Following an impressive victory over Tim Hague in the co-headliner of this past weekend's "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fights for the Troops 2" event, Matt Mitrione is pleased he finally is winning over some fans. Admittedly, though, he gave those same fans two reasons to dish out their usual insults. But as Mitrione, a cast member from "The Ultimate Fighter 10" who's now 4-0 in MMA and the UFC, today told MMAjunkie Radio, he had good reason for both actions. Competing on a Spike TV card at Fort Hood in Texas, Mitrione used light feet and quick hands, including an especially effective lunging hook (instead of a traditional jab), to pick up a first-round knockout win over his heavyweight counterpart. But his refusal to tap gloves before the fight – and a post-fight speech in which he thanked his own hands – were the only criticisms in otherwise praised performance. Mitrione, though, said the first was for good reason. The second was a joke that apparently fell on many deaf ears. "I respect the game, and I respect the sport," Mitrione said. "But I don't touch gloves in the first round because of Jon Madsen. In of the first fights I watched live, he faked a touch and then ducked under it and scored a double-leg takedown. Every since then, I've been like, 'No way, man.'" Mitrione, a former NFL player with an admittedly raw ground game, simply doesn't want to give an opponent an easy opening. That was especially the case with Hague, a hard-hitting Canadian whom Mitrione expected to be come out much more aggressively in the opening of their bout. Instead, Mitrione dictated the pace, proved quicker to the punch, and ultimately dropped his opponent with a straight left that set up a victory in just three minutes. But in a post-fight interview, he raised some eyebrows when he seemingly stroked his own ego by thanking his hands. He said he was actually paying homage to former NFL player Freddie Mitchell, a one-man marketing machine known for outrageous quips. After a 2005 postseason game in which he scored a pair of touchdowns, Mitchell attended a press conference wearing over mitts and thanked his own hands "for being so great." "I guess no one got that," Mitrione joked. In fact, the jokes are all part of Mitrione's increasing comfort in the cage...

Matt Mitrione won't apologize for having a good time, wants quick return