I've had ups and downs in my career, and if you look at it as a bookmaker, the odds of me becoming a world champion were never in my favour, but I never stopped believing in myself and never stopped trying.

I'm a fighter through and through, and I've got more heart and more determination than anybody.

I've beaten a lot of great fighters, but people say the big ones, I've lost them all. I don't want to go down as a guy who loses his big fights.

Best move is probably the flying knee I used in the Ultimate Fighter semi-final v Ross Pointon in 2006.

What matters - the only thing that matters - is winning. It's nice to entertain the fans and to gain new ones, especially from the States, but on the night... that's all that matters.

I'm generally an optimist, but of course, when you've been with the UFC for a decade and still not had a title shot, there is a little part of you that wonders if it will ever happen.

Ultimately, when two professionals meet, I don't really see the location as being a defining factor. If you're a psychologically weak fighter, maybe it would be. But if you're a seasoned pro, it doesn't really come into it.

I haven't seen any of the Cung Le movies, but I have seen the Cung Le Q&A that he did in San Jose, and I've got to say that was pretty hard to watch. That was pretty cringeworthy. Listen: stick to kicking; sticking to kicking eggs and setting Guinness World Records, because entertaining a crowd certainly isn't your thing.

I'm not homophobic in the slightest. I have lots of gay friends.

I don't need others to push me. I push myself.

As a fighter, you know when you connect with a really good shot because you feel the impact on your fist.

I often put my foot in it a little bit sometimes.

A lot of Americans say the food in England sucks. I don't think the food in England sucks - the food is great - but I've got to say, the Americans have got the dining out experience nailed down.

Fighting is different than other sports because you're not competing as regularly.

If a football player has a bad game, he's allowed to do that because he plays once or twice a week. With fighting, it's once every few months.

Some people are born for a certain thing. And for me, unfortunately, I wish it was something a bit more artistic or whatever, but I was a born fighter. That's what kept me coming back. It makes me feel alive. And, I just know, there is nothing I do better in this world than fight.

I went to college and did advanced electronical engineering, not really knowing what I wanted to do. It bored me to death, so I dropped out.

I worked in factories, slaughterhouses, as an upholsterer. I did demolition work, was a postman, was a tiler, a plasterer. I even sold double-glazing door-to-door. But I always dreamed of being a world champion, first of all as a boxer.

For so many years, people have used the expression 'poster boy of British MMA,' but I've never seen myself as that; I certainly never described myself as that.

You've got to sell fights; you've got to be entertaining.

Omelettes, I'd say, are my secret weapon in terms of diet: I love them, they're nice and easy to make, they're very nutritious, and they're low in carbs.

I want to be the first British person to lift a UFC World Title.

I want to be world champion, and that's why I've worked for an entire lifetime to get here.

Financially, I've done very well doing what I do. I've got plenty of money in the bank. I've got gigs with FOX doing analyst work, media work. The UFC has been very kind to me. Ultimately, however, I want to be world champion. I have to achieve that to validate my entire career.

I swear to God, I don't even know who Demi Lovato is. My son has a crush on her. Apparently, he was sat next to her when I knocked Luke Rockhold out, so Demi Lovato knows who I am, that's for sure.

Of course it's an honour to be fighting at UFC 100, but I don't sit back and think about that. For me, it is only ever about winning.

People write me off, and yet then, when I fight people, my opponents have a completely different opinion of me afterwards.

Due to the UFC educating people on MMA as a sport, people give us the respect as athletes, opening doors to opportunities which wasn't available in the past. It has been amazing to be part of the UFC journey.

I can wrestle a little bit, but I'm not Chael Sonnen.

I'm a proud Brit and a proud Englishman.

A lot of people get up to the top of the pile, maybe get one No. 1 contender match-up, and if they lose, they drift into obscurity. I lost, and I went back a bit. But I built myself back up. Three times.

One of my proudest moments is definitely UFC 105 in Manchester when I stopped Denis Kang in the second round.

Fighting in England, for me, is the height of my career. It really is.

Without wishing to sound arrogant, when I was younger, I used to win every single martial arts tournament I ever entered. I used to enter the under 14s and under 16s, win both gold medals in those, and then go in the men's tournament just for experience, and end up getting a silver medal.

The underdog status suits me just fine.

UFC has done a fantastic job of establishing the biggest leading brand in mixed martial arts. Years ago, many people didn't know what MMA was nor understand the sport.

Let's be honest: I don't want to walk out to boos. I always want to be cheered, like anyone, and I've been very lucky over the years to have a lot of support. Coming to America, I'm always the away guy, and so people thought their guy had to take me out, and they boo.

Patrick Cote, that would be one way traffic. I'd destroy the guy.

There will always be a place for 'The Ultimate Fighter.'

A long time ago, I had a bird that annoyed me, and the bird had to go. The bird's neck was snapped. I would also snap Conor McGregor's neck in a similar fashion.

I used to do traditional weapons training, and I wasn't bad with a sword.

I hate the expression, 'I'm not fake.'

I'm very happy with my wrestling.

I'm in a sport where, on their day, anyone can beat anyone else if they are at the top of their own game.

I just like doing normal things, going to the shops in Manchester, getting a meal with my girlfriend and kids, going to the cinema. I love Las Vegas and there places, but I couldn't live there.

You can push my buttons all you want and say whatever you want about me, and that's fine... fighters do that.

I hit as hard and as fast in the first week of camp as I do in the last week of camp. So it doesn't matter if it's two weeks' notice or 10 weeks' notice.

I hate it when people call me a cage fighter. I'm a mixed martial artist. But people take one look at what we do, and they just start making assumptions.

It seems, whenever there are two Brits fighting in the UFC, we always seem to put on a good fight.

It's going to take more than one loss for me to hang up my gloves; that's for sure.