UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It’s not uncommon to see fighters bury the hatchet after going head to head in the cage, but that wasn’t the case after [autotag]Cris Lencioni[/autotag]’s victory over [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] Friday night at Bellator 243.
The bad blood between the pair continued even after Lencioni (7-2 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) secured a unanimous decision victory. But while Agazarm (3-2 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) remained irked following the fight, “Sunshine” preferred to look on the bright side.
When asked if he had hate for his opponent after their ill-tempered preliminary card clash at Mohegan Sun Arena, Lencioni told reporters, including MMA Junkie, “Dude, hate? No way! I don’t hate anybody. Hate is such a strong word.”
However, it’s fair to say Lencioni still isn’t a fan of his opponent, as he explained, “I dislike him to a fair degree. I think he’s an incredibly disrespectful bully. I think he’s bad for the mixed martial arts community. I think he should go back to fighting YouTubers. I think he should go back to that.”
Lencioni explained how the bad blood began between the pair, after the Portland, Oregon native mistook Agazarm for a commission official before an amateur fight. Agazarm, Lencioni said, didn’t react well to not being recognized.
“I didn’t know who he was,” Lencioni explained.” I thought he was part of the Oregon State Athletic Commission. And I was like, ‘Hey man, I need a water. I’m about to go fight,’ and he was like, ‘I’m not going to get you a ‘bleep’ water… I’m A.J. Agazarm.’
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“I was 8-0 at the time as an amateur, and I didn’t see him again for a couple of years, then we did another SUG (Submission Underground) and he got beat by another Portland cat, Nate Orchard, humiliated him, and that’s just kinda where it started, you know? Just because I didn’t know who he was. Sorry!”
The ill-feeling continued after the decision was made when there was a terse exchange as the referee attempted to get the pair to shake hands. Lencioni said Agazarm’s reaction showed that he isn’t a true martial artist.
“Dude, fight’s over. I won. Get over it,” he said. “Tried to shake his hand. It’s the fight game, feelings get hurt. … We did the fight, I won, I destroyed you, shake my hand. I’m shaking your hand, let it go. Show everybody that you’re a martial artist here. He’s not, though. He’s not a real martial artist.”
Lencioni also stated that Agazarm hit him with illegal shots, including a headbutt, during the bout as he labeled his opponent a cheat.
“That’s a sore loser right there, I’ve gotta tell you that,” he said. “I was willing to shake his hand once it was all said and done. But, man, he is a cheater. He’s a cheater in every way. He headbutted me, he did a lot of illegal strikes. Yeah, sure, I was slow to get off of him one round, but he got a lot of free shots in there, and did nothing to me. Am I damaged right now? Do I have much on my face, mark-wise?
“That dude is effed-up. I molested that guy’s face. I know that’s not the best word, but I did very naughty things to that man’s face. And I’m going to do very naughty things when I get home to someone else that I’m very much acquainted with, because it’s been a while. I haven’t seen my wife for maybe three times in the last month. I’m trying to make some little ‘Sunshines’. Let’s get some positive stuff, man. I already fought somebody. I’m over that, I’m done. Look at my hand, I hit that guy so much my hand hurts. It’s like hitting a piece of fricking metal. Stupid metal.”
Recap Lencioni’s full post-fight press conference via the video above.
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