One of the guys I’ve always said was one of my favorite fighters to watch was Sakuraba. He’s always been really creative. He’s got a great attitude, and I think he has the right approach of just going in there and letting it all hang out.
I’ve told the UFC brass I want big fights: fights that are going to put money in their pockets and money in my pockets and staple me as one of the best of all-time.
I’ve fought the guys that didn’t do anything for me, didn’t move the needle a bit, people weren’t excited for it, I was having trouble getting excited for it. I’ve fought those guys because that’s what was given to me.
I love watching other guys fight.
I know Barao is a tough, skilled competitor. So am I.
Aside from being a fighter, I am a relaxed person. It is a lifestyle thing for me. I don’t stress too much.
Time is something you can’t get back.
Everything in life that is good, I have.
I feel really lucky about being able to live a life that revolves around my passion. People are really supportive, and I’ve got some great fans.
I’m kind of – I guess you could say – a momma’s boy.
This is why people love to watch me, is because I fight. I’m here to fight. I’m not here trying to protect anything, not trying to protect a legacy or anything. I’m here to fight.
I’m not a party animal.
On occasion, it’s rough for me to sleep because I have a lot of things on my mind, so I’ll need to get a little more sleep sometimes. I’m up late because I’ve got a lot of energy and a lot of things on my mind all the time, and I’m up early ’cause I’ve got things to do, so that’s the only thing. That’s how I like it; I like to be busy.
I’ve kind of lived the same lifestyle I’ve had since I was a little kid. Basically, working out and hanging out with my friends and competing. I feel like a really lucky guy. I haven’t had to do anything I don’t want to do in life, and that’s not the case with everyone.
You get notoriety when you fight.
I’ve had plenty of fights where the guy’s virtually unknown and very tough. I mean a lot.
There’s some weirdos out there, a few stalker fans out there, but nothing I can’t handle. People are just going out of their way to hunt down information and get a hold of me. People call obsessively or things like that.
Training is a lifestyle for me, so I’m always in good shape.
That’s the biggest part of our sport, is self-confidence, and self-belief.
As a kid, I loved contact sports, especially American football and boxing.
My first reaction to any fight opportunity is yes, just out of instincts. That’s why I’m in this sport.
Mike Brown is a big guy; he’s very durable. He’s extremely strong and very well-rounded.
This guy Jimmie Rivera, I like his attitude. I like what he represents. He’s a hard-working guy, he’s a respected guy, a respectful guy.
I’ve always wanted to be the best.
For sure, I’d fight B. J. Penn. He’s one of my buddies, also, but I think we could fight each other.
I looked up to action heroes such as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Jean-Claude van Damme because I liked the attitude and determination they portrayed.
I’m a guy that follows my heart and my passion. I do what I love.
I think the California mentality is laid-back, and I definitely embody that.
All the businesses that I’ve been a part of throughout my fighting career have come out of a need.
Money shouldn’t be the driver for where you spend your time.
We all go through things in life. You try to stay positive, but you can’t ignore bad things that happen. You just try to work through them.
As far as fighting, I just love to fight and enjoy my life more because of that. I think that it is pretty apparent to those who know me that I do this because of the love. I am not looking to get famous or acquire a bunch of cash. I am following my passion, and that’s what is about for me.
I’m going to stay training every day. I’m going to stay sharp, because that’s what I love to do.
You look at teams in college, the MMA world, and beyond that allow bullying, where guys get jealous during training and stuff like that. You need to have a space where everyone feels like they have an equal opportunity – like they have support, people watching out for them.
For me, Sakuraba was my favorite fighter when I first got into the sport.
I do try to stay positive and maintain a positive environment for my team.
If you want something, you gotta fight for it.
The reason we get into the fight game is the same reason why we stay too long sometimes. It’s because we enjoy it.
I’m a passionate guy.
I’m not really good at worrying. I think I get that from my pops. He can be in some really dire straights and be a real optimist, so I don’t sweat the petty stuff.
I love this fight game. I’m passionate about it. I feel great about it.
I don’t want to be the guy who, ‘Oh, he’s falling apart. He’s a little punchy. Maybe it’s time to stop.’
I need guys who are dangerous to go out and have my best performance.
I’ve never said no to any fight the UFC has asked of me.
Our team is the best team in the world, and I’m going to maintain that, and I’m not going to let anybody break that up.
Fighting Michael McDonald was awesome.
I didn’t get into too many fights when I was younger. I think I got into, like, one fight when I was in high school, and that was because someone was being rude towards my mom, and that was it.
I have always been a big fan of combat sports – ever since I can remember, it was something that appealed to me and something that I thought I would be good at.
Kid Yamamoto is a guy that has star power.
I work my butt off and have a positive attitude.
I was raised in a bit of a hippie environment.
The rankings – they don’t mean crap, to be honest.
I have to have an attitude of gratitude and not miss opportunities.
I’ve never been knocked unconscious in my entire career.
The world is not equal, unfortunately.
I’m a very lucky guy.
For me, I treat everyone like an equal.
I’m poised to take any opportunity, I’m poised to keep myself in tip-top shape because that’s what I love to do.
For me, fitness is a lifetime commitment; I don’t remember ever being out of shape.
The cheaters are going to find way to cheat over and over again.
I train in Muay Thai, kickboxing, traditional boxing, wrestling, jiujitsu, and a little bit of judo.
I fight guys that no one has ever heard of; I fought guys who are legends, like Frankie Edgar.
When you’re at world championship level, you’re fighting other guys who are at a world championship level.
You can’t make mistakes against top guys.
I’m a big fan of ‘The Last Dragon’ – Bruce Leroy and Sho’nuff – that’s one of my favorite movies growing up.
I knew I was a world champion and a top contender at the highest level for over a decade, but I think I’ll be remembered as somebody that was an ambassador for the sport, someone who helped build something bigger than myself, and also for the team I’ve been able to build.
There’s only a certain amount of times in my life where I’m going to get to experience every single person directing their energy and focus on you, screaming at you.
I don’t think Conor’s scared of anything. He’s game to fight.
If someone gets into the Super Bowl, should they stop trying to get back into the Super Bowl? You gotta be kidding me.
I enjoy competing, and I love to get out there, and I feel like I could compete with anyone in the world, and it took me a long time to get like that.
I’ve loved just being a part of other people’s success.
I had a two-hour VHS tape of Sakuraba and all his crazy stuff. He was doing crazy double flying chops with both hands and undressing the Gracie family one shoulder at a time, and probably my favorite fight of all time was when he fought in Heroes and was rocked and kind of out of it, and they stopped him and kind of shook him in bounds.
I’m a guy who has put my heart and my soul into something, into everything that I do.
I’m a very hard working guy.
I’ve had a great run. I’ve been a world champ. I’ve been a top contender. I’ve been a poster boy for the organization, for sponsorships, been able to do a lot.
This is why I go into this sport: to fight the best guy in the world.
My parents named me after Uriah the Hittite, one of King David’s mighty men in the Old Testament of the Bible, who was known for his fearlessness. I’ve thought about it, and there may be a connection between my name and my personality.
The Jens Pulver fight was one that was on a massive level: I was a world champion fighting a former world champion, and a guy that I looked up to. We had a great fight.
Fighting Raphael Assunaco isn’t that exciting to me. I have nothing against him; he’s a good guy and a good fighter.
There’s guys who train hard. There’s guys who believe they’re real tough. But there’s only a certain amount of guys who believe – like, really believe – they should be the champion. I know I have that mentality, and I know other guys who have that mentality.
This is the one sport you don’t want to be one foot in one foot out.
I was 133-pounder all through college, and that’s probably my natural fighting weight, but if it isn’t broken, why fix it? I’ve been a champion at 145.
I want to be remembered as just basically somebody who fought with a lot of passion.
Dana White’s awesome. He’s an emotional guy, but I feel like he’s a good guy. He’s an emotional guy. He’s like Donald Trump. He says whatever the hell he wants.
People want to see me fight all sorts of people out there.
The longer you stay out of this sport, the less sharp you are, and I’ve been aware of that; that’s why I’ve stayed and haven’t wanted to retire and come back – because you skip a beat.
I love this sport. I love what I do. I love fighting and combat, and I love to train hard. But I want to be at my best.
I know in my heart that I can compete at multiple weights.
Ribs are a real tricky thing: you don’t really know when they’re going to heal, especially when mine weren’t broken. I don’t know what it was, exactly – either a deep bruise or cartilage.
I’ve held the title for years and years.
Jens Pulver was a former UFC champion. He’s a guy who I followed and looked up to. It was my first big fight in the Sacramento arena.
It’s kind of a weird thing when you’ve been at the top of a division you’ve been in your entire career to kind of take a backseat because of friendship.
The most important thing in a fighter is his mentality. Do you really believe that you’re the baddest dude on the planet?
When I was 23 years old, I had just finished my wrestling career. I was top 12 in the nation in the NCAA. And I was top 12 in the state in California.
This is a mean world, and everyone likes to jump in and kick people when they’re down.
Things change when you’re fighting the best guys in the world.
I’d be down to go to 135. I’ve competed most of my life at that weight.
This sport is not very forgiving.
When I face an opponent in the cage, it doesn’t really matter who they are. Whether they’re my buddy, like Scott Jorgensen, or someone I don’t like, like Dominick Cruz, I’m going in there and realizing this guy is trying to hurt me, and that’s what I’m going to do to him. I try to keep it real basic.
