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I'm under contract. Whatever the UFC asks, I have to do because they are my bosses and they treat me very well. I can't complain about that, and it's this, man: When you have a boss, you need to follow orders.
Bellator offered me a job. UFC never offered me an opportunity to fight. There's no question that UFC is the top. It's a machine. A lot of people, including myself, have helped build the UFC to where it is today.
My number-one goal was just to be a good person, a good father, a good husband and then, after that, was to be an Olympic champ and eventually a UFC champ. And I've done everything I've ever kinda set my mind to.
When you have a guy like me who's a former UFC fighter and who is basically a normal guy who can do exceptional things, that connects with people rather than some random Viking who can also do exceptional things.
For me, being a part of the halcyon days of Pride Fighting Championships and then watching the explosion of the UFC following the 'Ultimate Fighter,' I've been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
I know people don't want to compare UFC to professional wrestling, but there are people who are featherweights that are selling pay-per-views. I don't think there's anything wrong with a branded division like that.
You can say what you want about the Stephen Thompson fight, but you cannot disregard that me and Stephen went five rounds in a technical fight. Apparently, he's one of the best strikers in the UFC, Stephen Thompson.
I need that name in Rashad Evans, a name that UFC and the fans respect. They know his skill set. They know what he can do. You go out there and beat a guy like that, you've proved yourself to the UFC and to the fans.
This country has been very good to us, every time we have a fight in the UFC it's incredible here in Australia and we want to go everywhere. We want to travel everywhere and continue to do fights all over the country.
I am building a foundation in Cameroon, and it's not just about the sport. The goal of the foundation is not to make a UFC fighter. It's to help kids believe in their dream, to have a dream, to have a purpose in life.
It is not constantly in my head that I am a champion or a UFC fighter. I forget about that. It is very important to other people, and I am glad to have the support, but fighting is my passion. It is what I like to do.
My brother, who created the UFC, had a vision. He knew that people wanted to see who was the best fighter. People have curiosity, what style was the best? Boxing, wrestling, Gracie jiujitsu? It was a quest to find out.
My first contract I was offered by the UFC, or my second contract, it was 1-and-1, 2-and-2, 3-and-3. That's $12,000 for the year. Don't complain to me about fighter pay. It was $12,000 for a year, and it was exclusive.
The UFC offered me a fight against one of the Top-10 fighters named Demian Maia. I believe he was, like, No. 2 at the time. They obviously believed in me to think that I could face one of the best guys in the division.
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.
I have no problem with Brock Lesnar being a part-timer, because he's earned that spot. He's a multiple time champion in WWE, a former UFC Champion, NCAA amateur wrestling champion, so his accolades speak for themselves.
People like myself have been pushing, competing, and promoting female MMA for a long time, and to see the fans accept a female division in the UFC so quickly is vindication that all that hard work amounted to something.
If no one knew that I was trans - let's say that I made it very, very far. Let's say I went to the UFC and became a UFC champion, even, won the belt title, took it home and no one ever knew - that would be great for me.
The UFC makes about 99 percent of the money, and the rest goes to the fighters. That one percent ain't nothing compared to what they make on merchandising, on pay-per-view, and everything else they make around the world.
I wanted to study to be a petroleum engineer and get my engineering degree and fight in the UFC at the same time. But unfortunately, to be the best I can be at the UFC, I needed all focus to be there, and more focus, also.
I made a good living in the UFC. This isn't a negative thing. I'll always love the UFC. I still do 'UFC Now,' and I love breaking down the fights, and I never miss anything, and if they need anything, they know who to call.
I'm just tired of the unethical people, the scumbags, all that. Maybe that's how all businesses are run, but in MMA, I've been in the UFC, Legacy, and Bellator. The UFC was the best, and even they didn't treat you that well.
Ronda Rousey changing the game for MMA, you know? Dana White said he'd never have a girl in the Octagon. Ronda Rousey comes along, and she's the main event any time she's on. The women, I feel, in the UFC are stealing the show.
There doesn't need to be hatred after a fight, because it's all said and done. I'm cool with a lot of my opponents in the UFC. There's people I've fought who were my friends in kickboxing tournaments and after we were still cool.
My first MMA fight was July 2006 here in Brazil. I won a few fights here in Brazil, and then I got a chance to fight in the UFC, but they put me against the number one contender for the title at that time. It was Fabricio Werdum.
Trust me, I've seen a lot of fighters come in hot and they disappear faster than they came in after a loss or two. This is the UFC and the best fighters in the world are here. If you fight the great fighters you're bound to lose.
There are guys that just entered the UFC and people already talk about fighting for the belt. Guys that have one fight there and say call a jiu-jitsu phenom. They haven't done anything in the UFC yet to deserve all that attention.
It is amazing to have the UFC to come here to Perth... it is great for Australian Mixed Martial Arts and great for the sport, and it is going to be great for Perth to have such a world-wide event, through pay-per-view, hosted here.
Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell III, the fight that all the fans wanted to see for the longest time and never got a chance to. I never got a fair shake when I was with the UFC against Chuck, any of the times I ever fought against him.
Gay, straight, whatever - none of that actually matters when you're fighting someone. Not what you have in your bank account, what you drive, what sex you are, none of it. I think that's the message the UFC has been trying to push.
Actually, when I fought in PRIDE, we had the best fighters in the world. Back then, the UFC had a very serious and big crisis; they were going through some tough times trying to get top fighters. All the best fighters were in PRIDE.
100 Muay Thai, boxing, and kickboxing fights. Six times world Muay Thai champion, five times European Muay Thai champion, very dominant UFC champion for three years. I know my legacy. They can say whatever they want to, but I'm huge.
The learning curve, and the things that you have to adapt to on a daily basis in the UFC, is pretty crazy. It's a huge burden for anybody to have: not just the fighting itself but learning how to deal with the other responsibilities.
I remember being a kid and saying, 'One day, I'm going to have a ranch. One day, one day, one day.' And now, I'm fighting in the UFC. I'm here making the money, and that one day is here. I can finally go get those things that I want.
Fighter, father, husband - it's all the same person. I know the UFC stereotype is that we're all thugs. But I'd like people to know that I don't have to switch one off to try to be another. Being a father and a fighter, it's who I am.
Rampage Jackson came to the UFC with a brain. He came to the UFC with a huge following from being in Asia with Pride. He was a personality before he came to the UFC. You don't see them putting marketing money behind him to blow him up.
There's just a spirit about you that it's such a beautiful art form in which you can implement strategy in order to subdue another individual. And I really feel like that's in wrestling and UFC; we're kind of - we collaborate in that way.
Can anyone tell me what Jon Jones was ranked when he fought for the UFC title? No one knows. I believe, in that aspect, it was easier to get fights back then. It wasn't, 'What's this guy ranked?' You fought, made your money, and went home.
Bisping is a clean athlete, and it comes down to whether you're clean or not. I'm totally against the use of drugs and steroids in the UFC and any performance enhancing drugs. Shows a lot about someone's mental state if they have to do that.
When I got into UFC, it was an unbelievable feeling. When I got inside the cage, 'Big' John McCarthy - a guy who I was watching back when Royce Gracie was fighting - was the referee. I was able to earn a quick submission win. It was perfect.
I like to make my fights exciting and different. Everybody in UFC can fight; we're capable of kickboxing, wrestling, but I like to stand out. That's what I really pride myself on. What can I do to stand out from the other people in my sport.
My best moment in the UFC, I guess now that I look back, I guess my biggest accomplishment is the two belts in two weight classes. I really wanted to see if I could make it three, but you know, you're talking about the best guys in the world.
Certain athletes show themselves as marketable, and the UFC gets behind them; they help push them. I'm a husband, a father of four, a gym owner, an actor, an analyst, a stuntman, a Christian - every avenue you can take it, I have those layers.
Being outspoken was important... I helped make the UFC what it is today with Chuck Liddell, Royce Gracie, and Randy Couture. Some said I was outspoken in a bad way, but I was just trying to educate the fans what being a UFC fighter is all about.
I'm not here to be mediocre. I'm not in the UFC just to get a paycheck and make a living. That's really not what I'm here for. If I wanted to make money, I would have gotten out of the sport and done something else. I want to be a world champion.
What I love about the UFC, it doesn't matter if you're a girl or guy. It doesn't matter what color skin, what religion you are, where you're from, they give you the same money and they give you the same star. It's up to you where you're gonna be.
Shoot, me, if I was going to go to war and you told me I could have Keith Lee, I'll sign up on that one. And you told me I could have the freaking UFC madman Matt Riddle - he's like the new Goldberg - I'll sign up on that one too. I love the guys.
I had it on my mind that I will fight in Cologne, because UFC is coming to Germany, where the biggest and largest Croatian community lives there. It was my big, big, big wish to participate. Even my doctor didn't believe I will make it, but I did.
Most of the guys I've come across in the UFC have always been really polite and are always friendly with each other. We all understand how hard it was to get where we're at and how hard it is to stay there, so it's a mutual respect for each other.
I feel like a fight is a season. When you're in the UFC, one fight is the equivalent of a whole football season, so when you lose a fight, the fans only remember you from your last fight, so it's very important to perform well, and to keep winning.