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Most of the neighbours didn't like our parents, and they particularly gave Dad a very wide berth. We kids didn't have that luxury.
Anyone who knows me knows how sharp my mind is. I speak at a thousand miles an hour. I'll hold a discussion or a debate with anyone.
I'd like to fight and get close to that title shot - that's all I'm interested in. My whole purpose is to fight for the world title.
There is nothing wrong with fighting, but when you're fighting an uphill battle on an uneven playing field, that's what I don't like.
I've built a career in one of the toughest, most ruthless industries in the world. You can't do that unless you're completely with it.
A loss is just a loss. You get up again, dust yourself off, go at it again regardless of the circumstances. That's the way I look at it.
It's always discouraging to lose. You look at it and think, 'Man, what's going on?' It's always discouraging. But I'm a fighter. I don't like to quit.
Mentally, I could fight forever. I feel I'm the best fighter on the planet. My mind says I can fight forever, but physically, I won't be able to do it.
I used to make $300 a week, struggling to put food on the table, but I have become one of the highest-paid fighters in the world. I feel that's destiny.
I'm not gonna waste my money watching two cheaters fight. Why would I? They're cheaters, in the end. That's basically all they are. They should get nothing.
I was in jail a couple of times, and I was probably heading back there for a long time. But martial arts saved my life and some of the choices I made with it.
They can be King Kong, Godzilla, or whatever - I don't care what they have. Once you get a punch in the face or a knee in the head, all of those skills are gone.
That first loss in the UFC was a tough one. I hadn't fought in a year, and you start again, different organisation, different scenario, and it all plays into it.
It's not my decision, what goes on with who gets a title shot. I mean, some people get their shots in two or three fights. They're pretty lucky. I wish I could be like them.
I couldn't believe that talk about Jon Jones fighting Lesnar - that would have zero legitimacy. In society, we punish people that do bad things. Why isn't it the same in fighting?
There was a lot of pride, being one of the elite fighters in the world, in the best promotion in the world. That's what I was proud of. To be called a UFC fighter, that was important.
I always remember my dad's blue overalls and the blue overcoat he wore in winter, and I remember my mum's big old Afro. Sometimes, though, in my memories, smudges have replaced their faces.
I do watch some of my losses, but it just makes me think, 'Well, you know, should have done this; could have done that.' But that's why I don't like watching it. It's a shoulda/coulda/woulda thing.
At the end of the day, that's just boxing - it's a different sport altogether. But when I finish fighting for the UFC, there are so many different options I have. Boxing is another option I could take.
Well everyone's a world class ground fighter until they get a punch to the face. So that's how I deal with all these ground fighters like everyone else. I hit 'em in the head and there goes your F**king black belt.
When I'm fighting, I'm trying to find a reaction. I try to make the guy move; I try to make him do things that I want him to do. If he likes moving a certain way, I try to set something up so I catch him if he moves that way.
All the guys at this top level, they're pretty much dangerous all over the place. If you're not good all over the place, you'll be in a little bit of trouble. It's hard to swim at the top end if you're only good at one thing.
I've been the best fighter in the world at kickboxing - they can't take that away from me - but when I started in MMA, I realized how great this sport is. It's the ultimate combat sport, and that's why I want to be the world's best at it.
I've been training jiu-jitsu for a while. It just didn't really click in my brain. Maybe sometimes I get a bit lazy. By the time I realize I'm in trouble, I'm already caught. You can't really think about it. You've got to just react as it happens.
Coming from a standing background in striking, I couldn't catch up to the guys with 20-plus years of training on the ground. I had to learn submissions. I found out it wasn't an easy road. I had six losses in a row, but I still felt I was the best fighter in the world.
People always say its an aggressive and bad sport and just like street fighting, but it's not the same thing. You go into work at the gym every day, and it takes away from being an aggressive person in public. You're training every day, and you're losing that aggression for the public.
I got injuries already from fighting from guys that have been cheating. And you're never the same when you get injured like that. I mean, look at my hand. It's broken, it's got 16 screws in it. I'm not as strong in this hand. It just affects you, especially this body being my livelihood.
A few months before my dad died, his eyes had started to go, and his skin was turning green. When he finally went to hospital, he was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. None of us kids knew why the old man ignored the doctors and refused their help, but none of us were surprised, either.