Mauricio Rua
I'm very thankful for my career, very honored.Collection: Thankful
Obviously, if I can win a fight that also pleases the fans, I'm even happier. But I'll take the win any way I can get it.
I don't make excuses for my losses. Instead, I use them as motivation, as a mistake I made.
I have a lot of respect for Brandon Vera... The guy has a great background in the business of MMA.
I would like to end my career on a winning note.
The young fighters will want to make a name for themselves by retiring veterans like me.
I left everything in the rings and octagons and gave it my all.
The only thing I can do is to do my best.
I think for us fighters, this is our biggest source of motivation - to have the support from the fans.
I love my fans.
I think training is pretty close to the real thing and we train hard and it's our profession, so you have to fight and do your job.
Some people keep saying, 'I won't fight this guy, he's my friend,' or this or that, but I don't think that's fair.
I think friends in life, if you're really talking about friends, you can count on your fingers. You're not going to have that many friends.
The only guy I would not fight is Wanderlei Silva because I really have a special relationship with him that goes back a long way.
It's important to have good boxing skills going into the fight with Dan Henderson. It's a big part of his game.
I like to push forward when I fight because that's the way I like to fight.
I'm going to push forward and go for it in every fight. That's my style, my roots, and the best use of my weapons.
Sure I've had cardio and injury problems in the past, but it is what it is.
If my team wants me to go down to 185, I'll go down to 185.
I don't care what others say. I know about what I say and what I do and how my career goes. Whatever people want to say, they're entitled to their opinion.
I never really doubted myself or had big fears regarding my future.
I think against Chuck Liddell I kind of proved to the American people and to the doubters my potential.
It is our duty as fighters to evolve and get better and show a better performance for the fans.
My obligation is to give my best, and that's what I think about.
I'm grateful to the UFC for being one of the pioneers in the UFC.
I'm there for 15 years - there's no one else for that long in the UFC. I'm grateful for everything.
Elbows hurt a lot more than stomps.
I hope that one day, the UFC can legalize foot stomps and soccer kicks. It would be great. I miss it.
During the PRIDE era, I have no recollection of anyone getting hurt badly from stomps or soccer kicks.
Elbows, in truth, really do hurt an opponent.
Obviously, I have big respect for Dan Henderson. He's a guy that hits hard and can do some damage. You've got to respect him.
I like challenges.
Any way that I can come out with a win, I'm happy.
I wanted to have my last fight in Brazil.
There's a lot of people that retire and come back a year later, but I don't like that.
I'm a very fulfilled and accomplished guy.
My mother asks me 'you really have to fight?' And I say that's my job, mom.
I'm happy fighting Brandon Vera because he has good Muay Thai. He's very known with the UFC, and he was part of several important events in the UFC.
I would never think I would be able to have such a long career, let alone to conquer and to achieve everything that I conquered, that I achieved. I only started for love, for fun, because I liked it. So I never dreamed that I would have such a career.
I'm happy with everything I achieved, so I'm choosing the right time to stop, where I'm still competing and I'm doing it on my terms.
Even the UFC itself, I've been 16 years in the UFC pretty much and it really makes me proud and makes me feel blessed by God that I was able to have this long and successful career.
I feel like I achieved everything I wanted in my career so I'm happy.
The legacy I want to leave and the way I want to be remembered is as a great person, a good role model inside the octagon as well as outside the octagon.
I tried to be a good person as a professional athlete inside the octagon, but also as a normal person outside the octagon.
Certainly, I didn't want to finish my career with a loss. I wanted to finish with a win, but unfortunately it wasn't possible and even though I lost I really feel a sense of having my mission accomplished, of fulfilling my duties.
I watched that fight between my brother and Henderson a number of times. It was a very competitive fight. My brother is one of the people who helped me a lot with my strategy for Dan. I hope to impose my game plan, knowing it's going to be a tough fight with a great fighter.
Sometimes you are at your best phase, and things can change suddenly. So you have to be prepared, train hard, work hard and treasure what you have.
I admire Chuck Liddell a lot.
A title fight should be a natural consequence of your work.
Ninja is a great fighter, it's not because he is my brother, but he truly is well-rounded and has too much heart.