Yahya: Bedford’s ‘I’m going to kill you’ was motivating
Rani Yahya: “He said, ‘if you think I am afraid of you, I’m going to kill you.’ I didn’t ask him if he’s afraid of me. So he showed me that he was afraid.”
Lebanese Brazilian UFC featherweight Rani Yahya tapped out Johnny Bedford in the second round Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 51 in Brasilia, Brazil. In a post fight interview, Yahya said Bedford had threatened to kill him during the weigh ins. The verbiage was obviously not an actual threat on his life, but with language barriers and the tension at the moment, Yahya said it motivated him.
“He said, ‘if you think I am afraid of you, I’m going to kill you'” related Yahya. “I didn’t ask him if he’s afraid of me. So he showed me that he was afraid.
“I’m afraid too. I have fear. But the difference is, I admit that. Because I’m a human being. And I use the fear in my favor, you know?”
Yahya was asked if the trash talk gave him more motivation.
“For sure,” he replied. “For sure, it kept myself focused, and I tried to surprise him. I tried to strike him as he was not expecting it. So I was able to land a lot of punches on him, which was really good for me.”