against me but I understand that the fans may not feel the same way. At the end of the day, I don't pick and choose who I fight and I respect whatever decisions the GCC feels is best for business so I don't have any complaints. If anything, this will probably put an even bigger chip on Paul Rossi's shoulder which doesn't exactly help me when the cage door closes. Paul Rossi is an amazing striker with very quick hands, I think his speed will translate even better in this division. I've watched his fight with Ken Felder back a dozen times and he can hit you from some crazy angles, I'm sure I'll take a few lumps throughout the course of the fight but I feel confident that my chin can hold up much like Ken Felder's did. We do believe that Paul Rossi lacks the power to put the best fighters in the Middleweight division out with his shots but that doesn't mean he can't shut my lights out. I'll need to be careful and use my size to my advantage.
Jack Braxton <Radio Host> Tim, did you feel insulted by Paul Rossi during this press conference with his drinking of the beer and what he had to say?
<Tim McCarthy> As I believe the old saying goes... no need to cry over some spilled beer. Paul Rossi is one of those guys, I'm not horribly bothered by any of it - if anything, I'll probably get some bonus cash on the sponsorship since I got my opponent Paul Rossi to promote Budweiser himself free of charge. At the end of the day, I know Paul Rossi has no choice but to respect me. He understands that this time he is in a cage with someone who isn't his friend, we don't train together and we certainly wouldn't sit down to drink a beer together which makes this fight dynamic entirely different than his first time out. His win over Ken Felder was impressive but we also saw him get mauled by Jack Nation for five rounds before he went on to win that fight and deep down in the back of Paul Rossi's head, he knows he has to compensate for that mental breakdown he had during that fight. I am going to do my best to take him back to that special place - a place where he will begin to doubt himself all over again.
John Bergandy <Sports Writer> Paul Rossi holds a victory over your training partner, Awut Somaskul whom also recently lost to Rob Jones. Do you feel that there is any sense of revenge here?
<Tim McCarthy> No, not at all. Any satisfaction Awut is going to get from this fight will solely be from me winning and successfully defending the GCC Middleweight championship. Awut is a fighters fighter and would only be satisfied by beating Paul Rossi down himself, he isn't petty and doesn't get caught up in all of this back and forth and trash talk. Me on the other hand? Yeah, I might get an extra knee or two in on him for a little bit of revenge but the goal out there is the same as always, win. Sure along the way, it's fun to have some fun but sometimes you take some good licks until you start to feel like you wished you chose another career... I intend to do exactly that to Paul Rossi tomorrow night.
Brett Bethel <Throwdown MMA> With a successful victory over Paul Rossi, what do you see is next for your in the Middleweight division?
<Tim McCarthy> Well, I try not to look too far ahead. I know there has been a lot of talk about Daniel Dream lately but Clive Hicks is a tough son of a gun so I wouldn't count him out. Ken Felder, Manuel Gamboa and even Ivaan Reddy are all potential names I can see rising to the occasion and filling that number one contenders spot. Whatever happens, I'll be ready to defend my GCC Middleweight championship as soon as I get that phone call. My main focus has been exclusively on Paul Rossi though and making sure I make it clear to him that he chose to make his title run in the wrong division.
Brett Bethel <Throwdown MMA> Any predictions for tomorrow night?
<Tim McCarthy> We both show up to fight.