The following events in this thread occur on Thursday, November 14th so no references or statements should be made on social media regarding this event until November 14th.
The presser opens with Mr. Khan being shuffled along to his seat by security and now most notably his Nephew and heavyweight fighter, Shazir Khan. The GCC president is tactful in his approach and greets Mila Sauvage first as he takes his seat between the two main eventers. Once seated, he smiles proudly at Gaia Galanos who respectfully repays him with a friendly nod. The media is hot at this event in England and immediately begin to pepper the GCC owner with questions.
''Mr. Khan! What is the status of Jake Rogers and can we expect to see him in the cage with Awut anytime soon?''
''Sir, everyone wants to know... are you any closer to signing Misty DeMeans to the women's bantamweight division and how do you think a signing of this magnitude will effect GCC long term?''
''Mr. Khan, Rupika has...''
Mr. Khan leaned forward towards the mic stand on his podium and confidently spoke over the reporters and thus they were forced to listen.
''Thank you to all my friends who have joined us here in England tonight. I know many of you have plenty of questions and that GCC has quite a bit of buzz right now and I promise I will get to all your questions by the end of the event but first, I want to allow both Mila and Gaia a chance to say their piece before we are lost in a sea of speculation and social media discussions. Saturday night will be historic for GCC as these two women take the stage for the first time in a GCC PPV main event headlined by women and it didn't take us a dozen events to do it.''
Mr. Khan nods his head proudly.
''In fact, I'd argue that these two ladies are at the forefront of what is the most exciting and competitive division in GCC and their athletic ability is continually changing hearts and minds of not just me and my family but many other minds within the middle east who may still have outdated or even inaccurate portrayals of women especially women who choose to compete in a cage for a living. Indeed it was only a few years ago that our family name was dragged through mud as we allowed our granddaughter Rupika to train MMA and eventually partake in our family business as an active fighter as opposed to a more traditional backstage role...''
He takes a second and realizes that he's going off on a tangent and regroups as his Nephew Shazir places a hand on his shoulder.
''I just want to start the proceedings off tonight by saying, I am proud of what we've built thus far and I thank you for being with us every step of the way. Thank you friends.''
Mr. Khan leans back in his chair as the media begins to direct their questions towards the fighters...
Laser-Focused Gaia Galanos Looks Confident & Strong
From the moment Gaia Galanos entered the press conference room, it was clear she had a chip on her shoulder. Everyone noticed her too because the amount of fan fare she received from the Manchester crowd was off the charts. Most of Gaia's frustration seemed to be directed at one person, the GCC Featherweight Champion, Mila Sauvage based on many of her answers during the conference. It's worth noting that Gaia Galanos looks strong headed into her match against Mila Sauvage. While Mila is no slouch in her own rite, there is just an air in the building that Galanos will be walking out as the GCC Featherweight Champion amongst the fans and especially the House of Khan staff and fighters.
On Rupika's Change of Heart After Gaia Joining House of Khan:
"We're gym-mates; we're not high school classmates. I have an obligation to my team as does she."
On Rupika's Twitter Feud with Misty DeMeans:
"Whatever Misty and Rupika have going on is between them. I recommend directing those questions to Rupika and Misty themselves. You'll probably get a better answer."
On the Twitter Feud Between Gaia and Ross Hanson:
"Hanson is the son of a professional wrestling mentor of mine, and I don't think he will ever forgive me for what I did during my days here in UKWF. Those who know Madman Szalinski know why I had to. I have to live with my actions, but I did what I thought was necessary."
On Galanos' Gameplan Headed into Her Main Event Fight:
"Mila and I are both very powerful fighters. Our physical strength is unmatched by any other woman on the GCC roster. On paper, we are a dream match-up. It's almost a stalemate. Almost. After watching back over the one night tournament Mila won, it is pretty clear that her Muay Thai Clinch game is something she prefers to avoid. I will tell you here and now, I will exploit that."
On Mila Sauvage's Absence at the Open Workouts: "I feel as though Mila worked her butt off to get to the mountain top then just became complacent. Look at her, she's over there on her little throne with that title. I had a lot of respect for what you accomplished in one night; unfortunately, that title has become toxic to your career as a fighter. Nap, tap, or KO, that title leaves Manchester with me."
Here are some highlights from Reggie Martins presser.
As predicted, the audience, at the press conference delivered a standing ovation for Reggie Martin when he made his way to the dais. He was dressed sensibly in a grey dress shirt tucked into a pair of black trousers grinning ear to ear as he looked around at the crowd.
The cheers went on for a few minutes to the delight of Reggie Martin. Slowly the cheering died down and the questions began almost immediately. They ranged from his training camp, to how he feels about the feud between Misty DeMeans and T.W Combat Sports (which he dismissed with an empathic '(expletive) her'), and his upcoming fight.
Most of the questions were the usual inquiries. They were generally answered with a generic response or some form of sarcasm mixed in with explicit language, but others had more insight.
Reporter: Reggie, most of your career you spent in the UK. What does it mean for you to be back in your hometown fighting for a promotion like GCC?
Reggie: It's a righ' honor ter be here Mate. I worked me arse off for this. Ter get the cheers you's lot give me made me proud.
Reporter: How do you feel you will do in a company with a talented roster like GCC as compared to other companies you've recently competed for?
Reggie: What the fook kind of question is dat? You's lot know that I'm ready fer anything an' anybody. I do wha' I do. Watch me embarrass Clive Hicks again Saturday night that oughta answer the bloody question.
If that doesn't make you excited for Reggie Martin's debut and the Reggie/Clive rematch I don't know what will.
The media turns their attention to HILITE FC resident farm hand, Clive Hicks.
Clive, this is the first time we will see you in the octagon since your debut loss against Reggie Martin in Union GP. How do you feel about fighting Reggie once again?
Clive: Well just like my momma serves it, no suguar coatin' it yur boy Clive got his butt whupped! I'm not gonna lie, that man Reggie beat me to a bloody pulp and had me pissin' blood for a week after our fight. It hurt, it hurt real bad but it didn't kill me deader then roadkill because here I am still standin'...
Clive stops pauses, acknowledges he's actually sitting and stands up and leans into the microphone.
Clive: Yeah, I'm standin' that's right and I'll be still standin' when the ref raises my hand and the announcer calls my name.
How can you be so confident after such a lopsided loss?
Clive: Cause although yur boy clive got the breaks beat off of him, his breaks were still made in the great US of A. That's why, the only reason why. Everything is better in Amurica, not china, not Abu Dhabi and certainly better than anything made in ENGLAND.
What will be your approach heading into the fight against Reggie and how will it differ from your first fight?
Clive couldn't help but chuckle.
Clive: This time yur boy Clive is going to wallop him a good one and make him understand that he is in a fight. Yur boy was real disappointed when he had to return to HILITE with a big ol' L, even worse knowin' that you had a gameplan and did nothing to implement it at all. You can come up with all these plans and stuff but sometimes when you get hit the first time, you feel that power and you just break... now Clive is made in AMURICA and don't break easy, but even when we do we gets back to fixin' it right away. Yur boy is all fixed up. Reggie Martin' ain't breakin' nothin' no more.
Clive how do you respond to the many claims and rumors surrounding HILITE FC involving steroids and cheating the system?
Clive: Momma always said mind yur own business Clive. Do you listen to yur momma? Sure, yur boy Clive is strong as a workhorse and as fast as a goddang mustang but he damn sure ain't a cheat and never thought Misty was either. Til' now, not sure that girl is a fan. Oh well. Atta end of the day all the friends at HILITE FC made a decision to ask fer their releases and Clive ain't about ta' be the odd black sheep out.
Do you miss fighting in America?
Clive: Yur yur, Clive definitely feels home sick if he has to pick he's taking mamma's home cookin' anyday of the week! Heck, even training out of Toronto was a big change fer good ol' Clive but have so much more respect for those poor canucks and their free healthcare! You know what they saying, nothings free... and when it ain't free, you just hafta wait like 8 months for it. Point is, Clive is a great american who brings the flag wherever he goes! Yur boy will march into England like the queen owns the place, beat Reggie like he beat Clive, give him an make America great again hat, shake his hand and remind the rest of the world how its done on the greatest most CLASSY country in the world... MURICA!
Clive still standing surveys the crowd to see if there are anymore questions... there are none. And yet, he still stands. Tall. Proud.
American.