I’m a martial artist, and I don’t train because I have a fight; I train because it’s my lifestyle, and I’ll train every day if I’m not hurt.
I think it makes your stronger to admit that you’re scared, because you’re not scared to say that you’re scared.
My mentality is that when I go to sleep at night, I’m a better martial artist than when I woke up in the morning.
The goal is to avoid mediocrity by being prepared to try something and either failing miserably or triumphing grandly.
I fight with emotion, but I don’t fight with anger. I could be angry, but I’m not going to fight with anger because when you fight with anger you can make mistakes.
You think I was born rich? I’ve worked really hard. You have no idea.
Once fear enters your life – it will take you in one of two directions: empowerment or panic.
I was a big fan of Jean-Claude Van-Damme growing up, and I always wanted to be a martial artist ’cause of him.
When you pay attention to detail, the big picture will take care of itself.
I am very honored and excited to be part of UFC 100; it’s going to be the hardest challenge of my career so far and it’s going to be pretty tough – I can’t wait.
You can spend your life watching other people win or beat your name into history.
If I’m disrespectful to my opponent, how can I respect myself?
No two journeys are alike. Nobody can pretend to know the journey another person takes to achieve his dreams.
There’s no honour fighting in the street, there is nothing to gain.
I’m always scared when I fight. But that fear is what keeps me more alert and more focused. It’s good to have fear.
Innovation, born from true creativity, depends on movement.
One of the important lessons I learned from my parents is always to respect authority figures like teachers.
Nervous and scared is a good thing, it’s your friend. You feel more on the edge, you feel like you’re about to fall down the river, it’s a good thing for me. I like that feeling.
It’s bizarre, a punch in the face hurts less when you win than when you lose.
Before each one of my fights, I make a point of saluting my opponent. I salute the other fighter out of respect, even though he is trying to take something from me.