I'm hoping to earn enough to buy a few properties, that way I can make money that way and I want to do social work.
— Justin Gaethje
I've been telling people I need to start smiling to my opponents and shaking hands and just being nice, so then when the bell rings, I catch them off-guard, because I used to catch people off-guard, but everyone's ready now.
I love the sport, I'm a fan of MMA, I've been a fan of MMA since before I started it, I was a fan of Eddie Alvarez before I started fighting, so just the culmination of events that have transpired in my life through hard work, through specifically hard work, it's just, I'm happy.
People love the fact Chael Sonnen is saying he's undefeated. It's crazy to me that people like something like that but don't give respect to the fighters that just put it on the line.
I'm an entertainer.
I've never been in a street fight before, like one-on-one.
I know that the only way I'm going to advance in this sport is to be exciting and to finish fights, and I'm fine with that.
I watch a little bit of tape to pick up small stuff, but I don't try to pick apart my opponent's game plan. I'm going to keep coming forward. I don't ever take a step backward. I get hit, and I'm right back into range.
I watched the UFC way back in the day, before there were time limits. I always knew it's what I wanted to do some day.
I don't get hit a ton on the button.
A lot of people say I'm reckless and I take too many shots. I take shots on the forehead. There's nothing wrong with that. It puts me in punching range.
This is a making-money business, and the only way to make money is knocking people out. Lying on someone? That's pathetic to me. You gotta drop a bomb.
Whoever they send me a contract for, I'll fight him.
My only goal ever in a fight was to go in there and create chaos. Now, I want to control the chaos that hate's created. I want to fight in the right spots.
I want to fight Khabib. I think I'm one of the biggest threats to his title.
I'm very levelheaded.
I could lose and it could be the best fight ever, it still does great things for me.
I happen to have a college education and I never planned on being a fighter.
When you win, you get to pick someone in front of you to fight.
I'm not larger than life, my personality is not larger than life, I promise you. But when I fight I am larger than life, I promise you that.
It's life or death for me every single time I step in the cage.
When I sat down and knew I was going to go to the UFC, I thought of Edson Barboza and I almost had a panic attack. And then right away I called my manager Ali Abdel-Aziz. I said, 'Ali, that's the fight I want.' I think it's the worst fight in the lightweight division for me, the scariest.
I had no idea if I could fight when I first started. My first four amateur fights, I had never even been punched in the face or trained of any kind.
I win and lose in one way. And that's either putting them to sleep or putting it on the line and going to sleep.
I got into wrestling when I was four years old.
This is entertainment business and I fight for money.
I'm not saying I'd walk through everybody. There's some great fights for me, though, and I'd put on a hell of a show with a lot of the fighters in the top 10. My pressure is second to none, and a lot of them don't have any way to prepare for what I'm going to be bring.
When you fight me, you aren't going to be able to be so careful. They better block their face and knock me out. I'm going to hit them, kick them. I'm going to come forward. They'll have to run, literally run, backwards. That's the only way to get away from me. And eventually you're going to run into the cage.
Do I think people are sleeping on me? Absolutely.
Barboza is up there. He's a scary fight, but I like being scared. And that's a fight that me, as a fan, would want to see. I know how much fans would love something like that. So I'll go out there and try to finish that dude with leg kicks.
Twenty-five minutes is a long time to stay focused. It's really something I had to work on to go in there and not get complacent for 2 seconds or 5 seconds or 1 second. That's all it takes.
You will regret not seeing me fight live.
My timing and pressure is the definition of MMA.
False confidence is false confidence.
I went to college, I wrestled and I took some amateur fights. When I graduated, I wanted to start using my degree, but I figured I would start fighting professionally. Then I won 18 in a row and I fought Eddie Alvarez on pay-per-view.
In hindsight, I'd love to be undefeated still, but that's not what this sport is.
I'm trying to be as real as I can and I'm being myself. I'm not gonna create an act.
I'm not infallible. Never will be.
I've been saying I'm the best in the world for a long time.
I like to take chances.
What I do is not for the faint of heart, but I'm a different breed.
I was always sort of a competitor.
I don't fight to win or lose. I fight to entertain people.
When I take a right hand, I roll with it. I don't absorb every single bit of the punch. There's different ways to alleviate some of the force of a punch besides just getting out of the way. When I take it, it's on my gloves.
I know plenty of wrestlers who are 15-0 and going nowhere.
I do think I'm the best lightweight in the world.
I wish I was fighting Jason High in his hometown. I would put him to sleep in front of all his fans. He's mainly a wrestler, but I'm an All-American wrestler. So I'm really not worried about Jason High.
I want to be the world champion.
I respect the boss.
Melvin Guillard went to a split decision with me, he left the third round in a wheelchair. He did not walk to the back - he left in a wheelchair.
