I think fans expect fighters to beat each other up, and what I expect out of myself is to stay of trouble.
— Robbie Lawler
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.
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 glad that in this sport you can write your own stories, and you don't have to worry about what other people expect out of you.
I want it to be one-sided. I don't want to take any bumps or bruises: I want to go out and dictate all aspects and go out the way I came in. I'm looking to dominate and dictate.
I'm tactical, and I have a lot of heart - something that you don't see when you watch a lot of fights.
I just take it one fight at a time.
I'm a big baseball fan, and I love the Cards.
I think the UFC's done a great job of building the brand, building the UFC, building MMA.
I'm going to fight until my body says otherwise.
I'm not a matchmaker; I don't run the UFC - I'm a fighter. So I'll stick to doing what I do best: training and punching people.
I've been fighting for a long time.
You want to go out there, and you want to be sharp, and you want to execute your game plan and... get it done fast.
Fighting somebody like Manhoef, who can take anyone out at any point in time - that was a big win for me and one of the best finishes. In that fight, it wasn't looking good for me, but I kept believing in myself and was able to land a big shot, which was huge!
I was a huge Mike Tyson fan, would sit through the night watching boxing matches and would hit the bag at every opportunity I would get.
Who am I to say anybody can't do what they want to do and create their own destiny if they believe in something?
I don't really dabble into the politics of MMA too much.
I've always had a belief in myself and an ability to always do what I believe.
The thing is I always believed in myself. I always believed that I was going to be the best in the world.
I'm just a quiet guy who loved to fight.
I didn't care what people thought of me, that I was getting better, pushing myself to get better. Those are the things I concentrate on. I don't concentrate on what everyone else was saying.
I'm not just a guy who can knock people out.
When you're on a roll, you want to stay busy - you want to keep that momentum going.
I just move forward and not worry about the things I can't control.
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.
When I came back to the UFC, I was just excited.
He's been doing this a long time. Hats off to a champion, Carlos Condit.
I was a striker before a wrestler. I've always wanted to knock people out.
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.
I was always into martial arts and boxing.
I'm just trying to be a better fighter every time I compete, so it's all about being more strategic and looking for a way to get a finish.
I don't really pick my opponents.
When you're coming up, and you have Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver and Pat Miletich, Jeremy Horn to train with and compete with - guys that have fought in Japan, all over the world - and you see these guys every day, you just embrace the grind and get after it: you have no choice but to succeed.
Everyone likes different things. Not everyone's the same. Not everyone runs their mouth. Not everyone can fight.
I expect greatness out of myself.
Trying to get over guys and knock them out, that's what fires me up. Decision victories, whoop dee doo, but finishing guys fires me up.
I always thought I could be the best, and that's what I've been doing all these years.
I just train hard and worry about the things I can control.
I try not to worry about what people think and what people think I should do each fight, how impressive I need to be. I need to go out there and win; that's what it comes down to.
Coming back to the UFC was huge. I was ready for the spotlight for the first time.
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 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.
I only know I feel good when I fight.
Every fighter wants to... take the least amount of damage possible.
For me, it's always the same: worrying about how I can get better, the techniques I can do.
In college, I tried to start wrestling as soon as I could and when it was available to me, as I loved competing, and then got into MMA under Pat Miletich, where I was able to sharpen all my skills and develop into a true fighter.
There's always going to be some phenom fighter coming up. If they're special athletes and highly trained, they'll do big things.
Holly Holm is a heck of an athlete and a heck of a fighter.
