I want to prove I'm a great, exciting fighter.

I think I can beat anyone in the world. That's what I train for. It's just a test of skills for me.

I always want to prove that I've improved.

Some people, honestly, as simple as it sounds, aren't going to log in and put in all their information to get a fight on Fight Pass. I mean, they're just not going to do it.

When you go in there and fight, you pretty much relinquish and give up the right to make any excuses about something.

I hate when people come out after a fight and they talk about injuries.

The thing is, it's really hard to be the No. 1 absolute best in the world at something, no matter what you're doing.

Not having to compensate for always being at a size disadvantage allows me to unleash all of my skills.

My dream has always been to be a UFC champion. It wasn't to be a main event fighter.

That's why we're here: to leave a legacy that'll be remembered long after we're done. And what a great start to my legacy, man, being the first UFC flyweight champion.

You never want to get injured, of course. That's just not what you do, but in the scheme of things 12 years of professional fighting and having to sit out nine, ten months for an injury is not that bad.

Personally I think there is nothing like that in-fight experience.

I want to fight the best guy. I don't want there to be any question that I beat the next best guy in the division.

Everyone wants respect from your peers and from fans. No better way to do it than beat Miguel Torres.

Cruces is like my town, where I grew up, where my heart is... All the teachers and coaches and people who have really influenced my life are from there.

Being the first flyweight champion would be history. I'd be immortal. No matter what I do, that's always there.

I bought a house after the Loveland fight. I wanted something grown up like an elephant or some flowers to put on the mantel. I decided I need a UFC belt.

Actually, when I don't have a fight I'm training the hardest because I'm not worried about getting hurt.

I was rocking everyone at 135 and putting them down.

You want to be respected by your bosses and peers.

I've trained different places with different people my whole career. I'm going to continue to do so. It's always been a journey.

I'm in a small percentage of people that get to do what they love to do for a living. I'm lucky.

Fans are going to give you crap no matter what sexual orientation you are.

I was sitting in the nosebleeds eating hot dogs and watching Georges St. Pierre win the world title from Matt Hughes. Like never in my wildest dreams if someone would have tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Hey, seven years from now you're going to be down there doing the same thing' would I have believed them.

For me, I've been a part of a super-team in Team Alpha Male for so much of my career.

The destination is the belt, but you never arrive at just the belt. You're always on the way to something else. You never truly arrive anywhere. But winning the belt, it's a nice pit stop.

It would mean a lot, but it's weird, because what's the title? It's an extra line on your Wikipedia page and a medal that says you won on that particular night. It obviously symbolizes more than that, but those are the things people think about.

I'm going to be world champion and have a belt, and people will correctly be able to say I was the best instead of I was very good.

I wasn't fighting in this sport from the beginning for any other reason than being the best.

I've been lucky. I've been in that top two or three for 11 years at two weight classes. It's been a crazy journey. It's been awesome.

I've died freaking 100 times. What's another death?

To me, the best part about winning the belt is hugging my wife after.

People would ask me about my legacy, and I would tell them my legacy is what I did. You can't change it. It's just what you do or what you did.

I've always believed I was going to win a world title.

If I went out there and felt the best I ever felt and fought the best I've ever fought and lost, I would have to reconsider things and think differently. I would have a different outlook on my career.

Cejudo would be awesome. It would be an honor to go out and fight an Olympian.

I never thought I was going to lose the first title fight. I was literally obsessed with the outcome only, and I couldn't imagine any other way possible. I thought I was going to explode and die before I lost. But I lost.

I wanted to fight Cejudo only because it meant I was gonna win the title. It wasn't about fighting a person.

I just need to remember even if I don't get the title, I have an awesome life and an awesome family and friends.

I'm in this sport for a long time and I'm going to continue to fight with my whole heart and put on a show.

I will always believe in the team aspect.

The punches that don't knock you out are the ones you feel the most.

Obviously becoming champion is always going to be my goal and something I want to accomplish, but I can't control being the champion and winning and losing. You can't control the result.

You have to go out there and fight as hard as you can. You have to go out there and work as hard as you can and do the right things. Then you go out there and perform and either it's good enough or it's not.

I lost and I didn't die. I still had my health, family and people who loved me.

That was always the top martial artist - the Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt. Once I started beating them, I knew I had what it takes to form a new martial art. That's when I came up with Joe Jitsu, my namesake, so my legacy lives forever through the martial arts.

I'm not going to bag on people and make funny jokes about my opponent. I just respect every opponent I go in against.

I've realized that I can't control what the hell everyone else is gonna do. People are crazy. People want different things.

I don't believe someone like Cejudo would be scared of somebody.

I'm all about respect and I never get outside myself as far as calling people out.