I’ll let you in on a little secret: fight week interviews are a bit of drudgerous affair.
The fighters are, understandably, not always in the best of spirits. They’ve got the fight on their minds, they’re often mired in the misery of cutting weight, and you’re the 19th of 27 phone interviews the UFC has heaped on their plate that day. And that’s in addition to open workouts, fan events, and interviews with all the media that are there in person. It’s enough to make anyone grumpy, and it’s part of why their comments are often rote and cagey.