We'll always have respect, but there's no friendship inside the octagon, no smiles or fun games. I'm there to knock you out or submit you. Worst case scenario, I want to dominate the entire fight.Collection: Friendship
Sometimes the opponent is more cool, sometimes he's not, but there's no friendship inside the octagon, only when the fight is over.Collection: Friendship
I'll rest when I retire, I'll rest when I die.
Jiu-jitsu has a lot of leverages and it's more complex when the guy is long.
I'm more used to four-fight contracts.
My preference, of course, is to fight for the belt.
I want to fight - I evolve when I'm fighting.
After I stopped with the crazy weight cut, I started performing a lot better.
In the beginning, it was too easy taking guys down, and I got in my comfort zone, and I've got to do more standup. And I missed the timing of takedowns and jiu-jitsu. I realized that's my roots, and I need to come back. And I started competing in jiu-jitsu and training more, and I think that was the key.
I like hostile environments, to keep it serious. That's where I fight my best.
I'll always respect my opponents, but there will be no high-fives or shaking hands or smiles there.
I just want to become champion.
There's only one champion. You close out, one man will have his name as champion and one man will be second.
That's what I want. I'm in the sport to be the best, to be the champion.
Signing with the UFC wasn't a dream. It's a goal. I set this goal and I reached it.
My doctor Rodrigo Mauro told me that I would fight better at 170, but I want to be a lightweight. I want to be the man at 155.
I'm kinda almost a middleweight. I walk around 185 and I'm fighting at lightweight.
I am heavy, I'm a big lightweight, but I always make weight.
When I ask for a fight I'm not only thinking about me and my career, I also consider if the fight will be interesting for the company and the fans as well.
I'm okay with guys declining fights.
I lost all respect that I had for Tyron Woodley.
In the beginning of my career, I've always had plans, dates, the year I wanted to become champion, but things happened different and I got very frustrated.
I stopped l thinking about dates. I knew I would become champion, I knew I would fight for the title, I knew I would headline a card. I knew it would happen one day, but I decided to relax and let things happen.
I didn't know when, but I always believed I would be the UFC champion.
I consider myself better than Jason Saggo on the ground, but that won't let me be extra confident or relaxed. In fact, that gives me more obligation to train hard and be ready for any situation.
It's horrible when you train hard and your hands are not raised in the end.
I called out Jim Miller, Joe Lauzon, Will Brooks. They would have been good fights for me and also for the UFC.
Dana White's very emotional, for sure. He wants my fight to be a banger. He wants Conor McGregor's fight to be a banger, and I understand. As a promoter, that's what you have to do. I understand his opinion, but I don't rely on it.
I want to knock people out, submit them, and one day I will be in the UFC. It's the natural way.
I believe I'm a bad matchup for Tyron Woodley.
I train with the best in the world.
I don't need a Mike Tyson video to get me hyped up. I don't need to see that. I wake up hyped up.
I've got a right hand and a left hand and I've got my jiu-jitsu and I've got heart.
Every time that I go to the sparring session and I need a good look, Kamaru was a good look for me always and I was the same for him. We have a couple wars, all in Florida, Blackzilians, Combat Club, Hard Knocks, Sanford, and he's a very good one. I beat him up a couple times, he beat me up a couple times.
I think I'm dangerous everywhere and I can finish the fight everywhere.
On bottom, on top, on my feet, with my hands, with my knees, with my kicks and even if you've got to go to a decision, we'll go to a decision but every time I step into the octagon, I don't look to a decision. I look for the finish. If I cannot finish, then I look for domination.
Kamaru looks first to domination. He wants to dominate you, put you in a bad spot, make you tired, wear you out and then beat you up.
I'm willing to face tough competition.
I'm a submission guy.
There are a lot of great fighters I'd like to fight in the UFC.
I want tough fights, but I can't choose opponents.
My cardio is one of the weapons I never had to use.
It's hard to do both grappling and MMA, but sometimes I can. I will do both as long as I can.
I will always to everything I can to compete at events like ADCC, Metamoris, Jiu-Jitsu Expo and Copa Podio.
Winning the title is not an easy task, but it's not impossible either.
I've trained with Eddie Alvarez, Michael Chandler, and they are champions in the UFC and Bellator.
I thought I was unbeatable. I trained with the best and tapped everyone, and I felt confident standing. I really thought I was unbeatable.
Losing was good because prior than that I was winning even when I wasn't fighting that well.
Every fight is a test I have to overcome.
I have nothing against Masvidal.