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People write me off, and yet then, when I fight people, my opponents have a completely different opinion of me afterwards.
I have been involved in this sport since I was eight years old, so, hopefully, I can train and coach athletes down the line.
I'm terrified of having to go back to a day job. And that's why I'm training like a man possessed. Because I want to keep winning.
Of course it's an honour to be fighting at UFC 100, but I don't sit back and think about that. For me, it is only ever about winning.
I used to be weak - as did all British fighters - with wrestling, because we don't have high school wrestling or college wrestling here.
I went to college and did advanced electronical engineering, not really knowing what I wanted to do. It bored me to death, so I dropped out.
If a football player has a bad game, he's allowed to do that because he plays once or twice a week. With fighting, it's once every few months.
I've beaten a lot of great fighters, but people say the big ones, I've lost them all. I don't want to go down as a guy who loses his big fights.
There's no shortage of fighting talent in the UFC; that's what makes it such a great organisation, and that's why I'm so proud to be a part of it.
I beat Anderson Silva and then Luke Rockhold, who was, pound-for-pound, one of the best. Now I get to do Dan Henderson, who is a legend in the sport.
When everybody fought Anderson Silva in the past, they were terrified of him. Absolutely terrified. That's part of the reason why he was so successful.
Omelettes, I'd say, are my secret weapon in terms of diet: I love them, they're nice and easy to make, they're very nutritious, and they're low in carbs.
I hate it when people call me a cage fighter. I'm a mixed martial artist. But people take one look at what we do, and they just start making assumptions.
I hit as hard and as fast in the first week of camp as I do in the last week of camp. So it doesn't matter if it's two weeks' notice or 10 weeks' notice.
For so many years, people have used the expression 'poster boy of British MMA,' but I've never seen myself as that; I certainly never described myself as that.
A long time ago, I had a bird that annoyed me, and the bird had to go. The bird's neck was snapped. I would also snap Conor McGregor's neck in a similar fashion.
I think it's just in human nature: if you've got two guys fighting, and you don't really know them, you're going to root for the guy who comes from your country.
I have nothing against America; I love spending time there. I fell in love with the country the very first time I went out there, and I have a lot of fans in the U.S.
UFC has done a fantastic job of establishing the biggest leading brand in mixed martial arts. Years ago, many people didn't know what MMA was nor understand the sport.
I was a big fan of martial arts movies - Bruce Lee in particular, as cringeworthy as it is. Jean-Claude van Damme was a big inspiration as well - it's a little embarrassing.
I had held titles in all the major U.K. organisations, but we were struggling to make ends meet. There were times you don't have a fight lined up, and the bills are stacking up.
In my teenage years, I started kickboxing, then did a little boxing. When the UFC and MMA exploded in the early 2000s in the U.S.A. and Japan, I saw a way to make money and a career.
What matters - the only thing that matters - is winning. It's nice to entertain the fans and to gain new ones, especially from the States, but on the night... that's all that matters.
I'm generally an optimist, but of course, when you've been with the UFC for a decade and still not had a title shot, there is a little part of you that wonders if it will ever happen.
I just like doing normal things, going to the shops in Manchester, getting a meal with my girlfriend and kids, going to the cinema. I love Las Vegas and there places, but I couldn't live there.
A lot of Americans say the food in England sucks. I don't think the food in England sucks - the food is great - but I've got to say, the Americans have got the dining out experience nailed down.
I swear to God, I don't even know who Demi Lovato is. My son has a crush on her. Apparently, he was sat next to her when I knocked Luke Rockhold out, so Demi Lovato knows who I am, that's for sure.
I'm not going to please everyone; not everyone's going to like me. I accepted that a long time ago, and if I had to shed a tear every time I got a hate email, believe me, I'd be severely dehydrated.
A lot of people get up to the top of the pile, maybe get one No. 1 contender match-up, and if they lose, they drift into obscurity. I lost, and I went back a bit. But I built myself back up. Three times.
I've had ups and downs in my career, and if you look at it as a bookmaker, the odds of me becoming a world champion were never in my favour, but I never stopped believing in myself and never stopped trying.
Due to the UFC educating people on MMA as a sport, people give us the respect as athletes, opening doors to opportunities which wasn't available in the past. It has been amazing to be part of the UFC journey.
When I'm in the gym, different training partners tell me that I've got great conditioning, and I tell them, 'Really? Because, I'm dying here.' I think that I'm just as tired as anyone; I just push myself mentally.
Ultimately, when two professionals meet, I don't really see the location as being a defining factor. If you're a psychologically weak fighter, maybe it would be. But if you're a seasoned pro, it doesn't really come into it.
I worked in factories, slaughterhouses, as an upholsterer. I did demolition work, was a postman, was a tiler, a plasterer. I even sold double-glazing door-to-door. But I always dreamed of being a world champion, first of all as a boxer.
I always support British athletes of all sports, including Tyson Fury. I think he's a great boxer. However, if he's calling out UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez, then quite frankly, he's living in a fantasy world and needs to come back to reality.
Let's be honest: I don't want to walk out to boos. I always want to be cheered, like anyone, and I've been very lucky over the years to have a lot of support. Coming to America, I'm always the away guy, and so people thought their guy had to take me out, and they boo.
All I do is fight, consistently, the best guys in the world, and sure, I've lost a couple here and there, but I've certainly won the majority of my fights. There are those who pick and choose opponents and try to pad their record along the way, but I've never done that.
Financially, I've done very well doing what I do. I've got plenty of money in the bank. I've got gigs with FOX doing analyst work, media work. The UFC has been very kind to me. Ultimately, however, I want to be world champion. I have to achieve that to validate my entire career.
Some people are born for a certain thing. And for me, unfortunately, I wish it was something a bit more artistic or whatever, but I was a born fighter. That's what kept me coming back. It makes me feel alive. And, I just know, there is nothing I do better in this world than fight.
Without wishing to sound arrogant, when I was younger, I used to win every single martial arts tournament I ever entered. I used to enter the under 14s and under 16s, win both gold medals in those, and then go in the men's tournament just for experience, and end up getting a silver medal.
People say sometimes that I'm distracted. I'm not distracted. I'm being smart. I'm capitalizing while the iron is hot. That's why I'm trying to do movies. I do the podcast. I do a radio show. I work on FOX. I have a gym; I have a lot of things going on. That's because when I'm done, I want to be set up.
I fought Dan Henderson in 2009, and I lost, and that was at UFC 100 - UFC 100 was the biggest pay-per-view the company's ever done. 1.6 million pay-per-view buys, watched all over the world, and of course, I get knocked out cold after talking lots of smack leading up to the fight. So I got my just desserts in that one.
I haven't seen any of the Cung Le movies, but I have seen the Cung Le Q&A that he did in San Jose, and I've got to say that was pretty hard to watch. That was pretty cringeworthy. Listen: stick to kicking; sticking to kicking eggs and setting Guinness World Records, because entertaining a crowd certainly isn't your thing.
I think everyone in all due respect just needs to calm down Chris Weidman just because he’s undefeated. He’s undefeated because he’s beaten a bunch of bums. He’s only had about seven fights. I’ve had nearly 30 fights. I’ve been in the UFC when he was still in school probably. So I got nothing against Chris Weidman, but I don’t see him as the Great White Hope that’s going to come in and destroy Anderson Silva. He’s just another middle of the road UFC fighter as far as I’m concerned.