It takes some balls to live life to the fullest.
I am a private guy, and at the end of the day, I only really do care about my family. That's the most important thing: my way of life, my family. Whoever is in front of that is going to get hurt.
There are lots of risks, but without risks, there's no reward. I think the reward is bigger than the risk.
I'm a prize fighter. Titles don't pay bills. I fight for money. I'm making money. They're making money. Everybody's making money. That's what this is all about.
I'm not a very good yes man, and I'm not very easily controlled.
I don't hang my championship trophies on the walls, because they don't pay the bills.
I got the genetics of - not to get into racism or anything - but I'm built like a black man.
I had a great run with WWE. WWE gave me great visibility. I met my wife there, and I got paid a lot of money; it was just my time to go. I sensed it. I was smart enough to leave. That's the bottom line.
My strength is my wrestling, but I don't focus on it as much. I try to focus on a lot of different things like knees, elbows, submissions, and submission defense - just a lot of different things.
I wasn't happy at the career I was at and wanted to try something else, and so I tried fighting, and it's working out pretty well. I set my own schedule; I have my own training facilities. I'm not traveling as much, and I'm at home every night.
Looking at me now, it might be hard to believe that I didn't even have hair in my armpits when I graduated from high school. I guarantee you I was the last guy to go through puberty in my class.
I've never turned down a fight in the UFC. Even when I was champ, I never turned down a fight.
Stay open-minded; stay focused. Train hard and train smart. For me, the older I get, the smarter I have to train also, because the recovery time is longer. Work on everything: become a well-rounded fighter - don't just be good at one thing; be good at everything.
My hands. I'm constantly working on my hands. I'm constantly working on my ground game and constantly trying not to get satisfied with where I'm at with my career and where I'm at as an athlete. I'm somewhat happy, but never satisfied.
I thought I was gonna be a farmer.
I had the surgery, and it was removed, and I don't have any diverticulitis in me. It's gone. It has taken a number of years to feel good again.
I've never come out and said, 'I hold the most pay-per-view buys.' All I know is what I got paid, and I'm happy.
Back in the day, I was a Royce Gracie fan and a fan of Tank Abbott. It's always the different-looking guys that you want to root for. Then there were guys like Mark Coleman and Randy Couture, so for me to get in there and fight against guys like that is pretty cool.
I'm always staying motivated because, as training camp goes on, practices become more intense, harder, and shorter. It's a mental thing, too, not only physical - you have to stay mentally sharp and stay focused on the task in front of you.
You get so brainwashed. You're on the road 300 days a year, and that's why guys get so messed up. This life becomes a part of them. It's not real, but some guys who are still in the business think it is.
