One of my favorite Japanese proverbs is “Fall down 7 times, stand up 8”.
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.
I am a public person and I have my private life. It’s important for me that my private life stay private, that what I share with the people is my public personality.
Make sure your approach is consistent and steady so that you can maintain the progress you’re making as your journey continues.
I try to protect my loved ones, the people I share my life with, because they don’t have a public life like me. I want to keep their lives private out of respect for them.
I like to think I’m like water that adapts to its surroundings and eventually finds a way in.
I’m training all the time. My goal is perfection. But I will never reach perfection.
It’s not always the best team that wins the game, it’s the team that plays better.
It’s not always the strong that survive. It takes brains, guts, tolerance and forward thinking.
The only way forward in life is innovation.
Everyone in life faces obstacles. That’s what made me who I am. I don’t regret to have been bullied because probably if I would not have faced those obstacles I would not have been the man that I am. It make my stronger in a way and it helped me to forge the person that I am right now.
I bow to my opponent in praise and thanks. After the fight is a time for humility, acceptance and analysis, no matter the result.
Innovation keeps me ahead of my competition. It means that my foes must adapt to me, not the other way around.
I will never take the fact that I am Welterweight Champion for granted. I learnt my mistake in the past. No matter how great, no matter how people tell me how great I am, I’m always one mistake away from losing everything.
It’s not the most powerful animal that survives. It’s the most efficient.
With discipline, belief, and the right knowledge, we become the best we can be.
This extends to all things, but you only learn it by losing a few times.
Innovation is very important to me, especially professionally. The alternative, standing pat, leads to complacency, rigidity and eventually failure.
Everyone is a threat, and anyone can be beat at any given moment. No one is invincible.
Train smart at all times and do your best to avoid injury. Training smart is more important than training hard.
Respect is the most important thing. Be respectful toward others and have respect for yourself.