Cardio is king. This is how you make sure you don't wear out in the fight.
When I was a kid, when I was first getting excited about the opposite sex, fragrance was the thing. If you look good, you smell good, and you feel good.
My dad was a professional basketball player, and my mom was a hell of a tennis player.
I cut out the partying a lot. I haven't had any money to party. All I've been able to do is train and work on what I need.
All I care is I've got the belt.
Every time I'm in training mode, I've had to monitor what I'm eating. I'll break 210 and be around 215 pounds. I know what it takes to compete with the best guys at 205. I've trained with them.
I dictate the pace of my fights and no one else.
I used to goof off a lot.
I have that brawler's mentality, and I can get into that realm, but when I'm at my best is when I'm patient, precise, and technical.
I want to put on performances no one else has. I want to be flawless every time.
Anytime you spar at a new dojo, whether it's in Japan, Brazil, or Thailand, the fighters come after the new guy. It's a way to test yourself against the best and to sharpen your technical skills and push yourself to be the best you can be.
I don't like talking about cheaters.
Compared to some other guys at 205, of course, I'll be a little small. But I've never tried to just physically go for it, bulk up, lift weights.
Injuries are tough. I tore my ACL 50 percent in my left leg. I can't kick. I'm not going to fight without my left leg, which is my best weapon.
I don't understand people who just live to exist, live to be OK. Live to be regular, live to be average. It doesn't make any sense to me. I live to be the best. I don't live to be good. You only get one life, and I live to be great. I live to be special.
I'm going to shut Chris Weidman down in the first round. I'm gonna expose him in the second round. And I'm gonna finish him with a left kick followed by a left punch, simultaneously.
When you're tense and you're forcing the issue, you kind of cloud your vision, so I think just being confident and super relaxed, waiting for my timing, has really helped me.
As long as I don't rush things, I'm a lot better fighter.
I will always be motivated to improve until I feel I've achieved my potential.
I am a very technical guy. I'm proud of my technique, my fluidity, and my skill; that's what I work on every day. I try to out-technique guys.
