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Everyone likes different things. Not everyone's the same. Not everyone runs their mouth. Not everyone can fight.
It's all about getting better and controlling the things that you can control, which is getting better day to day.
You want to go out there, and you want to be sharp, and you want to execute your game plan and... get it done fast.
I don't worry about who they're putting in front of me. Why would I? That's just nonsense for me to waste my energy.
I got a little bit of the Marine mentality from my dad, I guess. You can't but help absorb the culture you're around.
I also watched boxing all the time and Tuesday Night Fights on USA and just kept hitting my heavy back in the garage.
You don't appreciate what you have when it all comes to you real quick. I went from nothing to everything all at once.
My coaches have done a good job of tightening my skills, where I can dictate a little bit more where the fight is going.
I just worry about myself. I'm just gonna be me and do me. If people appreciate it, cool. If not, I'm gonna still be me.
I don't like going to decisions. I always try to finish people, knock them out, beat them up, and that's always the game plan.
My coaches and I always stress getting better and working on all aspects, so I'm ready to fight and take it to the next level.
I'm not a matchmaker; I don't run the UFC - I'm a fighter. So I'll stick to doing what I do best: training and punching people.
I lived in Iowa for pretty much the rest of my life, but I just moved to St. Louis and opened up a gym and MMA training center.
I've actually done a really good job listening to my body, relaxing. Some days you train hard, some days you rest a little bit.
There's always going to be some phenom fighter coming up. If they're special athletes and highly trained, they'll do big things.
The best part about being a champion is going out and defending your belt, so that's what I plan on doing and doing it many times.
I'm glad that in this sport you can write your own stories, and you don't have to worry about what other people expect out of you.
I had never thought about being a professional fighter but meeting Pat [ Militich ] and the guys just pushed me in that direction.
There wasn't much money in this sport when I started, but I didn't get into it because of money. I loved to fight, and I loved MMA.
Trying to get over guys and knock them out, that's what fires me up. Decision victories, whoop dee doo, but finishing guys fires me up.
I was a huge Mike Tyson fan, would sit through the night watching boxing matches and would hit the bag at every opportunity I would get.
I'm just trying to be a better fighter every time I compete, so it's all about being more strategic and looking for a way to get a finish.
You don't really realize the effect those things have on you when you're growing up but then when you look back you can see how they molded you.
I think people appreciate that I've been around so long, and I never gave up on myself and just kept grinding, and eventually I made it to the top.
I don't know what the fans expect out of these fighters, but I know what I expect out of myself. And that's go out there, beat people up, and just be me.
I did start wrestling after I moved to Iowa, I think in the seventh grade. It's really a part of the Iowa culture so it's hard not to do it if you like sports.
Just being able to grind, day in and day out. You have to be a different kind of person to not just do the workouts, but to not make money for months at a time.
Adidas is one of the biggest companies in the world. To have a company like that, a mainstream company, a major sports company, to say they want me, it's awesome.
Sometimes spectacular things look really great, but when push comes to shove come fifth round, the basics, fundamentals and technical aspects are going to come into effect.
You really can't worry about stuff you can't control... You need to focus on getting where you need to be and not worry about what could have been and what should have been.
Usually, when I liked athletes growing up, it was because they could hit a ball very far or they can throw a ball very fast. They can shoot a jumper, or they can dunk the ball.
I want it to be one-sided. I don't want to take any bumps or bruises: I want to go out and dictate all aspects and go out the way I came in. I'm looking to dominate and dictate.
I always believed in myself, and even in the bad times, when I'd do bits of greatness here and there, it was those kinds of things that kept me alive and helped me to get to where I am now.
I didn't care what people thought of me, that I was getting better, pushing myself to get better. Those are the things I concentrate on. I don't concentrate on what everyone else was saying.
I kept doing my own thing, working out with weights, wrestling, and doing other spots until I graduated from high school. Then I made a conscious decision to pursue MMA seriously and full time.
I've always loved to fight. I love what I do, and that is why I've been doing it for so long. I really enjoy fighting and competing at a high level. I love getting in there and getting after it.
I did a lot of smoker fights and fought pretty much every week since Pat wouldn't let me fight until he was sure I was ready. I was also boxing and so I had 30 unofficial fights or more of those.
Obviously, CM Punk is a really big draw for the UFC. He's going to bring a lot of eyes to the UFC, and the better he does, the better it'll be for all MMA fighters as far as sponsorships and stuff.
Drew McFedries was the hardest hitter I've ever been around. A big, strong, athletic guy with power. He didn't have to hit you with a hard shot or load up - even the little short shots could hurt you.
I fought for, like, five years in Hawaii - nothing better than that. It was awesome. Every fight, I went on vacation, and I wasn't cutting any weight, so I could just eat whatever I wanted. I enjoyed it.
To take what I have, they're going to have to have more than skill and technique. It's a lot of heart, a lot of determination. That's just who I am. I'm not messing around out there. I'm not giving it away.
I focus on making sure I'm sharp, and it doesn't matter who I am fighting. I need to perform at my best and try to elevate my game to the highest level I possibly can, so that is what I concentrate on doing.
I just started training with the best fighters in the world trying to get better. I was a pretty good athlete so I did pretty well with the team and that gave me confidence that I would be able to compete with people.
I'm just fighting a lot of high-level guys. I feel everyone is trying to be tactical, everyone is trying to put their A-game out there, and I have to find a way to win. I'm all about moving on and trying to get better.
It's nice that fans want to see me fight. It definitely helps and gets everyone excited. It gets the UFC excited, and they are quick to put me back in there. But I really just focus on myself and getting ready to fight.
In college, I tried to start wrestling as soon as I could and when it was available to me, as I loved competing, and then got into MMA under Pat Miletich, where I was able to sharpen all my skills and develop into a true fighter.
My parents were divorced and my dad was in the Marines. I lived in California until I was 10 then we moved to Bettendorf, Iowa when I was in the fourth grade. I had an older brother so it made it a little easier to adjust to things.
It's about being able to go through the grind, willing to get back up when you're knocked down. And when life's not going well, not getting down on yourself and just getting back up and getting back to work, and striving to be the best you can be.
I was getting a lot of good work with my wrestling up in Iowa, but I needed a more all-around game, striking, jiu-jitsu at a high level. I had a lot of good coaches out at ATT to work with. They pushed me. Everything was smarter. Everything was precise.
I remember coming across some DVDs of the UFC and so I started watching that and became a fan of it. It was a little boring because of all the grabbing and holding and I fast-forwarded through a lot of it, but I still watched because I like martial arts.