Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
For me, boxing's like checkers, and MMA's like chess - there are so many ways to win the match. It's not barbaric; it's boxing, kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, cardio and it's all reached such an amazing level. As fans learn more about the sport, they just fall in love with it.
I've had an ACL replaced in my left knee, ACL replaced in my right knee, 50 percent of my meniscus taken out of my right knee, lower back fusion, C-6, C-7 fused in my neck, C-5, C-4 disk replacement, C-4, C-3 fused. I have 26, 27 concussions, hundreds of stitches. I've been through the grinder.
My true inspiration is to give everything to my kids that I never had. I had a really rough upbringing, and I want to break that chain. I've broken the chain, and I want to give my kids happiness every single day. When they wake up and hop on me and say; 'Dad I love you,' that is what means the most to me.
People don't understand what fighters at the top have to go through. You know what, even half the fighters don't understand what the guys on top are going through. You're being pulled in so many directions. Contract negotiations, business opportunities, people come out of the woodwork, and it all happens when you're so young.
We're fighters. We go out there, and we'll open a window of opportunity, and they're only open for so long, and we have to take advantage of that time right then. When I did it, I was 30-31 years old. Maybe it was a little too late that I should have did it, but I did it right. I was okay with the money that I got, the money that I made.
Back when the UFC first started, I wanted to see what MMA was all about; at the time, I was training with Tank Abbott, and so I went to see him fight. While at the fight, I saw this guy fighting that I just crushed in high school wrestling, and I thought, 'Hey, I'm a street fighter, and I have a wrestling background,' so I gave it a shot.