When I was 15, I fought a guy who was 26 and he was 20-0, undefeated. It was a way for my dad to show me that I was better than I thought. I ended up beating the brakes off this 26-year-old guy. After the fight, the announcer asked my opponent how it felt. He answered, 'I wonder why I stepped in the ring with that boy.'
Stephen Thompson
I know what martial arts have done for me. They've taught me integrity, self-control, perseverance and an indomitable spirit.
Demian Maia, he's a tough, scary guy.
No matter how much it hurts, you gotta stay focused on what you're there for and your goals, just don't give up.
You do have those guys that talk a lot. I understand they're doing it for a reason, to hype a fight, but then you get guys who do it and you can tell that they're trying too hard.
Thank goodness I was blessed with a hard head.
Of course, you've got Lyoto Machida. He's definitely a karate guy and he's made a big presence in MMA. I would say look up Lyoto Machida. There are some other karate guys who are phenomenal at what they do at their karate game, the point fighting game, Raymond Daniels, who is an amazing point fighter and very flashy.
Striking is what I do.
Anybody who fights McGregor is going to have a good payday. He's one of the best guys in the UFC.
Michael Bisping, in one of his last fights, he stepped out there too soon. He had a brutal fight with Georges St-Pierre and then real quick jumped in against Kelvin Gastelum and just got put away. If you do that, if you step out there too soon... this is your livelihood.
You gotta be ready in this game. Like when Michael Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold. I thought... everybody thought that Luke Rockhold would go out there and just smoke him and then Luke Rockhold got clipped.
We kind of understand at this level of the game when you work your way up to the top there's a possibility you may be facing somebody you've trained with before.
There were a few times in previous fights where I was hurt. It's just a matter of not giving up, if you know what I'm saying.
I love Montreal. I love the people, I love the history.
I'm constantly working my wrestling and jiu-jitsu, which is going to make me more confident in the Octagon.
Whenever I fight, whenever you see me fight, I work a lot off of angles, using my kicks a lot.
You know I tore my MCL in the fight with Till. We did an MRI and thankfully nothing else was damaged.
As a fighter my goal is not to get hit and frustrate my opponent. Once I get you frustrated then I got you.
Elvis was a seventh-degree black belt in karate. My dad knew that he couldn't dance like Elvis or sing like him, but he thought maybe he could try karate, and he fell in love with it.
I believed I could knock out Rory MacDonald, Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger, and sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't, but I know I can knock these guys out.
I know I can be the welterweight champion.
Ben Askren, he is a very strong wrestler, probably the best in the division, I think. But then again, when you're in the fight game like this, some of the other things you have to improve. It can't just be wrestling all the time. You got to continue to work on your striking, get better at that.
Ben Askren, he's a tough boy. Golly, he's a tough boy. That's what wrestling does. When you wrestle your whole life, you got to be a tough dude to wrestle.
When you're out there in the octagon and you've got thousands of people, millions across the world, either cheering for you to win or cheering for you to get knocked out, the adrenaline is going, so it doesn't hurt while you're out there. Now fast forward to about an hour and a half to two hours after the fight? Oh yes. It's pretty painful.
I've known guys who've got knocked out and they get back in there too soon, next thing you know they get clipped and they're out again.
Everybody wants to see somebody get knocked out. I'm sorry but it's the fight game and that's what they want to see.
A lot of people look down on people who are successful, but Conor McGregor is successful because he runs his mouth and he knows how to put on a show. I mean, look at his press conferences. I mean, come on. People show up just to see him just act nuts. Hats off to that guy, he's a very intelligent, very smart guy.
You can defend a single-leg takedown a little bit easier than you could a double-leg takedown.
You just have to put in the work. Work really hard, get a good coach and a good gym. You have to have the right mindset to be a champion. Don't make excuses on going to the gym like your ankle is sore or what.
Everyone in the UFC is good. If you're at the lowest end or the highest end, you have a chance to get knocked out and put to sleep.
Constantly moving, from side to side. Keeping your opponent guessing. If you stand still long enough, a wrestler is going to shoot for your legs. He's going to see where your legs are at. But, if you keep him constantly guessing, they can't get a bead on those legs. So, constant movement is probably one of the best takedown defenses you could use.
Matt Brown did exactly what he said he was going to do. He kicked my butt. But it was a war. I would love to do it again. Matt Brown's a good dude and a great fighter. He's made it up to the top and man, he's a monster.
Conor has taken the UFC to a whole new level. It's his whole demeanor that appeals to me. He's a fighter, he's a Viking, and on top of that, he's got the gift of gab.
My dad grew up in a little place near Charleston called Moncks Corner.
The average MMA guys have a boxer's stance which makes it easier for a wrestler when they try and take you down. I tend to stand sideways and that gives them only one leg to shoot for, it tends to make it more difficult to try and take me down.
I've never really had any beef with anybody yet, so I think that's a good thing.
I was like 'You know what? I'm training with these champions. Guys like Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt... Let me give this MMA thing a shot.'
To be honest with you, getting knocked out isn't that bad. It's not what everybody makes it out to be.
I rage playing video games. I think that's the only time you will ever hear me say a cuss word.
I just want to be able to say I fought the best fighters in the world.
If you're strong mentally, you can do anything.
I'm going to give it my all to get that title. And whether I make it or not, I'll know I've competed with the best. And that's enough for me.
Anybody in the division's top 15 I would love to fight.
In kickboxing, if I walked around at 185 pounds, I fought at 185 pounds.
I do respect everybody who I step in the Octagon with.
I understand it's part of the sport, part of the game to have people who like you and people who don't.
I've been fighting since I was 15 years old, so I've had pretty much everything that could be said, said to me.
I've been called all kinds of stuff, it's part of the game. You take it personal, then you're in trouble. It will affect you, your training. It comes with the territory.
You never know what the UFC's going to bring.
Everybody asks 'would you fight Conor McGregor?' - of course I'd fight Conor McGregor but it's not because of the money. It's because he's such a huge martial artist and everybody considers themselves the best if you fight Conor McGregor, if you beat Conor McGregor. I look at it like that.
