I will never blame a fighter if he doesn't fight me because he takes care of his own interest first, and prioritize the interests of his family first, that's completely normal.
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.
Your body can dictate your mind... As I'm walking to the Octagon and I act with confidence, my body take over my mind, and I become confident for real.
I'm training all the time. My goal is perfection. But I will never reach perfection.
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.
I don't want to be an exception, because I was very outspoken about Performance Enhancing Drugs. It would be bad for my reputation if I would have an exemption [for doping test] - I don't want to have a free pass, I want to be like everybody else.
I see the world as a knowledge hardware story, and every day I'm just walking through the aisles.
You think I was born rich? I've worked really hard. You have no idea.
I'm always at my best when I'm fighting a guy who insults me..questions my integrity; it lights more fire in me.
I had two ACL injuries in my life, and both of them happened when I was training with bigger guys; a heavyweight and a light heavyweight. Sometimes it's not even because the guy is good, you just get hurt.
I've started late, I was 19 years old. I've trained with Victor Zilberman - he's a Russian-Jewish from Moldova. His son David who is coaching me represented Canada in the Olympic games. There were a lot of very good wrestlers there and they took me underneath their wing when I was young.
I'm so busy during my everyday, when I go on vacation I need to pull the plug like they say, and to do nothing.
Kyokoshin I've done most, but I competed in Sports Karate also, that's my style that I come from, and mixed with the wrestling that's how I got the takedowns.
Fighting is about knowledge, knowledge is a very important part of it.
The beach in Tel-Aviv I went to, it even looks and feels a little bit like Rio de Janeiro. Some other places are very European and I just like it. I thought it would be fun but it's a lot better than that. It's a lot more relaxed and a lot of fun, and I feel very secure, and I would tell my friends they should come here when they plan a vacation. Not only the history.
To fight a bigger guy you need to train with bigger guys and it takes a lot more on your body. And it's not your weight class.
Dana White came out very often in public saying I'm this and that; I'm sure it's also to play with my ego, to make me, for example, come out of retirement and say 'Oh ok, I'll fight for peanuts.' No, I'm not like that. I know the game.
A system that works for one person won't be perfect for another... Individuality is a major part of expanding knowledge.
Innovation, born from true creativity, depends on movement.
Nervous and scared is a good thing, it's your friend. You feel more on the edge, you feel like you're about to fall down the river, it's a good thing for me. I like that feeling.
It's not always the strong that survive. It takes brains, guts, tolerance and forward thinking.
This extends to all things, but you only learn it by losing a few times.
I fight with emotion, but I don't fight with anger. I could be angry, but I'm not going to fight with anger because when you fight with anger you can make mistakes.
One of the important lessons I learned from my parents is always to respect authority figures like teachers.
I bow to my opponent in praise and thanks. After the fight is a time for humility, acceptance and analysis, no matter the result.
