I work hard for my stuff. And even when I work hard for my stuff, it gets taken away - which is cool. It's alright. You can't take my smile. And you won't.Collection: Cool
I never make the same mistake twice. If you catch me slipping one time, good for you, but it ain't gonna happen again.
You don't have to use aggression to squash somebody. You have to use your brain.
I speak what's real.
One day, my bike tire broke miles from home and I found a way to fix it. That's what I learned: Even if you don't have all the tools, you can improvise.
Once I lose focus that's when I'm going to go tumbling down the hill.
You put the pressure on this guy. You test his conditioning. You test the cardio. You test the heart, the will. That's how you beat RDA.
When I first started fighting, it wasn't the easiest thing. I didn't have all the money in the world. I was eating Subway once in a while, some packets of oatmeal here and there. It wasn't that bad, but it's because I was fortunate and had good people there to support me.
I don't follow nobody. If people want to follow me, it's because they see talent.
I can take a hit, I know I can hit back twice as hard.
Everybody has their good days and their bad days, there's always two sides to a story.
I'm not one to throw anybody under a bus, but check this out: I'll be the first one to step in front of it.
The torch needs to be held by somebody that's great. Because champions are made in the dark, baby. We don't need the lights and the spotlight. That stuff is for everybody else, man.
If I have a roof over my head and if I'm cashing checks and choking some necks I'm always happy.
You dangle a little bit of change in front of somebody and what do they do? They change right up like a chameleon.
I don't want to be a cookie-cutter-poster-boy-bubble-gum-chewing fighter.
I'm the people's champ.
I like food. I like eating.
Opportunity sometimes comes once in a lifetime.
I'm from the 805, man. I don't have to talk about where I'm from, but I'm tough.
I don't like red. I like blue. That's my color.
I can go down to 145. I can kick everyone's butt there.
I want to be a multi-division champ.
The money will come to you, you've just got to keep winning.
This is a man's sport. I fight.
I like to have job security.
I thought this was the UFC and we're supposed to be the best and toughest fighters in the world.
I'm tired of labels. This is my label right here: El Cucuy.
It's what you do after making a mistake - that's what I like to see. As long as you mature and grow with it, that's fine.
I'm looking for pound-for-pound list to be the best in the world and it takes belts to get there so let's get there.
I like to push my body to just extremity to get past the mental toughness barriers. So fighting at 145, that would be great. If Kenny Florian can do it, I can do it.
I think I would pose a big threat at 145.
Any of my previous fights before the UFC and 'the Ultimate Fighter' were all main events and co-main events.
I always knew and my parents always knew I was destined for greatness. I didn't know what sport it was going to be in. I played football, baseball and wrestling.
I grew up around really tough-nosed guys so that's all I know.
A jab is established through timing and that's how I take it. Cause I have a 76-inch reach but I'm not worried about range. I'm looking to establish that timing so I can see when that chin is available or I see that the nose is available, I can pop it.
I could see myself going to lightweight, but I love welterweight.
I wrestled in college at 165.
I would love to fight Khabib, but there's no guarantee he's going to show up and make the weight.
I've been training like an Olympian.
This is an Olympic-level type of sport and it needs to be cleaned up.
I'm tried of D'arce, D'arce, D'arcing people, but if I have to D'arce somebody else up, the D'arce Knight will return.
I'm a fight finisher.
I'm a fan pleaser.
I might not always be given the respect that I should have, but it's what fuels me.
The UFC has a long history of changing a fighter's compensation for a particular bout... There's always changes that's always being made as far as contracts.
Everybody wants to see this fight. Everybody wants to see these fireworks. They want to see that explosiveness. They want to see me throw Khabib on his back and get that five-point motion with this U.S.A. wrestling. Because if wrestling was easy, it would be called Sambo, my friend. Straight up, I'm going mop that dude up.
It's interesting how Khabib fights but to me it's just boring, it's lazy.
Well, being my type of fighter and my type of guy, you know I throw a lot of barrage of punches, kicks, knees and elbows.
You can't just learn wrestling overnight.