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I'm definitely going to work on some techniques that hopefully will throw my opponents off and really allow me to open up whenever I'm out there fighting.
Ben Askren, he's a tough boy. Golly, he's a tough boy. That's what wrestling does. When you wrestle your whole life, you got to be a tough dude to wrestle.
I was like 'You know what? I'm training with these champions. Guys like Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt... Let me give this MMA thing a shot.'
We kind of understand at this level of the game when you work your way up to the top there's a possibility you may be facing somebody you've trained with before.
Conor has taken the UFC to a whole new level. It's his whole demeanor that appeals to me. He's a fighter, he's a Viking, and on top of that, he's got the gift of gab.
I've been called all kinds of stuff, it's part of the game. You take it personal, then you're in trouble. It will affect you, your training. It comes with the territory.
I believed I could knock out Rory MacDonald, Johny Hendricks and Jake Ellenberger, and sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't, but I know I can knock these guys out.
To be honest, any one of those guys that I've stepped in the Octagon with - Darren Till, Anthony Pettis, Tyron Woodley - I would love to step back in the Octagon with those guys.
You do have those guys that talk a lot. I understand they're doing it for a reason, to hype a fight, but then you get guys who do it and you can tell that they're trying too hard.
Elvis was a seventh-degree black belt in karate. My dad knew that he couldn't dance like Elvis or sing like him, but he thought maybe he could try karate, and he fell in love with it.
During the fight, if you feel something, you know it's pretty bad, because normally you don't feel anything. You get punched and elbowed in the face, you don't feel it until after the fight.
Robert Whittaker is definitely a different fighter from when I fought him last. His takedown defense is ridiculous - ridiculous - and his cardio is out there. Like, the guy does not get tired.
Sometimes people say, 'You've got to go out there and grit your teeth and just throw.' That's never been my style, but I think I need to be a little bit more aggressive instead of counterpunching.
Taekwondo, those are some major kickers right there. That's what they bring. That's all they do is the kicks. They don't have the punching and the ground but it's more of a kicking art than anything.
I've always been a fan of those guys. My dad was in military school and I have a bunch of buddies that are Marines, and I just kind of want to give back to those guys that gave more than enough for us.
You just have to put in the work. Work really hard, get a good coach and a good gym. You have to have the right mindset to be a champion. Don't make excuses on going to the gym like your ankle is sore or what.
You gotta be ready in this game. Like when Michael Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold. I thought... everybody thought that Luke Rockhold would go out there and just smoke him and then Luke Rockhold got clipped.
Matt Brown did exactly what he said he was going to do. He kicked my butt. But it was a war. I would love to do it again. Matt Brown's a good dude and a great fighter. He's made it up to the top and man, he's a monster.
The average MMA guys have a boxer's stance which makes it easier for a wrestler when they try and take you down. I tend to stand sideways and that gives them only one leg to shoot for, it tends to make it more difficult to try and take me down.
I'm a martial artist. That's what I've been doing since I was three years old, and fighting since i was 15 and that's all I know how to do. The money is just a bonus. It's a bonus for me. I think my real job is teaching martial arts, it's what I love to do.
Michael Bisping, in one of his last fights, he stepped out there too soon. He had a brutal fight with Georges St-Pierre and then real quick jumped in against Kelvin Gastelum and just got put away. If you do that, if you step out there too soon... this is your livelihood.
From what I've seen he keeps his right side forward, he throws his left hand, throws his left leg and likes to throw a few elbows, but to be honest with you, I'm not very impressed by Darren Till - I think Masvidal is a better fighter. I think he brings more to the table than Darren Till.
Everybody asks 'would you fight Conor McGregor?' - of course I'd fight Conor McGregor but it's not because of the money. It's because he's such a huge martial artist and everybody considers themselves the best if you fight Conor McGregor, if you beat Conor McGregor. I look at it like that.
I believe that God gave us gifts to help serve Him and He gave me the gift. I'm a people person. I'm also an instructor at Upstate Karate, but I've got the gift of fight, man. After every fight, I try to give all the glory to Him. I believe He gave us, like I said, the abilities to do that.
Ben Askren, he is a very strong wrestler, probably the best in the division, I think. But then again, when you're in the fight game like this, some of the other things you have to improve. It can't just be wrestling all the time. You got to continue to work on your striking, get better at that.
A lot of people look down on people who are successful, but Conor McGregor is successful because he runs his mouth and he knows how to put on a show. I mean, look at his press conferences. I mean, come on. People show up just to see him just act nuts. Hats off to that guy, he's a very intelligent, very smart guy.
Of course, you've got Lyoto Machida. He's definitely a karate guy and he's made a big presence in MMA. I would say look up Lyoto Machida. There are some other karate guys who are phenomenal at what they do at their karate game, the point fighting game, Raymond Daniels, who is an amazing point fighter and very flashy.
When I was 15, I fought a guy who was 26 and he was 20-0, undefeated. It was a way for my dad to show me that I was better than I thought. I ended up beating the brakes off this 26-year-old guy. After the fight, the announcer asked my opponent how it felt. He answered, 'I wonder why I stepped in the ring with that boy.'
When you're out there in the octagon and you've got thousands of people, millions across the world, either cheering for you to win or cheering for you to get knocked out, the adrenaline is going, so it doesn't hurt while you're out there. Now fast forward to about an hour and a half to two hours after the fight? Oh yes. It's pretty painful.
Constantly moving, from side to side. Keeping your opponent guessing. If you stand still long enough, a wrestler is going to shoot for your legs. He's going to see where your legs are at. But, if you keep him constantly guessing, they can't get a bead on those legs. So, constant movement is probably one of the best takedown defenses you could use.