I think people that came out originally, like 2Pac, Biggie, Snoop Dogg,, and even T.I. and Ludacris, they were original with their vibe, but at the same time, they were classics.
It’s just comical how short-term people’s memories are.
I didn’t really get into the sport for fame. I didn’t get into it to be this infamous guy that everybody worships. I got into this sport to make a difference.
I just prepare and train to be able to stay on top as long as I can and retire on top.
I’ve had five submissions in the first round. I have 3, 4, 5 knockouts. I’ve had decisions. I’ve had grinding fights.
God does things on his time. He wanted me to sit down and wanted me to get some other aspects of my life back in order.
I remember recording over my mom’s cassettes and putting on ‘Thuggish Ruggish Bone,’ and my mom be like, ‘What the hell?’ Being that I was born in ’82, I’ve been listening to all of the classics throughout my years.
Have you seen any African American athlete that appeals to the urban market actually bring that market to the MMA?
I have the highest takedown defense in the entire welterweight division, maybe the second-highest on the UFC roster.
I’m gonna fall back, do my thing, but goddamn, I’m going to be a tough dude to deal with.
No one should ever bring my muscular build up and think it is going to have something to do with my output in the fight.
I gotta be able to beat good guys at any moment. I think that’s what I’m taking.
I want to fight at middleweight.
I’ve always felt like the underdog.
What is there not to market? I fight like hell. I’m built a certain way, never taken performance-enhancing drugs.
What’s on my playlist when I’m fighting is not so much hip-hop. Sometimes, it’s something more inspirational. I get a chance to think about what I’m fighting for, like, my family. It takes me to that state because a lot of times, it’s a spiritual warfare for me.
Martin Luther King didn’t know he was going to have a day named after him; Muhammad Ali didn’t know he was going to be the people’s champion. He was doing what he was doing because it was right.
For me, I think you can coach guys in martial artsm, and wrestling can be one aspect of it, but I have no desire to be an NCAA wrestling coach again. It was one of the worst coaching jobs I have ever had.
If you are the best in the world, and you believe you should be fighting for a title, I think it is important to get those things out. Because a closed mouth doesn’t get fed.
I don’t believe in ring rust. I used to believe in ring rust, but I talked to my buddy Dominic Cruz, who’s a bantamweight, and he basically said it’s a mindset. What you do in between in your time off determines how you’re going to look when you come in there.
I’m the person that’s been that young, spunky kid that wanted to beat the top guys.
If I have a chance to make a larger amount of money in a legacy fight against the No. 1 welterweight in history, it makes sense for me to want that fight. You have a lot of pay-per-view money coming to this company. Why shouldn’t the champion partake in a piece of that pie?
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