It was always my goal to go back to MMA because my passion is there.
— Alistair Overeem
Style-wise, dos Santos is going to be an excellent fight for me - striker against striker. With my experience, I should have the upper hand.
Even if we were friends, I consider this a sport, a competition, so there are no ill feelings towards any other fighter or whatever.
One mistake, your winning streak is over and you've got to start over again. But you have to be optimistic in life, and I find that it's also beautiful, because if things are too predictable, that sucks, too, right?
I'm not usually the guy who believes in aliens, UFOs or superstitions.
The top 10 is really a media thing anyway unless you're the champion, but otherwise, it's always speculation.
Brock Lesnar was a big guy: he's at 280 when he fights. When fighting him, you can have a bit of that extra muscle because you don't want to be thrown around like you're nothing.
The UFC are doing a tremendous job of promoting the sport worldwide. The views about the sport haven't always been so positive here in the Holland, but it's nice to see change and to see the UFC come to Holland, and everyone been really enthusiastic about it.
I'm just cruising, doing me, having a good time and focusing on getting better.
I've always been a fighter and always competitive.
There are not many heavyweight fighters to come by, so having so many sparring partners is a big luxury a lot of other fighters don't have.
The move into K-1 was very big at the time. It was very special to me. I liked it. It was different. It was only striking, no ground, so it kinda changed my fight style a little bit.
America is the future. I am committed to the States. I'm guessing this is going to be a permanent move.
Every fight, honest to say, in this division, at this level, is a toss-up. It's a 50-50 chance.
I have a nutritionist and a doctor. Everything is checked. Thoroughly. Everything I take is checked out first.
I'm working relentlessly at becoming a better fighter than I was yesterday. I think I've really shown that I'm a more evolved fighter these days than I've ever been.
When my entire focus is on training and just preparing... I just do 100-percent that and nothing else.
I moved to the States, and that was a big thing for me. I moved to Miami, and I joined the Blackzilians. For me at the time, it seemed like the best logical solution, but sometimes surrounding yourself with new people is not good.
I do believe that Brock Lesnar will be coming back. I don't want to call it from retirement, but he is a huge draw, big guy, sells tickets. So that's a fight I would be interested in.
I'm happy where I'm at now, but I want to show the world that I'm the No. 1 fighter. I want to prove it the world. I'm focused and ready.
Don't give up at the first hurdle you encounter.
I heard there was a debate about fighting teammates, and if a fight should happen because the fans or promoter wants it, I will fight a teammate, but family is ridiculous.
I'm an all-around fighter. I do everything. I've got wrestling; I've got Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and I've got striking.
As a fighter, you need to constantly improve. So that's what we've been doing: constantly improving striking, grappling, wrestling - there's always different aspects to improve.
This level of competition is extremely high. Everybody is trained. Everybody has a game plan. Everybody has a nutritionist. Everybody has everything. It's here that you realize, as people, we're all equal.
No, I'm not going to retire. Not going anywhere. I'm focused on the UFC. It's the biggest stage.
Even after you win the championship, the work doesn't stop; it probably only becomes more. I'm just basically focused on what I need to do. There's a lot that goes into this - diet, preparation, assembling the right people around you, sparring partners, coaches, etc. - so I'm not enjoying anything.
If I lose to Frank Mir, I have to find something else to do.
This is a full-contact sport. It's the objective to disable your opponent, even if sparring or a real fight. You've got to use your technique.
I don't have any concerns fighting a teammate. It's a sport. To me, it doesn't really mean anything.
I wanted to join the Army, but my eyesight wasn't good, so I quit school and my job to just focus on fighting. I didn't want to just get deployed. I wanted to get in on the action.
My brother has the potential to become one of the top guys within Strikeforce. He had a very busy personal life; therefore, he wasn't training as hard as he should, but if he's going to pick up his training, he will be a danger for every fighter.
I have stated many times that one of my goals was to become K-1 champion. K-1 is, in our country Holland, very popular, and it's a big opportunity to become the first person that holds two world titles in two different sports.
