I've been fighting for a long time.
I don't fight for my legacy or for the glory or anything like that. The feedback from the fans is nice, don't get me wrong; it's a good feeling having them - you on their side. But I'm motivated by making a good living for my family, and that's what made me get serious about this.
Everyone's got an opinion, and not all of them are good ones.
If I don't have the drive and determination to wake up every day and train with young, hungry fighters, if I don't want to do that, then I need to get out of the game, but as long as my body says I'm all right, and my hunger stays the same, I'm going to keep 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'm just a quiet guy who loved to fight.
The thing is I always believed in myself. I always believed that I was going to be the best in the world.
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.
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 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.
It has never been a motivation thing. I'm a fighter. I always show up and give it my all.
Every day, I need to get better. I need to get stronger. I need to get faster.
I always thought I could be the best, and that's what I've been doing all these years.
I'm tactical, and I have a lot of heart - something that you don't see when you watch a lot of fights.
I'm not gonna tell any man what he should do in life.
I'm just willing to do a lot, take a lot, and force people into a fight. That's something a lot of people aren't ready to do. Some people are.
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.
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.
Winning fires me up.