I think you can get so mentally beat by kind of working yourself up too much.
— Holly Holm
Aim high and don't sell yourself short. Know that you're capable. Understand that a lot of people battle with a lot of things - depression, body image or whatever else - so know that it's not just you. You're not alone.
I think sometimes in life we rush and only later look back and say, 'Wow, that was something pretty cool that I did,' and we realize we should have been more aware while it was happening.
I have a different kind of experience than other girls had. I've had to face a lot of different styles and adjust to them. I had to face a lot of bad situations and come back. I've had to fight with my eyes swollen shut and my nose broken and bloody.
I've been on the end of losing a fight, and there's a piece of my heart that has compassion towards that because I know how it feels.
There's a lot of criticism in this job and what we do. It's in front of everybody and for everybody to have their own opinion about what we do. Don't be in this position if you can't handle that criticism.
When people are self-entitled for no reason, just with anything, that bothers me. It's like waiting for someone to cross the road, and they walk slower because they know you're waiting. I like all the credit due in the places that it's supposed to be due.
When I don't have a fight scheduled, training is even more fun. I can come into the gym and work on stuff that isn't generated for a specific game plan. I can just play around with it and have a good time. I never want to get to the point where I'm sick of it.
I started doing MMA and boxing at the same time - I always wanted to try an MMA fight to see what it was like. I had one fight, and I was hooked.
There's days in training where everything flows and days in training where they don't. You just pray that doesn't happen the night of the fight.
There's no single person on this planet that's worth more than the other. Know your worth. Be confident in yourself.
Some people feel stronger in their 30s. I'm 34. I've noticed I do feel stronger now than when I was 24. But I'm also more sore in the mornings. If I have a bump or a bruise from practice, it takes me a little bit more than just an ice bath to get rid of it. At the end of the week, my body's ready for a day off.
A rematch is one of those things that will always be there when you remove a champion, and it's something you definitely need to give them - that chance for a rematch. That's the only way to do it.
I just want to be a fighter. I just like to win fights.
There's a ton of nerves for every fight I've been in; it doesn't matter if it was my debut.
A fighter can always recover, and you never know what they're going to come back with.
I still have a lot to learn, and I still have a lot to prove.
It doesn't matter what odds are on paper or what's happened before. It matters what happens that moment.
I have MMA strengths, but I need to build on my weaknesses.
At the end of the day, you are in control of your own happiness. Life is going to happen whether you overthink it, overstress it or not. Just experience life and be happy along the way. You can't control everything in your life, but you can control your happiness.
Fighting is a very emotionally draining sport. I don't want to waste time on drama beforehand.
I'm going to hit you as hard as I can regardless of whether you touch my gloves or not.
I'm glad people think that I can do well. I always say I would rather that be the scenario than on the other end of it saying, 'We thought she'd be real crappy.' I'll take the side that I'm on. I'll take that people think that I'm going to do well; they have faith in me and believe in me, and that makes me feel stronger.
I know there's a lot of emotion going into a fight, but everything in a fight - none of it comes out of an evil heart.
I'm always open to suggestions. I'm open to opportunities. Whether I take them or not, I don't know. And I would only take them if I weren't training, if I didn't have a fight scheduled. I really want to keep my focus on fighting. That's where all these doors are opening up from anyways. I don't want to lose sight of that. I love fighting.
I'd see people being really successful, whether it was my teammates or big-name fighters like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, and I'd think, 'I want to be a legend like that.'
I can't even explain how blessed I am and how fortunate that I have such a great team that believes in me.
