I had to learn to take my time in MMA, and I was just able to keep a clear head.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I started doing MMA and boxing at the same time - I always wanted to try an MMA fight to see what it was like. I had one fight, and I was hooked.
I didn't really have intentions of fighting in MMA; it just kind of fell into place. Once I started fighting, though, I loved it, and I walked away from kickboxing right away.
In college, I tried to start wrestling as soon as I could and when it was available to me, as I loved competing, and then got into MMA under Pat Miletich, where I was able to sharpen all my skills and develop into a true fighter.
I'm more into MMA than any other sport. I watch a lot of the UFC fights. I have since it first came onto the scene.
What got me into MMA first was that I was a wrestler, and I was a gangbanger getting into trouble a lot and getting into fights. I grew up in a family of 15 in a four-bedroom house. It was dysfunctional, so that alone made me want to be an MMA fighter. It's really the only sport where you gotta basically depend on yourself.
I was always pushed to do that much more, and in the long run that made me more of an MMA fighter. My mom always told me that if I let it go to the judges, I'd lost. There was no way I was going to win a decision, so I had to find ways to finish the fight fast.
I've been involved in mixed martial arts since 1997 when I first started working for the UFC.
I went through a training camp; I worked extremely hard. I prepared for UFC 200. This was the big one. This one meant everything to me.
For me, MMA is like speed chess. It's like I'm herding a person into a certain position. Say my endgame is an arm bar. I'm not gonna actually take you and put you there. What I'm going to do is convince you that it's a good idea to move in the direction I want you to go.
I don't really dabble into the politics of MMA too much.
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